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Talkin' Baseball wrote: ↑18 Dec 2025 11:03 am If I'm doing a convoluted trade with the Royals, here is what I am looking at: Donovan to the Royals for their #2 prospect, catcher Blake Mitchell, #8 prospect Kendry Chourio, and their Round A Comp pick. Chourio is young and has a ways to go, but has a shot at being a top of the rotation pitcher. We obviously don't need another catcher, so I would have to have an agreement in place to flip Mitchell to the Pirates for their choice of right-hander Jared Jones, or left-hander Hunter Barco. Jones is in the majors, Barco is major league ready. That is a return of someone for the rotation now, a high-ceiling rotation piece for later, and a draft pick. There may be better Donovan packages out there, but if I'm dealing with the Royals, that's what I want.

Kendry Chourio
AGE
18
BATS
R
DOB
10/01/2007
THROWS
R
HT
6' 0"
SIGNED
Jan. 17, 2025 - KC
WT
160
ETA
2029
Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 60 | Overall: 50

The Royals had some notable international additions to begin 2025 with catcher Moises Marchán (No. 31), shortstop Warren Calcaño (No. 38) and shortstop Ramcell Medina (No. 49) all ranking among MLB Pipeline's Top 50 prospects in the class. But it's Chourio who is popping up most in the group's first summer of pro ball. The 6-foot right-hander signed for $247,500 (the seventh-highest bonus given out by Kansas City this year) out of Venezuela in January. He made five appearances (four starts) in the Dominican Summer League, posting a 2.04 ERA with 22 strikeouts and one walk in 17 2/3 innings, and was promoted to the Arizona Complex League at 17 years old, becoming the youngest stateside pitcher in affiliated ball at the time.
The organization felt it could get aggressive with Chourio because of the advanced feel for pitching he'd shown out of the gate in the DSL. His fastball sat 93-97 mph in that move to the States, and it's easy to dream on how he can build on that present velocity as he continues to add physicality. He spots the heater well, too, and it has the ride and horizontal movement to keep hitters off. Chourio also works in a sharp upper-70s downer curveball and a mid-80s changeup that has decent fade, and those have helped keep the strikeouts coming.

Most DSL pitchers with good stuff struggle to find the zone, but that hasn't been the case at all with Chourio in the early going. His control numbers could normalize a bit more against more disciplined hitters, but for now, they've been stellar. Chourio is comparable to some of the most prominent high school arms in the 2025 Draft class and has the advantage of being younger with a growing pro résumé.

Blake Mitchell

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 30 | Arm: 70 | Field: 55 | Overall: 55

A two-time Gatorade Player of the Year winner in Texas, Mitchell also used his performance with the U.S. national junior team to vault himself into becoming the eighth overall pick in 2023. He signed for below slot at $4,897,500 with the savings going toward other members of the Draft class. In his first full season, Mitchell was named Kansas City's 2024 George Brett Hitter of the Year after slashing .238/.376/.439 with 18 homers in 106 games for Single-A Columbia. He finished out his age-19 season with five games for High-A Quad Cities, and his final 135 wRC+ between both spots was tops among Royals full-season Minor Leaguers and best among qualified full-season teenaged catchers. The start to his 2025 season was delayed when he broke his right hamate bone early in Spring Training.

Batting from the left side, Mitchell has a swing designed for lift and pull, and the plurality of his contact came via flyballs in 2024. His load is rather simple with a slight leg lift, and the Royals worked with the backstop on keeping his stance from getting too wide in the box. He could challenge for 30-plus homers at his eventual peak. Mitchell isn't a quick runner but knows when to pick his spots on the basepaths -- ranking third in the Minors among catchers with 26 total steals.

The Texas native has plus-plus arm strength -- he touched 97 mph as an amateur pitcher -- but he'll need to work on improving his accuracy after catching only 14.4 percent of attempted basestealers in 2024. As is typical of modern catchers, he isn't afraid of putting one knee down and getting low in his defensive stance to steal strikes, and he has the athleticism to receive and block well as he develops. K.C. knows something about having a homegrown franchise catcher, and Mitchell is on his way to that status as he enters his 20s.

