MLB Trade Rumors: Royals Making Trade Calls For 3 Different Players
Why Jarren Duran stays the cleanest Royals fit
The Royals need outfield production in the worst way, and Duran profiles as the type of spark they have been missing.
He is a plug-and-play everyday player with speed, defense, and enough offense to change the feel of a lineup, plus he comes with multiple seasons of control.
What if the Royals and Red Sox made a blockbuster deal centered around Jarren Duran and Cole Ragans?
— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) December 3, 2025
Here is my mock trade that would see the pair of All-Stars swap teams pic.twitter.com/ywQ3iIqFPm
That kind of profile is expensive, which is why Kansas City keeps showing up in these conversations even after adding Lane Thomas.
How CJ Abrams or MacKenzie Gore could reshape the plan
Abrams is the fascinating wrinkle because Kansas City already has Bobby Witt Jr. locked in at shortstop, so any Abrams pursuit would likely come with a position switch and a ripple effect for the rest of the infield.
Abrams is not a finished product, but you can see why he is such a hot name. Over the last two seasons he has hit in the .250s with a 107 wRC+, flashed growing power and swiped more than 60 bags, including 31 steals in each of the last two years.
The Kansas City Royals have inquired on CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore, and Jarren Duran, per @JeffPassan pic.twitter.com/BRNkMnd5tv
— SleeperMLB (@SleeperMLB) December 13, 2025
Gore is even more intriguing as a “pivot” idea because the Royals already have rotation depth, so trading for him would only make sense if it creates a path to move a bigger arm elsewhere in a separate deal, or as part of a broader, multi-team structure aimed at landing the outfield bat they want.
This past season, the 26-year-old recorded a 4.17 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, with 185 strikeouts across 159.2 innings and 30 starts.
Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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