There's No Chance the Royals Are Going to Trade Whit Merrifield

By most metrics, the Kansas City Royals are open for business.

The 24-48 last place squad is reportedly already fielding calls on some of their most valuable commodities, including Alex Gordon, Jorge Soler, and Ian Kennedy. Though it should not be a shock to see Kansas City trade any of these pieces, one player who almost certainly will not be swapped come the July 31 trade deadline is star slugger Whit Merrifield.

Merrifield is in the midst of another excellent season for the Royals, and Kansas City reportedly maintains an astronomically high asking price for their star, who is truly not up for sale.

The Royals' unwillingness to trade Merrifield should not come as much of a surprise; he is a piece that Kansas City wishes to build around (as they've repeatedly assured us), not trade away.

Though Merrifield may already be 30 years old, he is in the midst of just the fourth year of his career. So far this season, he is batting .300 with an .835 OPS and 11 stolen bases. It's another beyond-solid year for the right handed swinger, who led the American League in stolen bases in each of the last two seasons, and paced the junior circuit in hits last year.

Merrifield is also incredibly valuable considering the contract he is on, making just $4 million per season, and hitting free agency as late as 2024, if his team option is picked up. A player of Merrrifield's caliber on that cheap a deal is not something you just want to give away. According to Fangraphs, Merrifield has already been worth more than triple his salary this season though just 72 games, at a valuation of $14.1 million.

It is completely understandable why Kansas City is so hesitant to move Whit Merrifield, and by reading between the lines (and also taking in the words on the page), we don't expect him to be on the move any time soon.