Youboughtit wrote: ↑18 Dec 2025 20:05 pm

Talkin' Baseball wrote: ↑18 Dec 2025 11:03 am If I'm doing a convoluted trade with the Royals, here is what I am looking at: Donovan to the Royals for their #2 prospect, catcher Blake Mitchell, #8 prospect Kendry Chourio, and their Round A Comp pick. Chourio is young and has a ways to go, but has a shot at being a top of the rotation pitcher. We obviously don't need another catcher, so I would have to have an agreement in place to flip Mitchell to the Pirates for their choice of right-hander Jared Jones, or left-hander Hunter Barco. Jones is in the majors, Barco is major league ready. That is a return of someone for the rotation now, a high-ceiling rotation piece for later, and a draft pick. There may be better Donovan packages out there, but if I'm dealing with the Royals, that's what I want.

Kendry Chourio
AGE
18
BATS
R
DOB
10/01/2007
THROWS
R
HT
6' 0"
SIGNED
Jan. 17, 2025 - KC
WT
160
ETA
2029
Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 60 | Overall: 50

The Royals had some notable international additions to begin 2025 with catcher Moises Marchán (No. 31), shortstop Warren Calcaño (No. 38) and shortstop Ramcell Medina (No. 49) all ranking among MLB Pipeline's Top 50 prospects in the class. But it's Chourio who is popping up most in the group's first summer of pro ball. The 6-foot right-hander signed for $247,500 (the seventh-highest bonus given out by Kansas City this year) out of Venezuela in January. He made five appearances (four starts) in the Dominican Summer League, posting a 2.04 ERA with 22 strikeouts and one walk in 17 2/3 innings, and was promoted to the Arizona Complex League at 17 years old, becoming the youngest stateside pitcher in affiliated ball at the time.
The organization felt it could get aggressive with Chourio because of the advanced feel for pitching he'd shown out of the gate in the DSL. His fastball sat 93-97 mph in that move to the States, and it's easy to dream on how he can build on that present velocity as he continues to add physicality. He spots the heater well, too, and it has the ride and horizontal movement to keep hitters off. Chourio also works in a sharp upper-70s downer curveball and a mid-80s changeup that has decent fade, and those have helped keep the strikeouts coming.

Most DSL pitchers with good stuff struggle to find the zone, but that hasn't been the case at all with Chourio in the early going. His control numbers could normalize a bit more against more disciplined hitters, but for now, they've been stellar. Chourio is comparable to some of the most prominent high school arms in the 2025 Draft class and has the advantage of being younger with a growing pro résumé.

Blake Mitchell

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 30 | Arm: 70 | Field: 55 | Overall: 55

A two-time Gatorade Player of the Year winner in Texas, Mitchell also used his performance with the U.S. national junior team to vault himself into becoming the eighth overall pick in 2023. He signed for below slot at $4,897,500 with the savings going toward other members of the Draft class. In his first full season, Mitchell was named Kansas City's 2024 George Brett Hitter of the Year after slashing .238/.376/.439 with 18 homers in 106 games for Single-A Columbia. He finished out his age-19 season with five games for High-A Quad Cities, and his final 135 wRC+ between both spots was tops among Royals full-season Minor Leaguers and best among qualified full-season teenaged catchers. The start to his 2025 season was delayed when he broke his right hamate bone early in Spring Training.

Batting from the left side, Mitchell has a swing designed for lift and pull, and the plurality of his contact came via flyballs in 2024. His load is rather simple with a slight leg lift, and the Royals worked with the backstop on keeping his stance from getting too wide in the box. He could challenge for 30-plus homers at his eventual peak. Mitchell isn't a quick runner but knows when to pick his spots on the basepaths -- ranking third in the Minors among catchers with 26 total steals.

The Texas native has plus-plus arm strength -- he touched 97 mph as an amateur pitcher -- but he'll need to work on improving his accuracy after catching only 14.4 percent of attempted basestealers in 2024. As is typical of modern catchers, he isn't afraid of putting one knee down and getting low in his defensive stance to steal strikes, and he has the athleticism to receive and block well as he develops. K.C. knows something about having a homegrown franchise catcher, and Mitchell is on his way to that status as he enters his 20s.

