Report: Royals not trading Merrifield despite mounting interest

The Kansas City Royals have received multiple inquiries about second baseman Whit Merrifield but are not expected to trade him, sources told Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

Merrifield is coming off an All-Star campaign during which he played all 162 games and hit .302/.348/.463 with 16 home runs, 41 doubles, and a major-league leading 10 triples.

The 30-year-old led the American League in stolen bases in 2017 and 2018 but swiped only 20 bags this past season.

Merrifield is signed under a very team-friendly four-year, $16.25-million extension that kicked in this past campaign. He has a $6.5-million team option for 2023.

Royals general manager Dayton Moore said during the season that "the ask would be just crazy" for any team looking to acquire Merrifield via trade.