Royals Rumors: Recent Trade Frees Up Roster Space
The latest of Royals rumors to surface is that the Kansas City Royals sent reliever Brooks Pounders to the Angels for Jared Ruxer. While this seems like a small trade, it could prove to be a big move for the Royals.
I highly doubt that many Kansas City Royals fans knew who Jared Ruxer was before Thursday evening when the team acquired him from the Angels. The trade, which involved the Royals shipping reliever Brooks Pounders off to LA for Ruxer, has some meaning behind it.
No, Ruxer is not going to be a factor for the KC Royals any time soon. He pitched at Class-A last year for the Angels and won’t be stepping into the Royals rotation in 2017 or possibly even beyond that.
Brooks Pounders, the guy sent elsewhere, wasn’t anything special for the Royals. He had a 9.24 ERA in 12.2 innings thrown last season with a 2-1 record. Not to mention, he has the worst name for a pitcher in Major League Baseball.
The Royals have acquired RHP Jared Ruxer from the Angels in exchange for Brooks Pounders, club announces.
— Rustin Dodd (@rustindodd) December 2, 2016
What this trade signifies is that the Royals opened up a spot on their roster. Perhaps this means they’re going to try and sign a free agent.
Sam Mellinger of The Kansas City Star recently wrote a column on how David Glass is hurting the Royals’ chances of winning a title in 2017. Within that post, Mellinger mentions that the Royals had been eyeing outfielder Josh Reddick as a potential addition to their roster.
Hearing that is surprising, as it appeared that the Kansas City Royals were not going to be pursuing any of the big names in free agency this winter. If they considered going after Reddick, perhaps this move of freeing up a roster spot is meaningful and will lead to someone new being signed to help the team win in 2017.
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"Josh Reddick was a free agent, and would’ve been a terrific fit — good power, tough to strike out, a right fielder with enough athleticism to stay there. He would’ve instantly improved the offense, and still allowed the Royals to use a floating DH to keep others fresh. The Royals saw all this, and discussed him as a potential target."
Heading into winter meetings, the Kansas City Royals have a few areas that need to be addressed before the 2017 season commences. These positions are:
- Starting Pitching
- Outfield
- Designated Hitter
I’m not in the camp of having a rotating designated hitter be a solution in Kansas City, and Reddick would have fit the Royals’ needs perfectly. Perhaps missing out on him has woken the team up and now they’re freeing up some space to sign someone with a similar skill set.
We all knew that Dayton Moore and the KC Royals wouldn’t be huge buyers in free agency this year. The Royals rumors aren’t going to be floating around a lot as much as they were in the past few seasons, but this team isn’t good enough to win a World Series title if they don’t add some more talent.
Next: Free Agent Wish List for 2017
While the name Jared Ruxer isn’t making fans jump for joy, I have faith that this move means a bigger and more important move is on the way.
Be patient, Royals fans. Something more meaningful is about to happen.