Adding a catcher when they have Hererra Pages Crooks Rodruigez and Bernal would be idiotic. All but Pages are higher rated

Talkin' Baseball wrote: ↑18 Dec 2025 11:03 am If I'm doing a convoluted trade with the Royals, here is what I am looking at: Donovan to the Royals for their #2 prospect, catcher Blake Mitchell, #8 prospect Kendry Chourio, and their Round A Comp pick. Chourio is young and has a ways to go, but has a shot at being a top of the rotation pitcher. We obviously don't need another catcher, so I would have to have an agreement in place to flip Mitchell to the Pirates for their choice of right-hander Jared Jones, or left-hander Hunter Barco. Jones is in the majors, Barco is major league ready. That is a return of someone for the rotation now, a high-ceiling rotation piece for later, and a draft pick. There may be better Donovan packages out there, but if I'm dealing with the Royals, that's what I want.

Kendry Chourio
AGE
18
BATS
R
DOB
10/01/2007
THROWS
R
HT
6' 0"
SIGNED
Jan. 17, 2025 - KC
WT
160
ETA
2029
Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 60 | Overall: 50

The Royals had some notable international additions to begin 2025 with catcher Moises Marchán (No. 31), shortstop Warren Calcaño (No. 38) and shortstop Ramcell Medina (No. 49) all ranking among MLB Pipeline's Top 50 prospects in the class. But it's Chourio who is popping up most in the group's first summer of pro ball. The 6-foot right-hander signed for $247,500 (the seventh-highest bonus given out by Kansas City this year) out of Venezuela in January. He made five appearances (four starts) in the Dominican Summer League, posting a 2.04 ERA with 22 strikeouts and one walk in 17 2/3 innings, and was promoted to the Arizona Complex League at 17 years old, becoming the youngest stateside pitcher in affiliated ball at the time.
The organization felt it could get aggressive with Chourio because of the advanced feel for pitching he'd shown out of the gate in the DSL. His fastball sat 93-97 mph in that move to the States, and it's easy to dream on how he can build on that present velocity as he continues to add physicality. He spots the heater well, too, and it has the ride and horizontal movement to keep hitters off. Chourio also works in a sharp upper-70s downer curveball and a mid-80s changeup that has decent fade, and those have helped keep the strikeouts coming.

Most DSL pitchers with good stuff struggle to find the zone, but that hasn't been the case at all with Chourio in the early going. His control numbers could normalize a bit more against more disciplined hitters, but for now, they've been stellar. Chourio is comparable to some of the most prominent high school arms in the 2025 Draft class and has the advantage of being younger with a growing pro résumé.

Blake Mitchell

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 30 | Arm: 70 | Field: 55 | Overall: 55

A two-time Gatorade Player of the Year winner in Texas, Mitchell also used his performance with the U.S. national junior team to vault himself into becoming the eighth overall pick in 2023. He signed for below slot at $4,897,500 with the savings going toward other members of the Draft class. In his first full season, Mitchell was named Kansas City's 2024 George Brett Hitter of the Year after slashing .238/.376/.439 with 18 homers in 106 games for Single-A Columbia. He finished out his age-19 season with five games for High-A Quad Cities, and his final 135 wRC+ between both spots was tops among Royals full-season Minor Leaguers and best among qualified full-season teenaged catchers. The start to his 2025 season was delayed when he broke his right hamate bone early in Spring Training.

Batting from the left side, Mitchell has a swing designed for lift and pull, and the plurality of his contact came via flyballs in 2024. His load is rather simple with a slight leg lift, and the Royals worked with the backstop on keeping his stance from getting too wide in the box. He could challenge for 30-plus homers at his eventual peak. Mitchell isn't a quick runner but knows when to pick his spots on the basepaths -- ranking third in the Minors among catchers with 26 total steals.

The Texas native has plus-plus arm strength -- he touched 97 mph as an amateur pitcher -- but he'll need to work on improving his accuracy after catching only 14.4 percent of attempted basestealers in 2024. As is typical of modern catchers, he isn't afraid of putting one knee down and getting low in his defensive stance to steal strikes, and he has the athleticism to receive and block well as he develops. K.C. knows something about having a homegrown franchise catcher, and Mitchell is on his way to that status as he enters his 20s.

