The Kansas City Royals are evidently in a rebuild of some sort after going an atrocious 65-97 last season, which put them at the bottom of the AL Central. As they look to give younger players more of an opportunity in 2023, it appears the organization could make a few trades this winter.
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Hunter Dozier, Adalberto Mondesi, and Michael Taylor are all players the Royals are willing to move in the coming months leading up to spring training. While Dozier and Taylor aren't too surprising, Mondesi is.
The young infielder was previously deemed untouchable by Kansas City, but health issues have limited him to just 50 games across the last two years. He's never played more than 102 in the season. While the shortstop market is hot as can be this offseason, Mondesi is a possible option for teams that swung and miss on a big name. He's a respectable defender and can swing it a bit, but because of his injury history, ballclubs may shy away.
Dozier, 31, is capable of playing a variety of positions but the Royals believe he's best at first or right field. The focus is to allow Bobby Witt Jr to play shortstop on a regular basis. That wasn't the case in 2022. If KC can't get rid of Dozier, he could even suit up at third.
As for Taylor, he's a decent defender but not the greatest hitter and the Royals want to allow their young outfielders in Kyle Isbel and Drew Waters to get more playing time in center field. Taylor is a free agent after 2023, so if they can trade him now, it would be ideal.
The moral of the story is the Royals want to start from scratch with youth. We'll see if the franchise can move closer to that goal.
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