As the Boston Globe Nick Cafardo surveys the market for the upcoming MLB trade deadline, the Royals have a couple of options to think about in both outfielder Jeff Francoeur and reliever Jonathan Broxton. For teams in the playoff hunt, Francoeur could be a missing piece in the line-up and the field and could deliver a decent haul for the Royals if they wanted. Then again, they're aiming for the AL Central title as well.
Cafardo writes that Francoeur is an "interesting outfielder on the trade market. Francoeur is an excellent defender with a strong arm and a righthanded hitter who would fit into a lot of teams' plans. Will Myers is on the way in Kansas City, making Francoeur expendable. The Royals, who believe they are in position to go for it, need pitching."
Their last outfielder for starter trade was a disaster with the Melky Cabrera for Jonathan Sanchez deal. One player is having a year as good as (or better than) their career year with the Royals while the latter is having control issues worse than his days with the Giants. If the Royals are going to trade another asset at the ML level, they need to know they're getting a solid return.