Joe Robbins/Getty Images As the July 31 MLB non-waiver trade deadline approaches, the Kansas City Royals will explore all of their options as sellers as they look to build for the future. MLB Network's Jon Morosi reported Saturday that Kansas City second baseman Whit Merrifield has drawn interest from both the Milwaukee Brewers and the Philadelphia Phillies. Merrifield has just one full season of big league experience under his belt, but the 29-year-old has proved he can swing the bat. After hitting .288 with 19 home runs in 145 games last year, he is hitting .290/.359/.414 with five long balls and 25 doubles in 83 games. Not only that, but he stole 34 bases in 2017 and has 16 so far this season. Merrifield provides versatility not only at the plate, but also in the field. He has experience playing first, second, third and all three outfield positions in the majors. He has 56 appearances at second base this season. Philadelphia is looking to snap a six-year playoff drought and has been exploring all of its options. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported Friday that the Phillies had moved on from the Manny Machado sweepstakes because the Baltimore Orioles' asking price is too steep. Meanwhile, they have also been linked to Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas, per NBC Sports Philadelphia's Jim Salisbury. This comes after they made big splashes during the offseason by signing Carlos Santana and Jake Arrieta. Video Play Button Videos you might like Like Philadelphia, Milwaukee also turned some heads during the winter. The Brewers acquired outfielders Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain to give their team a boost. Now, they appear to be looking to solidify their offense with a nice complementary piece. Both Philadelphia and Milwaukee currently hold at least a share of first place in their respective divisions. While Merrifield may not have a ton of experience at the big league level, he has shown that he can make an impact with his bat. He has a career .282 average in the leadoff spot, which would help set the table for the likes of Santana or Yelich and Ryan Braun. Merrifield is still a year away from arbitration and is under club control through the 2022 season.<doc-sep>KANSAS CITY, MO - MAY 18: Whit Merrifield #15 of the Kansas City Royals is doused with water by Salvador Perez #13 as they celebrate a 5-2 won over the New York Yankees Kauffman Stadium on May 18, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) The Kansas City Royals have had quite a few players in trade rumors. Therefore, we decided to get in contact with Reviewing the Brew to figure out a possible trade. Here is what we came up with. The Milwaukee Brewers have been rumored to be interested in a Kansas City Royals favorite. Whit Merrifield has been a name the Brewers seem interested in. Therefore, Kings of Kauffman decided to partner up with Reviewing the Brew to come up with a possible mock trade. Due to the contract details for Merrifield, any team that tries to acquires Merrifield has to know that the price will be high. Which is why the Royals trading Merrifield might be tempting. Knowing the price tag would be high, the first name brought up to headline the trade was the teams No. 1 prospect, and 30th overall in baseball, second baseman Keston Hiura. Not surprisingly, the headline was countered. They countered with the teams No. 4 prospects, righty Luis Ortiz. While having another pitcher is appealing, losing a player like Merrifield means the Royals would need a position player of value as the headline. Our counter was for the teams No. 3 prospect, third baseman Lucas Erceg. After agreeing on a headline piece, filling in the rest was next on the list. The decided players to be packaged with Erceg was outfielder Domingo Santana and starting pitcher Bubba Derby. Meaning, the Brewers would get Merrifield and the Royals would get Erceg, Santana, and Derby. So what exactly did the Royals get in return? When looking at this from the outside, the Royals would be getting a third baseman of the future, an outfielder with promise, and a starter or bullpen arm that has been playing very well. So let’s dig a little deeper into the Royals return. Lucas Erceg Erceg would be the headline of the trade. He is currently the Brewers #3 prospect, as well as being the 10th best third base prospect. Here is a short explanation of what Erceg can bring to the Royals. Erceg has impact potential from the left side of the plate, with natural feel to hit and plus raw power that helps him to generate booming home runs and could make him a middle-of-the-order presence in the future. Erceg has the necessary approach to accomplish that, too, though he will need to simplify his approach. Defensively, Erceg is athletic as a third baseman, with hands, footwork and plus-plus arm strength — one that fired 93-94 mph fastballs as Menlo’s closer — that are ideal for the position. He is an average runner but not a base-stealing threat. Currently, Erceg is playing in Double-A. He is hitting .246/.302/.362 with 15 doubles and six home runs over 74 games. Over his three year career, he is hitting a combined .272/.324/.429 with 67 doubles, six triples, and 30 home runs over 276 games. Over his five levels, Erceg has a wRC+ over 100 at four of the five levels. This year in Double-A has been the only time he’s been below 100, logging a 86 wRC+. At the other levels, his wRC+ ranges from 102 to 177. Erceg can provide the Royals with a future third baseman, that has the ability to increase