KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Last November, in the first few days of the baseball offseason, several executives on opposing teams dialed the Kansas City Royals. They had an interest in the man who led the league in hits (192) and stolen bases (45) and ranked 16th in WAR (5.2).



That man was Whit Merrifield.



At the time, the Royals maintained that opposing executives would have to blow them out of the water with an offer if they were to give Merrifield up. Almost eight months later, after the Royals signed Merrifield to a four-year, $16.25 million deal (with a club option for 2023) this past January, that mindset remains.



“I believe he’s one of the best players in all of baseball right now,” general manager Dayton Moore said last week. “It would … It would … I mean, the ask would be just crazy.”



While there have been a few notable, unexpected positives to this 2019 season, the Royals (27-51) sit at the bottom of...