Kansas City Royals Rumors: 3 Early-Season Trade Candidates

Welcome to Baseball Rumors' Early-Season Trade Candidates series. During it, we will be looking at three players who are already emerging as trade candidates during the beginning portion of the campaign.

In this latest episode, we will be focusing on the Kansas City Royals.

Salvador Perez: Salvador Perez has been in the rumor mill for quite some time, and it makes sense when noting that the Royals have been bad for several years. As a result, it is fair to argue that he is still a trade candidate for them. Several playoff teams would love to add the star catcher to their roster, as he performs excellently both at and behind the plate.

Aroldis Chapman: Aroldis Chapman settled for a one-year contract with the Royals this offseason. However, as we inch closer to the deadline, there is a very good chance that he will be traded as a rental. If Chapman can bounce back from a rough 2022 season with the New York Yankees and find his old form, there will be a sizeable market for the veteran reliever.

Brad Keller: Brad Keller is a pending UFA who the Royals are likely to shop as we inch closer to the deadline. There were rumblings that he was available during the offseason as well, so this is a pitcher who we could very well see on the move this season.