The trade deadline has come and gone. The Royals did a few deals. People have talked about how it was the most deals they’d done in a while and how it proves they’re becoming more transactional. But that seems a bit deceptive. Let’s talk about why.
The Royals only did two major “deadline” deals
The Royals traded Whit Merrifield and Andrew Benintendi at the deadline. Those were guys that had to go for two very different reasons but had to go nonetheless. In case you missed it, Benintendi was on an expiring deal. That’s the kind of guy the Royals trade all the time.