Royals content with earlier moves, stand pat

July 31st, 2017

BALTIMORE -- The Royals, for the most part, stood pat as Monday's non-waiver Trade Deadline passed.
There were reports that the Royals were in talks with Toronto regarding pitchers and J.A. Happ. But a source close to the situation said the Royals never really got near a deal.
After all, the Royals and general manager Dayton Moore got their reinforcements prior to Monday.
Last week, Moore bolstered the pitching staff with the additions of right-handers and , and left-hander from San Diego. Maurer already has been a solid addition as a setup man, having tossed three scoreless outings.
Then on Sunday, Moore beefed up the offense with the addition of outfielder from the White Sox.
"It just lengthens our lineup," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "Melky is having a great year and he is a switch-hitter who will really help."
Cabrera was in the lineup in Monday's 2-1 loss to the Orioles, but went 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
One reason the Royals were relatively quiet Monday was there isn't much versatility left with the 25-man roster construction. Only three players presently have options -- left-hander , right fielder , and backup infielder . All three are valuable to the 25-man roster now.
Moore, though, may not be entirely through dealing. It's possible he could add a veteran backup infielder in an August deal (players can be dealt if they have secured waivers). Torres, a rookie, has struggled lately in the role of a backup infielder, which can call for long stretches of inactivity.
Moore seemed content Sunday that the Royals now, at minimum, have the pieces to make the postseason.
"Do I believe this team is capable of competing for the division and getting back to the World Series? Yes, I do," Moore said. "I believe in this roster. And no roster is perfect. The team that will win the World Series will have weaknesses on their roster. That's just true."
Moore's two deals also, for the most part, spared the team's top prospects. The Royals did give up a Top 30 prospect, according to MLBPipeline.com prospect in right-hander A.J. Puckett to get Cabrera, but they made their deals while retaining some of their most coveted prospects, such as Foster Griffin (No. 6) Khalil Lee (No. 2), Nicky Lopez (No. 12) and Scott Blewett (No. 7).