Kansas City Royals: Potential Trade Targets

Ben Zobrist – Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Potential trade targets:

Tampa Bay Rays: Ben Zobrist

Zobrist would be a huge get for the Royals, and would fill multiple needs.  He can play anywhere on the field, and provides a left-handed bat with some pop.  His positional versatility, as well as his historically solid bat would be exactly what the Royals need.

The other plus in this situation is his contract.  Zobrist will make $7 million this year, and has a team-option for the same in 2015.  In other words, Zobrist would be more than a rental player, as his option could easily be picked up for next year.  The snag here is that Zobrist would likely cost significant prospects in return.

The Rays hold a $500,000 buyout option on his contract next year, so someone will have to make it worth their while to deal Zobrist.  On the other hand, you have to wonder if the Rays would rather get some sort of prospect package, or just pay the $500,000 chump change of a buyout, and get nothing in return other than financial flexibility.