TheJackBurton wrote: ↑18 Dec 2025 17:03 pm Was listening to one of the Mariners reporters yesterday and it essentially sounded like the Mariners were only willing to give up some mid tier stuff.

If so just move on.

craviduce wrote: ↑18 Dec 2025 17:15 pm

TheJackBurton wrote: ↑18 Dec 2025 17:03 pm Was listening to one of the Mariners reporters yesterday and it essentially sounded like the Mariners were only willing to give up some mid tier stuff.

If so just move on.

what's Mid-Tier? Are they calling Cijntje "mid tier"??...or are you saying the M"s beat guys suggested even lower prospects?

Hoosier59 wrote: ↑18 Dec 2025 20:10 pm I said from the very begining that the return for Donovan would not replace what he gives the Cardinals. He has more value with the Cardinals than anything he alone will be traded for. The only way to increase the return and get somebody that would be better is to add one or more players to the deal. Donovan is in high demand, but only because teams thought they could get him reasonably. That’s why you see teams now interested in Marte, or Horner because they figure if they are going to have to give up top prospects they might as well see what else is out there.

Youboughtit wrote: ↑18 Dec 2025 20:05 pm

Talkin' Baseball wrote: ↑18 Dec 2025 11:03 am If I'm doing a convoluted trade with the Royals, here is what I am looking at: Donovan to the Royals for their #2 prospect, catcher Blake Mitchell, #8 prospect Kendry Chourio, and their Round A Comp pick. Chourio is young and has a ways to go, but has a shot at being a top of the rotation pitcher. We obviously don't need another catcher, so I would have to have an agreement in place to flip Mitchell to the Pirates for their choice of right-hander Jared Jones, or left-hander Hunter Barco. Jones is in the majors, Barco is major league ready. That is a return of someone for the rotation now, a high-ceiling rotation piece for later, and a draft pick. There may be better Donovan packages out there, but if I'm dealing with the Royals, that's what I want.

Kendry Chourio
AGE
18
BATS
R
DOB
10/01/2007
THROWS
R
HT
6' 0"
SIGNED
Jan. 17, 2025 - KC
WT
160
ETA
2029
Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 60 | Overall: 50

The Royals had some notable international additions to begin 2025 with catcher Moises Marchán (No. 31), shortstop Warren Calcaño (No. 38) and shortstop Ramcell Medina (No. 49) all ranking among MLB Pipeline's Top 50 prospects in the class. But it's Chourio who is popping up most in the group's first summer of pro ball. The 6-foot right-hander signed for $247,500 (the seventh-highest bonus given out by Kansas City this year) out of Venezuela in January. He made five appearances (four starts) in the Dominican Summer League, posting a 2.04 ERA with 22 strikeouts and one walk in 17 2/3 innings, and was promoted to the Arizona Complex League at 17 years old, becoming the youngest stateside pitcher in affiliated ball at the time.
The organization felt it could get aggressive with Chourio because of the advanced feel for pitching he'd shown out of the gate in the DSL. His fastball sat 93-97 mph in that move to the States, and it's easy to dream on how he can build on that present velocity as he continues to add physicality. He spots the heater well, too, and it has the ride and horizontal movement to keep hitters off. Chourio also works in a sharp upper-70s downer curveball and a mid-80s changeup that has decent fade, and those have helped keep the strikeouts coming.

Most DSL pitchers with good stuff struggle to find the zone, but that hasn't been the case at all with Chourio in the early going. His control numbers could normalize a bit more against more disciplined hitters, but for now, they've been stellar. Chourio is comparable to some of the most prominent high school arms in the 2025 Draft class and has the advantage of being younger with a growing pro résumé.

