Picollo: Royals 'will be aggressive' before trade deadline

The Kansas City Royals find themselves in playoff contention, and general manager J.J. Picollo plans to be proactive ahead of the trade deadline.

"We're going to be aggressive," Picollo said on MLB Network Radio.

"The thing we have to keep in mind is, I like to think that we're just getting into a window where we're going to have a nice handful of seasons. How far we want to push this thing is something that we have to answer as a front office."

The Royals enter Monday's series opener against the Miami Marlins sitting a half-game back of the Boston Red Sox for the American League's third wild-card spot.

Picollo said Kansas City intends to improve two areas: the bullpen and making its lineup deeper. The Royals' pen ranks 22nd in ERA and 26th in win probability added, while their lineup sits 11th in runs scored.

The bulk of the production this season has come from Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez, whom Picollo wants to reward for their efforts.

"I feel an obligation personally to the guys that committed to this team and chose Kansas City, and to the Salvador Perezes and the Bobby Witts who have chosen be here long term, to add to this club. So, we will be aggressive, and we'll look at anything and everything."

The Royals are five games above .500 after finishing last season with 106 losses. They haven't made the postseason since winning the World Series in 2015.