Royals acquire veteran outfielder ahead of Thursday MLB trade deadline: details
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Royals acquired veteran outfielder Randal Grichuk from Diamondbacks Saturday.
- Kansas City sent 25-year-old reliever Andrew Hoffmann to Arizona in exchange.
- Grichuk adds right-handed power as Royals aim for postseason in 2025 second half.
The Royals have spent weeks scouring the trade market for an outfield bat to add to their starting lineup.
On Saturday, several days ahead of the Major League Baseball trade deadline, they found their guy, acquiring Randal Grichuk from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for right-handed reliever Andrew Hoffmann.
Grichuk, 33, was a desired target for the Royals this past offseason. He is hitting .243 with seven home runs and 22 RBIs this year.
He was apparently notified of the trade during the Diamondbacks’ Saturday game against the Pirates at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.
“Randal is obviously a veteran right-handed bat that had a lot of success against left-handed pitching throughout his career,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said. “Like a lot of players we eventually acquire, he is someone that was on our radar this past offseason, and for that very purpose.”
Meanwhile, Hoffmann, 25, is heading to Arizona. He drew interest from a few teams ahead on the trade market.
Picollo on Friday had reaffirmed his stance that KC would not be a seller leading up to the trade deadline, which arrives at 5 p.m. Central Time on Thursday.
“We got a lot of left-handed hitting outfielders right now,” Picollo said. “And you know, time’s apparent that we miss that right-handed bat with (Nick) Loftin being on the IL.
“It’s just a situation where you are trying to be opportunistic. Arizona knew we had interest in him (Grichuk) and we expressed it last week. It might have been something we wait out a little bit, but given the situation with Loftin, we kind of decided to keep pushing it earlier today.”
Picollo outlined a plan to improve the Royals’ active roster and help the club make a second-half push toward the postseason. The Royals (51-54) dropped the second game of a doubleheader against the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday.
Grichuk, who will be playing for his sixth MLB team, offers another right-handed bat for the Royals’ lineup. He has produced five seasons with at least 20 home runs.
“I mean, we are trying to make our team better any way we can,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “You see everyone in the outfield is a left-handed bat and (Mark) Canha is on the IL. That’s a move that can really help us balance the lineup out.”
Prior to Saturday’s contest, Grichuk had recorded a .924 OPS (on-base plus slugging) with four home runs in July.
The Royals have shuffled their outfield throughout the season. Hunter Renfroe, MJ Melendez and Kyle Isbel were the team’s opening day outfielders — Melendez in left, Isbel in center and Renfroe in right.
Renfroe was subsequently designated for assignment and Melendez was demoted to Triple-A Omaha, although Melendez was recalled from the Storm Chasers earlier in the week.
Since opening day, John Rave and Canha joined Loftin as players the Royals have used in a revolving door of outfielders.
The Royals promoted top prospect Jac Caglianone in June. However, he has struggled with a .147 batting average this season. He did not play in Saturday’s nightcap against the Guardians after leaving the first game of the doubleheader with a left-hamstring strain.
Grichuk, a 12-year major-league veteran, is now the most senior member of the Royals’ outfield group.
Hoffmann made his MLB debut earlier this season. He recorded a 3.86 ERA in 4 2/3 innings alongside five strikeouts in three relief appearances. The Royals originally acquired him from the Atlanta Braves in a package that also included outfielder Drew Waters and infielder CJ Alexander.
It is uncertain whether the trade to acquire Grichuk will complete the Royals’ pre-deadline maneuvers, or if they’ll continue looking to add to their current roster in coming days.
“We really don’t know what’s going to be out there,” Picollo said. “So really every opportunity that presents itself in the moment, you have to evaluate it.”
This story was originally published July 26, 2025 at 8:36 PM with the headline "Royals acquire veteran outfielder ahead of Thursday MLB trade deadline: details."