Blake Mitchell

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 30 | Arm: 70 | Field: 55 | Overall: 55

A two-time Gatorade Player of the Year winner in Texas, Mitchell also used his performance with the U.S. national junior team to vault himself into becoming the eighth overall pick in 2023. He signed for below slot at $4,897,500 with the savings going toward other members of the Draft class. In his first full season, Mitchell was named Kansas City's 2024 George Brett Hitter of the Year after slashing .238/.376/.439 with 18 homers in 106 games for Single-A Columbia. He finished out his age-19 season with five games for High-A Quad Cities, and his final 135 wRC+ between both spots was tops among Royals full-season Minor Leaguers and best among qualified full-season teenaged catchers. The start to his 2025 season was delayed when he broke his right hamate bone early in Spring Training.

Batting from the left side, Mitchell has a swing designed for lift and pull, and the plurality of his contact came via flyballs in 2024. His load is rather simple with a slight leg lift, and the Royals worked with the backstop on keeping his stance from getting too wide in the box. He could challenge for 30-plus homers at his eventual peak. Mitchell isn't a quick runner but knows when to pick his spots on the basepaths -- ranking third in the Minors among catchers with 26 total steals.

The Texas native has plus-plus arm strength -- he touched 97 mph as an amateur pitcher -- but he'll need to work on improving his accuracy after catching only 14.4 percent of attempted basestealers in 2024. As is typical of modern catchers, he isn't afraid of putting one knee down and getting low in his defensive stance to steal strikes, and he has the athleticism to receive and block well as he develops. K.C. knows something about having a homegrown franchise catcher, and Mitchell is on his way to that status as he enters his 20s.

Adding a catcher when they have Hererra Pages Crooks Rodruigez and Bernal would be idiotic. All but Pages are higher rated

Ronnie Dobbs wrote: ↑18 Dec 2025 11:45 am

Goldfan wrote: ↑18 Dec 2025 10:31 amThis is very ODD…..we’re now down to the ROYALS and they have to coax in 3rd team to satisfy the return. These Insiders must really want this trade to go through…..wonder if they forwarded this masterpiece to Bloom?

This is very ODD that you would come to this conclusion based on anything in the OP.

Clubmaker2 wrote: ↑18 Dec 2025 21:47 pm

Hoosier59 wrote: ↑18 Dec 2025 20:10 pm I said from the very begining that the return for Donovan would not replace what he gives the Cardinals. He has more value with the Cardinals than anything he alone will be traded for. The only way to increase the return and get somebody that would be better is to add one or more players to the deal. Donovan is in high demand, but only because teams thought they could get him reasonably. That’s why you see teams now interested in Marte, or Horner because they figure if they are going to have to give up top prospects they might as well see what else is out there.

Bingo. How is it if 3 or more teams are interested, none of them are willing to pony up before any of the other teams do to make sure they get him? That screams he is a nice to have but its ok if any of those other 2 or 3 teams get him instead because we will not over pay.

cardinalsfan27 wrote: ↑18 Dec 2025 22:14 pm

Youboughtit wrote: ↑18 Dec 2025 20:05 pm

Talkin' Baseball wrote: ↑18 Dec 2025 11:03 am If I'm doing a convoluted trade with the Royals, here is what I am looking at: Donovan to the Royals for their #2 prospect, catcher Blake Mitchell, #8 prospect Kendry Chourio, and their Round A Comp pick. Chourio is young and has a ways to go, but has a shot at being a top of the rotation pitcher. We obviously don't need another catcher, so I would have to have an agreement in place to flip Mitchell to the Pirates for their choice of right-hander Jared Jones, or left-hander Hunter Barco. Jones is in the majors, Barco is major league ready. That is a return of someone for the rotation now, a high-ceiling rotation piece for later, and a draft pick. There may be better Donovan packages out there, but if I'm dealing with the Royals, that's what I want.

Kendry Chourio
AGE
18
BATS
R
DOB
10/01/2007
THROWS
R
HT
6' 0"
SIGNED
Jan. 17, 2025 - KC
WT
160
ETA
2029
Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 60 | Overall: 50

