The Kansas City Royals are in the middle of a major rebuild, but that doesn’t quite mean that they’re open for business on every single player on their roster.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, utility man Whit Merrifield is considered close to untouchable by the Royals, and they are exceedingly unlikely to move him before the July 31 trade deadline despite being one of their more valuable trade chips.
There are plenty of teams who would love to have #Royals Whit Merrifield, but he is staying put. The #Royals will listen on anybody, but he means so much to the organization, no one can possibly entice them to move him, and haven’t really tried.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 12, 2019
This may be a case of sentimentality ruling over common sense. Even with the entire Kansas City roster being available, Merrifield would be one of their best trade chips. He’s a .300 hitter who can steal bases and play virtually any position, is only 30, and is on an exceptionally team-friendly contract through 2023. If they’re serious about rebuilding, they should at least see what they can get for him.
