With five days before the deadline, the Royals added another veteran bat on July 26, adding Randal Grichuk via trade. Kansas City acquired Grichuk from the Diamondbacks in a one-for-one deal, as Arizona received 25-year-old reliever Andrew Hoffmann. Hoffmann, by the way, made his MLB debut with the Royals in May.

The Royals’ Return

• OF Randal Grichuk (.240/.277/.457, 7 HR & 23 XBH)

Arizona originally signed Grichuk in February 2024 to fill a targeted role for the Diamondbacks: beat up on left-handed pitching.

Grichuk thrived as a left-handed pitching specialist, as he slashed .319/.386/.528 (.914 OPS) with six home runs and 21 extra-base hits last year against left-handed pitching. The Diamondbacks re-signed him in February 2025 to return to Arizona.

This season, Grichuk’s numbers are down. His .277 OBP would be a career low for the 33-year-old, while his .734 OPS is his lowest in three seasons. However, Grichuk does bring pop to the table, something the Royals lack in the outfield.

Grichuk has a quick bat and can catch up to velocity. And much like he has for much of his career, he does barrel the baseball with authority. His 14.6% Barrel% and 73.9 MPH average bat speed are both above the league averages.

The 33-year-old, acquired on the 26th, has a mutual option at $5MM next season. However, those options are typically not exercised.

The Diamondbacks’ Return

• RP Andrew Hoffmann (3.86 ERA, 5 K over 4.2 IP (MLB))

The Diamondbacks get back a pitcher who’s been in the Majors, in 25-year-old right-hander Andrew Hoffmann.

Hoffmann, a 6’5” righty, made his MLB debut after a sharp run in Omaha this season. He struck out 55 over 40 frames with the Storm Chasers. He walked ten and conceded just two home runs in Triple-A.

It’s not hard to see why Hoffmann would be a desirable arm. He’s a three-pitch pitcher, as his arsenal includes a slider, changeup, and mid-90s four-seam fastball.

The fastball had carry on it, both at the MLB and Triple-A levels.

As for the changeup, it had a 42.1% Whiff% on it at the Major League level, and a 39.1% Whiff% in Triple-A. That pitch has a velocity differential, clocking in roughly seven to nine MPH slower than the fastball. It doesn’t have that true arm-side run but it does have good fading action, starting up before falling out of the zone.

The new Diamondback was in Triple-A as of the trade.

Analysis

Arizona continues their selloff, as the Diamondbacks didn’t get back a huge piece. However, Hoffmann could be a serviceable arm if needed.

Given the extent of the injuries Arizona’s dealt with this season with their bullpen, it wouldn’t be a shock if he was called up before the end of the season.

As for the Royals, it’s been a slog to get offensive production from their outfield. In our first-half recap, we noted that the Royals didn’t receive above-average production from any of their outfielders. That includes Jac Caglianone, who left the first game of the Royals’ doubleheader on July 26.

This will be their second notable addition since the All-Star break, as Kansas City acquired Adam Frazier before the start of the second half.

Grichuk, a corner outfielder, will be a welcome sight for a Royals team that hasn’t conceded the year yet. As of this writing, the Royals were three and a half games out of a Wild Card spot.

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