There are two factors that could hold the Kansas City Royals back at the upcoming trade deadline. The Athletic recently put out trade deadline predictions for all 30 MLB clubs, with the Royals popping up a few times. "When Kansas City had a chance to move Lugo at last year’s deadline, the team opted to extend him through 2027. Andy McCullough, The AthleticMcCullough put it pretty concisely, but can Royals fans disagree with anything he said? He does so many things well, but there are too many red flags for competent Royals fans to ignore.