The Royals had some notable international additions to begin 2025 with catcher Moises Marchán (No. 31), shortstop Warren Calcaño (No. 38) and shortstop Ramcell Medina (No. 49) all ranking among MLB Pipeline's Top 50 prospects in the class. But it's Chourio who is popping up most in the group's first summer of pro ball. The 6-foot right-hander signed for $247,500 (the seventh-highest bonus given out by Kansas City this year) out of Venezuela in January. He made five appearances (four starts) in the Dominican Summer League, posting a 2.04 ERA with 22 strikeouts and one walk in 17 2/3 innings, and was promoted to the Arizona Complex League at 17 years old, becoming the youngest stateside pitcher in affiliated ball at the time.
The organization felt it could get aggressive with Chourio because of the advanced feel for pitching he'd shown out of the gate in the DSL. His fastball sat 93-97 mph in that move to the States, and it's easy to dream on how he can build on that present velocity as he continues to add physicality. He spots the heater well, too, and it has the ride and horizontal movement to keep hitters off. Chourio also works in a sharp upper-70s downer curveball and a mid-80s changeup that has decent fade, and those have helped keep the strikeouts coming.

Most DSL pitchers with good stuff struggle to find the zone, but that hasn't been the case at all with Chourio in the early going. His control numbers could normalize a bit more against more disciplined hitters, but for now, they've been stellar. Chourio is comparable to some of the most prominent high school arms in the 2025 Draft class and has the advantage of being younger with a growing pro résumé.

Blake Mitchell

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 30 | Arm: 70 | Field: 55 | Overall: 55

A two-time Gatorade Player of the Year winner in Texas, Mitchell also used his performance with the U.S. national junior team to vault himself into becoming the eighth overall pick in 2023. He signed for below slot at $4,897,500 with the savings going toward other members of the Draft class. In his first full season, Mitchell was named Kansas City's 2024 George Brett Hitter of the Year after slashing .238/.376/.439 with 18 homers in 106 games for Single-A Columbia. He finished out his age-19 season with five games for High-A Quad Cities, and his final 135 wRC+ between both spots was tops among Royals full-season Minor Leaguers and best among qualified full-season teenaged catchers. The start to his 2025 season was delayed when he broke his right hamate bone early in Spring Training.

Batting from the left side, Mitchell has a swing designed for lift and pull, and the plurality of his contact came via flyballs in 2024. His load is rather simple with a slight leg lift, and the Royals worked with the backstop on keeping his stance from getting too wide in the box. He could challenge for 30-plus homers at his eventual peak. Mitchell isn't a quick runner but knows when to pick his spots on the basepaths -- ranking third in the Minors among catchers with 26 total steals.

The Texas native has plus-plus arm strength -- he touched 97 mph as an amateur pitcher -- but he'll need to work on improving his accuracy after catching only 14.4 percent of attempted basestealers in 2024. As is typical of modern catchers, he isn't afraid of putting one knee down and getting low in his defensive stance to steal strikes, and he has the athleticism to receive and block well as he develops. K.C. knows something about having a homegrown franchise catcher, and Mitchell is on his way to that status as he enters his 20s.

Adding a catcher when they have Hererra Pages Crooks Rodruigez and Bernal would be idiotic. All but Pages are higher rated

OP address that in that first paragraph.

JDW wrote: ↑19 Dec 2025 10:01 am

cardinalsfan27 wrote: ↑18 Dec 2025 22:14 pm

Youboughtit wrote: ↑18 Dec 2025 20:05 pm

Talkin' Baseball wrote: ↑18 Dec 2025 11:03 am If I'm doing a convoluted trade with the Royals, here is what I am looking at: Donovan to the Royals for their #2 prospect, catcher Blake Mitchell, #8 prospect Kendry Chourio, and their Round A Comp pick. Chourio is young and has a ways to go, but has a shot at being a top of the rotation pitcher. We obviously don't need another catcher, so I would have to have an agreement in place to flip Mitchell to the Pirates for their choice of right-hander Jared Jones, or left-hander Hunter Barco. Jones is in the majors, Barco is major league ready. That is a return of someone for the rotation now, a high-ceiling rotation piece for later, and a draft pick. There may be better Donovan packages out there, but if I'm dealing with the Royals, that's what I want.

