Royals Target Second D-Backs Outfielder—But Where’s the Plan?

The Kansas City Royals are experiencing the thrill of recent upward movement having won their third consecutive series and finishing July with an impressive 15-9 record following a 1-0 victory against the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday.

They've also been actively involved in the trading market up until now, focusing on addressing certain defensive requirements , as well as making sure their injured-laden pitching rotation isn’t further weakened due to actions they took, by taking Seth Lugo off the trading market after reaching an agreement for a long-term deal with him over the weekend .

With their solid performance and strategic maneuvers in the league, the Royals appear to be setting themselves up for a playoff run as they approach the end of the 2025 season.

Nevertheless, to present their strongest case, they probably need to keep looking for additional players before the trade deadline at the end of Thursday night, particularly on the offensive side. Their outfield appears to be the key area in the lineup where such changes could happen, as multiple potential candidates have been connected to them recently.

However while Some recommendations could be solid logical matches Others appear to be more perplexing. The most recent instance of an enigmatic deal involves a group of authors from The Athletic, who deemed Alek Thomas, the center fielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks, as a possible candidate The Arizona Diamondbacks' center fielder, Alek Thomas, as an ideal match Alek Thomas of the Arizona Diamondbacks being considered as a suitable option Potential compatibility of Arizona Diamondbacks' center fielder Alek Thomas Alek Thomas from the Arizona Diamondbacks as a viable choice for Kansas City.

The Royals are connected with another Diamondbacks outfielder, but this situation is harder to understand.

Center field is definitely an area where the Royals could use some improvement. Kyle Isbel, despite possessing certain positive attributes, is generally a net negative when using the bat .

Although the Royals may be savoring their latest outfield acquisition from the D-Backs, Randal Grichuk, he offered a noticeable improvement and made it apparent what position he would occupy within their batting lineup.

This is certainly not true for Thomas, as he shares too many parallels with Isbel to make much of a difference.

This season, Thomas is hitting .242/.291/.368, including six home runs and 27 RBIs, with a modest 82 wRC+. However, his defensive contributions are notable, as he has a positive fWAR of 0.7, thanks to strong fielding performance earning him 2 OAA.

Nevertheless, Isbel has shown himself to be a comparable kind of player. Although his wRC+ may be lower, he swings at fewer pitches and is a significantly stronger defensive player compared to Thomas.

It’s true that the Royals currently have Alek Thomas on their roster. Both he and Isbel are defensive-focused outfielders who hit left-handed but aren’t above-average hitters. The main differences between Thomas and Isbel are his younger age—three years younger—and an additional year of team control since he won’t be eligible for free agency until 2029. However, for someone with limited offensive ability, how significant is age and contract security really?

This strongly resembles the kind of agreement J.J. Picollo mentioned the Royals were trying to prevent, when addressing the press on Friday .

"We won't attempt to create an outcome that would be detrimental to the organization," Picollo stated.

If the Royals were to acquire Thomas, it appears they might be doing so merely to complete a transaction. The Royals clearly have the capability and should aim higher in their pursuit of outfield upgrades than settling for a weak-hitting player like Thomas.

This piece was first released on as The Royals have connections with another Diamondbacks outfielder, but this situation is harder to understand. .

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