his power ability. With the Royals most likely losing Mike Moustakas for good in a couple weeks, and no real third baseman in the system, Erceg makes for a perfect match. Domingo Santana Santana addresses a potential need for the Royals right now. While with the Brewers he seemed to find himself in a tough situation because he went from starting to sharing time. Then because his production dropped while platooning, he found himself being demoted back to Triple-A. In 2017 with the Brewers, Santana slashed an impressive .278/.371/.505 with a .875 OPS. He also slammed 30 home runs and 29 doubles, while stealing 15 bases in 151 games. His wRC+ the last three years have been 111, 126, and 78. Simply put, his offensive abilities would be a dramatic increase for the Royals. Unfortunately, while splitting time this year, his numbers did drop. His slash this year has been .249/.313/.354 with a 667 OPS over 62 games. Due to this, he found himself getting demoted to Triple-A where he has been hitting .300/.400/.433 over eight games. Bubba Derby This is the final piece to the trade. While Derby isn’t on the Top-30 list for the Brewers, much less a well-known name, he is someone that can be a solid contributor to the Royals Derby is currently in Triple-A Colorado Springs. His ERA is an impressive 3.77 over 30 games and 25 starts. He also has 119 strikeouts compared to 50 walks. Why it’s impressive to me is the location. Colorado is notorious for being a place that pitcher go and struggle. Here is a short excerpt from 2080 Baseball about Derby. Delivers the ball from a 3/4 arm slot, with moderate exertion. He features a strong, loose arm with fluid actions. Although he repeated his delivery fairly well, Occasionally throws across his body causing balance and landing issues. Some deception exists thanks to his leg kick and late exposure of the ball. Up-tempo pace and varied times to the plate kept batters uncomfortable while holding the running game in check. According to 2080 Baseball, Derby has a three-pitch approach. His fastball sits between 90mph-94mph, a slider that sits around 83mph-85mph, and a changeup that sits at 81mph-84mph. If the Royals wanted, they could try him as a starter, but if needed they could move him to the bullpen. Final Thoughts This trade would drastically improve the Royals. This would provide the Royals with a fall back when Alex Gordon is no longer with the Royals, as well as allow Rosell Herrera to become the new Merrifield. The Royals will be giving up a very good player in Merrifield in this trade. He is also a player that can play nearly every position at a high level, while not being a free agent until 2023. However, with this trade, the Royals would be getting three players with more control, that fit a bigger need. Erceg and Derby haven’t logged any MLB time, meaning they still have six years of playing time before becoming a free agent. Santana, if he logs his third year of service time, would be eligible for Arbitration next year, and free agency after the 2021 season. If this is the case, Santana could be a solid stopgap player for the Royals until the next wave comes to Kansas City. So what do you think Royals fans? Would you be willing to part ways with Merrifield for this return? Do you think they need more? Should the Royals make the trade? Let us know below!<doc-sep>
KANSAS CITY, MO - JUNE 02: Whit Merrifield #15 of the Kansas City Royals runs past third base during the first inning against the Oakland Athletics at Kauffman Stadium on June 2, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Brian Davidson/Getty Images) Another Royals infielder is catching the Phillies eye at the trade deadline While not the most exciting name on the infielder trade market, or even his club, Whit Merrifield is generating trade interest from the Phillies, according to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi. Playing in his third season for the Royals, Merrifield has been a super-utility player for Kansas City, playing at six different positions and all three outfield spots. Last season Merrifield led baseball with 34 steals, and this year the 29-year-old has 16 for the Royals. In 84 games he’s hitting .290 with 25 doubles, five home runs, and 28 RBI. Merrifield has a 2.2 WAR this year, which would be tied for second on the Phillies and lead all of their hitters. Last year Merrifield smacked 19 home runs for Kansas City, but his game has been getting on base and collecting doubles. Merrifield is still under team control through next season before hitting three years of arbitration. It’s an interesting name for Philadelphia to be looking at, and he could potentially be an option for the club if a Manny Machado/Mike Moustakas deal becomes too rich. He’s played 56 games at second base this year, but doesn’t help the void at third base. Kansas City has been scouting the Phillies minor league system, but the assumption has always been that Moustakas would be the trade target. Since losing utility-man Pedro Florimon and shortstop J.P. Crawford to broken bones, the Phillies have started Scott Kingery at shortstop and had rookie Jesmuel Valentin as their utility player. If the Phillies are interested in both Moustakas and Merrifield, it could cost them Maikel Franco. It’s likely Franco gets traded if the Phillies make a move for any third basemen, whether Franco is in that deal or another. Maybe Merrifield’s name has just come up in conversation and the interest isn’t all that strong, but it’s a good name for the Phillies to file away for the future.