Royals Rumors: Marlins 2B Dee Gordon a target for KC

The Kansas City Royals are looking to be in the buyers market at the trade deadline. One name that has popped up in the Royals rumors is Marlins 2B Dee Gordon.

Now that the Kansas City Royals have declared themselves to be in the buyers market at the trade deadline, we can expect to hear some new Royals rumors popping up. The difference between these rumors and previous ones is that now KC will be on the receiving end of a trade. The first name to make its mark is Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon.

On the surface, you wouldn’t expect the Royals to be in the market for a second baseman. Whit Merrifield is having a very good season, and youngster Ramon Torres has shown a lot of early promise. So the fact that Kansas City is being attached to Dee Gordon is a bit confusing.

However, there is no doubt that Dee Gordon is a quality player that can help any team win. His .295/.342/.358 slash line is solid and shows a player who gets on base a lot. Gordon is also currently 17th in the National League in runs scored, crossing the plate 53 times this year.

At What Cost?

Of course, you don’t get anything for free in the trade market. The Kansas City Royals will have to give something to the Marlins in return. The market will definitely be in the Marlins favor as there are at least two other teams looking at Dee Gordon now.

Jeff Todd of MLB Trade Rumors says that there isn’t any real certainty on what the Marlins would look to be adding. However, the team does need to clear some money in general, which is why they’d listen to trade offers on Gordon.

Related Story: Royals Rumors: KC Might Target Three Different Positions At Trade Deadline

However, what strikes me the most is the actual cost vs performance with Dee Gordon. The second baseman will make $38 million over the next three years. However, he has not been as good a player since his PED suspension last year, which brings into question just how much that played a factor.

What About Whit?

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The other big consideration here is what the Kansas City Royals intend to do about Whit Merrifield. He hasn’t had a bad season by any means, and has out-performed Dee Gordon in a couple of key stats (slugging percentage and RBIs). Merrifield is also a year younger and under control long term.

However, Whit Merrifield does have the versatility to be moved around the field. Already this year he has lined up at second, third, left field, and right field. It could be that the Royals intend to move him to another position while bringing Gordon in. That could bolster two positions at once.

There is also Ramon Torres, who has shown early signs of being a quality player. It would be strange for the Royals to give up on the 24 year old. However, like Merrifield, Torres has shown versatility. He has played second, third and shortstop this year. So he could be in the future plans there. Torres may also be considered a trade piece by the Royals.

We know that the addition of a player like Dee Gordon will require some kind of a shake up. The question is just how they intend to make it work. You don’t want to lose guys you see a bright future for, but you don’t want to miss out on a World Series run either. It’s a tough spot for Dayton Moore.

The Kansas City Royals have turned the league on its head and now stand to be major players in the second half of the season. Can Dayton Moore make the right moves to solidify this roster into one that can be a contender? Is Dee Gordon one of those moves? Time will tell, but this Royals team is not that far away from heading back to the postseason.