Royals Rumors: Royals might target three different positions at deadline
The All-Star break is here and that means that Royals rumors will most definitely be heating up in the next few weeks. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has revealed what the Kansas City Royals could be seeking at the deadline.
The Kansas City Royals are 44-43 at the All-Star break, which is a feat that seemed impossible considering their awful start to the season. The Royals have gone from sellers to buyers and Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe wrote about what the future of this season entails for Kansas City:
"The Royals were expected to be the biggest sellers but that has changed. They are back in the hunt for the AL Central and a wild card. Their top five free agents — Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain, Jason Vargas, and Alcides Escobar — won’t be sold off. Royals scouts have been told to find a starting pitcher, another back-end bullpen piece, and possibly a second baseman."
The biggest thing to take out of that paragraph is that the Royals could be looking to add a second baseman. That is surprising to me, as Whit Merrifield has been just fine in that role for the team. Now if the Royals acquired a second baseman who they can slot in as the designated hitter, I’d be okay with that.
Relief pitching is the biggest need for this team. Kelvin Herrera is an okay closer, Joakim Soria has quietly had a nice year, and Mike Minor is nails. Other than that, the Royals could use some extra bullpen depth.
Cafardo mentions guys like AJ Ramos (Marlins), David Phelps (Marlins), Addison Reed (Mets), Brad Hand (Padres), Sean Doolittle (Athletics), and Ryan Madson (Athletics) potentially being trade pieces for their current team. Madson would be a name that perks Royals fans’ interests mainly because he played in Kansas City during that 2015 World Series season.
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As for starters, Nate Karns is likely done for the season, so the need for another arm in the rotation is pretty hefty. Some of the biggest names on the trading block are Sonny Gray (Athletics), James Shields (White Sox), Derek Holland (White Sox), Edinson Volquez (Marlins), Jeremy Hellickson (Phillies), Marco Estrada (Blue Jays), and J.A. Happ (Blue Jays).
Again, some former Royals stand out in that list in the form of James Shields and Edinson Volquez. Shields’ contract is still quite pricey, so that probably will take care of him having a reunion in Kansas City. As for Volquez, his stuff didn’t look as good last year, but he did wonders for this team in the 2015 postseason. Don’t rule that one out.
I’m not a believer in the “buying a new second baseman” rumor, but if so, the Royals could be looking at players like Dee Gordon (Marlins), Devon Travis (Blue Jays), and Joe Panik (Giants) to add. I don’t see Gordon being an option either, as the Royals don’t have a lot to sell from their farm system.
The weakened farm system for the Kansas City Royals is going to make this deadline much more interesting than two years ago. In 2015, the Royals had a plethora of pitchers waiting to get their shot at the big league level. It’s a bit different now, however, as the Royals’ minor leagues are not what they used to be.
These Royals rumors are going to continue spreading like wildfire over the next month and it’ll be interesting to see just what Dayton Moore and the front office decides to do at the deadline.