Surprise, Ariz. ? As an aging outfielder on a team enamored of youth, Reggie Sanders knows the Kansas City Royals could trade him before spring training ends.

“I don’t know if I expect it to happen,” Sanders said Sunday. “I can understand why that would be an issue. I have one year (left) under contract here. If I were to be traded, I wouldn’t be shocked at all.”

Then again, he wouldn’t be surprised to be the team’s fourth outfielder on opening day.

“Those are things out of your control,” he said, “so you have to move forward and try to focus on what you need to focus on, basically.”

The Royals’ tentative plans are to open the season with Mark Teahen moving from third base to right field, David DeJesus in center and Emil Brown in left.

Kansas City Royals outfielder Reggie Sanders stretches during a spring training workout on Saturday. With the emergence of Alex Gordon and Mark Teahen's subsequent shift to the outfield, Sanders has an uncertain future with the Royals.

Sanders, 39, is the oldest player on the Royals’ roster and is in the second year of a two-year, $10 million contract.

He was the Royals’ opening-day right fielder last season, but appeared in just 88 games before having season-ending arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Aug. 31.

“We have an abundance of outfielders, which is a good thing for us right now,” general manager Dayton Moore said. “If we were to make a deal, obviously that is a natural place to look. Will we make a deal just to make a deal? No, we won’t if we don’t get value back.”

Sanders offers valuable playoff experience and leadership to contending teams. He has appeared in the playoffs every year since 1999 except for last year and 2003.

And his knee, he said, is fine.

“It was a minor tear, like a hair fracture of the tendon, but the biggest concern was the cyst resting on the patella tendon,” Sanders said. “They took the cyst off. They didn’t go in and stitch it up, but they roughed it up to promote healing.

“You don’t want to have an injury and you want things to go right and help the ball club,” he said. “It is always frustrating when things like that happen.”

Sanders’ season was highlighted by his 300th career home run on June 10. He is one of six major leaguers in history to have 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases.

“I was extremely happy with that, but overall it was a frustrating year,” Sanders said. “It was a down year. I think a lot had to do to adjusting to the American League and really trying to figure out what it was all about and then come to a team that was rebuilding and all of those intangibles. Now it seems like a more clean, more of a fresh clubhouse.”

Sanders, who hit .246 with 11 home runs and 49 RBIs in his first season in the American League, said he liked the offseason moves Moore made, which included signing free agent pitchers Gil Meche, Octavio Dotel and David Riske.

“I think we are going to be a surprise team,” Sanders said.

Sanders just doesn’t know if he will be a part of it.