Royals trade candidate: Nicky Lopez

Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty ImagesWhen the Royals were contenders, they had a team focused on making contact and putting the ball in play. When they selected Nicky Lopez out of Creighton in the fifth round of the 2016 draft, they had a hitter that fit that profile perfectly. The Chicagoland native struck out just 7.5 percent of the time in college, while bringing speed and defense to the infield.

Lopez worked his way through the farm system with one of the best walk rates in the organization, and he made his MLB debut in 2019. The bat was slow to come around in his first two seasons, but he impressed with his defense and was a finalist for a Gold Glove at second base. His bat finally had…