Kendry Chourio
AGE
18
BATS
R
DOB
10/01/2007
THROWS
R
HT
6' 0"
SIGNED
Jan. 17, 2025 - KC
WT
160
ETA
2029
Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 60 | Overall: 50

The Royals had some notable international additions to begin 2025 with catcher Moises Marchán (No. 31), shortstop Warren Calcaño (No. 38) and shortstop Ramcell Medina (No. 49) all ranking among MLB Pipeline's Top 50 prospects in the class. But it's Chourio who is popping up most in the group's first summer of pro ball. The 6-foot right-hander signed for $247,500 (the seventh-highest bonus given out by Kansas City this year) out of Venezuela in January. He made five appearances (four starts) in the Dominican Summer League, posting a 2.04 ERA with 22 strikeouts and one walk in 17 2/3 innings, and was promoted to the Arizona Complex League at 17 years old, becoming the youngest stateside pitcher in affiliated ball at the time.
The organization felt it could get aggressive with Chourio because of the advanced feel for pitching he'd shown out of the gate in the DSL. His fastball sat 93-97 mph in that move to the States, and it's easy to dream on how he can build on that present velocity as he continues to add physicality. He spots the heater well, too, and it has the ride and horizontal movement to keep hitters off. Chourio also works in a sharp upper-70s downer curveball and a mid-80s changeup that has decent fade, and those have helped keep the strikeouts coming.

Most DSL pitchers with good stuff struggle to find the zone, but that hasn't been the case at all with Chourio in the early going. His control numbers could normalize a bit more against more disciplined hitters, but for now, they've been stellar. Chourio is comparable to some of the most prominent high school arms in the 2025 Draft class and has the advantage of being younger with a growing pro résumé.

Blake Mitchell

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 30 | Arm: 70 | Field: 55 | Overall: 55

A two-time Gatorade Player of the Year winner in Texas, Mitchell also used his performance with the U.S. national junior team to vault himself into becoming the eighth overall pick in 2023. He signed for below slot at $4,897,500 with the savings going toward other members of the Draft class. In his first full season, Mitchell was named Kansas City's 2024 George Brett Hitter of the Year after slashing .238/.376/.439 with 18 homers in 106 games for Single-A Columbia. He finished out his age-19 season with five games for High-A Quad Cities, and his final 135 wRC+ between both spots was tops among Royals full-season Minor Leaguers and best among qualified full-season teenaged catchers. The start to his 2025 season was delayed when he broke his right hamate bone early in Spring Training.

Batting from the left side, Mitchell has a swing designed for lift and pull, and the plurality of his contact came via flyballs in 2024. His load is rather simple with a slight leg lift, and the Royals worked with the backstop on keeping his stance from getting too wide in the box. He could challenge for 30-plus homers at his eventual peak. Mitchell isn't a quick runner but knows when to pick his spots on the basepaths -- ranking third in the Minors among catchers with 26 total steals.

The Texas native has plus-plus arm strength -- he touched 97 mph as an amateur pitcher -- but he'll need to work on improving his accuracy after catching only 14.4 percent of attempted basestealers in 2024. As is typical of modern catchers, he isn't afraid of putting one knee down and getting low in his defensive stance to steal strikes, and he has the athleticism to receive and block well as he develops. K.C. knows something about having a homegrown franchise catcher, and Mitchell is on his way to that status as he enters his 20s.

Adding a catcher when they have Hererra Pages Crooks Rodruigez and Bernal would be idiotic. All but Pages are higher rated

OP address that in that first paragraph.

Yes he did, but do we really have a top flight proven C?
Herrera looks more like a LF/DH fit.
Crooks hasn't proven anything yet at the MLB.
Bernal looks good, but he also needs to prove it at the MLB level.
Pages looks like a decent backup type C.
Rodruigez is an exciting prospect, but a ways off. His bat currently projects to fit elsewhere if the Cards already had a good established C.
IF Mitchell proved to be the real deal at C, there's always a good market for the good C prospects the Cards may have.

Clubmaker2 wrote: ↑19 Dec 2025 09:40 am You are confusing a three way trade, which is not the issue.....

with the idea that 3 or more teams are (actually) interested in the same player and are competing against each other in the bidding process . Giants, Mariners, Royals....not one of those teams is worried that one of the other is going to get BD before they do and make some wonderful pitching offer to the cards to be the winner in the bidding. They all are willing to risk him going somewhere else rather than up the bid. BDs value to other teams is not that high.