The Royals’ playoff hopes got a boost by what rival teams did at trade deadline
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Royals added four pitchers and an outfielder to boost playoff chances
- Several wild-card rivals, including Angels and Guardians, made minimal moves
- Royals face 26 games versus rival teams also chasing final playoff spot
Any analysis of the MLB trade deadline should include a history lesson.
A year ago, Detroit fans were looking ahead to the 2025 season after the Tigers were sellers at the trade deadline. Instead, the Tigers caught fire and made the playoffs.
That serves as a reminder that no matter what happened Thursday ahead of the MLB trade deadline, a team’s postseason fate is not sealed. The Royals were aggressive. They added three pitchers and an outfielder on Thursday, along with the Adam Frazier and Randall Grichuk deals earlier.
Not all teams were looking to build.
“Some other teams are thinking differently,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said. “Probably shouldn’t comment on that. But we play them a lot coming up. ... From a competitive standpoint, OK, it should favor us. But it’s a baseball game, so we’ve got to go out and win the game. So I don’t know if I’m answering that question, but I think, you know, it’s clear that teams were thinking differently right now than we were.”
The Royals are just 3 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot in a crowded American League field. They are one of seven teams that either hold that final wild-card position or are no more than 6 games behind.
Here is a closer look at what the Royals’ rivals did ahead of the trade deadline. The Royals (54-55) will play 26 of their final 53 games against these teams.
Minnesota Twins
It’s almost more noteworthy to say which players remained with the Twins, who have a 51-57 record and are 6 games out of a wild-card spot. They parted ways with a whopping 10 players, including Willi Castro, Ty France and Carlos Correa. Only Byron Buxton (who remains) had a higher on-base percentage than those three.
The Twins’ playoff hopes appear to be over, and the Royals face Minnesota six more times this season.
LA Angels
The Angels (53-56) are just 4 1/2 games out of a playoff spot, but they were not particularly active. Their deal for Nationals’ relief pitchers Andrew Chafin (2.70 ERA) and Luis Garcia (4.10 ERA) got a C-plus grade from The Athletic.
LA also added infielder Oswald Peraza (.152 average) from the Yankees.
That doesn’t sound like a team loading up for a playoff push, which is good for the Royals. They play the Angels six times in September.
Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay got an A-minus grade for its deals from CBS Sports. The Rays added starting pitcher Adrian Houser (2.10 ERA) from the White Sox and reliever Griffin Jax (72 strikeouts in 46 innings) from the Twins.
The Rays (54-56) are 4 games out of a playoff spot and a half-game behind the Royals, and the teams split their six-game season series.
Cleveland Guardians
CBS Sports unloaded on the Guardians, giving them an F grade.
This is from their story: “The Guardians traded two players who are currently injured and otherwise didn’t do anything. They are only 2 1/2 games out of a playoff spot, so why were they trading Shane Bieber when they have a lackluster back-end of the rotation? Ah, to save money. That’s right. Again: 2 1/2 games out. Pathetic.”
The Guardians (54-54) are now 3 games out of a playoff spot following Thursday night’s games. The Royals play a four-game series in Cleveland in September.
Texas Rangers
Texas acquired starting pitcher Merrill Kelly (3.22 ERA) from the Arizona Diamondbacks and have a solid top three in the rotation with Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi. That deal earned the Rangers an A-minus grade from USA Today.
Relief pitcher Phil Maton (2.35 ERA) came over from St. Louis and Danny Coulombe (1.16 ERA) was acquired from the Twins, so Texas’ pitching got a boost. The Rangers are 21st in runs scored but the offense didn’t get help.
Texas will face the Royals at Kauffman Stadium for a three-game series later this month. The Rangers (57-53) are 1 game out of a wild-card spot.
Seattle Mariners
The Mariners (58-52) were the biggest trade deadline winners, according to ESPN’s David Schoenfield.
Here is an excerpt from his story: “The Mariners acquired the two best hitters to move at the deadline in Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor in two separate trades with the Arizona Diamondbacks — and remarkably didn’t have to give up any of their top 10 prospects to do so. That’s some crackerjack dealing from president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto, who has always been an aggressive trader but has also been limited through the years by a stingy ownership group that has capped the Mariners’ payroll. Given the approval to add some dollars, Dipoto has now constructed one of the best lineups in the majors with the top home run duo in Cal Raleigh and Suarez.”
The Mariners, who currently hold the third and final wild-card spot, play a three-game series against the Royals in September at Kauffman Stadium.
Boston Red Sox
I’m including the Red Sox in this story, even though they hold the second wild-card spot. Boston (59-51) has a two-game cushion in the playoff chase, but the Red Sox were not active at the deadline.
Boston added starting pitcher Dustin May (4.85 ERA) from the Dodgers and relief pitcher Steven Matz (3.44 ERA) from the Cardinals. The Red Sox got a C-minus grade from The Athletic. The Royals play a three-game series next week at Fenway Park.
