Royals Rumors: Whit Merrifield and Kelvin Herrera drawing interest
By Ben Almquist
Royals Rumors: MLB Trade Market
Kelvin Herrera – RP/CP
Throughout the 2017 season, one name that kept appearing in our Royals Rumors was Kelvin Herrera. The Kansas City Royals closer was getting a lot of interest from teams like the Nationals, but was ultimately kept on board. It comes as no surprise that Herrera’s name is coming back up on the trade market.
The Royals have received calls on a number of players, including Kelvin Herrera, Whit Merrifield, Scott Alexander and Danny Duffy. This isn't too surprising. They're good players. KC is willing to listen.
— Rustin Dodd (@rustindodd) December 11, 2017
It wasn’t the dominant season that Kansas City fans wanted for Kelvin Herrera last year. The Royals closer had some ups and downs, but ultimately put together a decent season. However, his real value comes as a setup man, which is a position that gets a lot more emphasis in this era of baseball.
Kelvin Herrera carries some solid value as a strong relief arm who can also be a closer. However, his contract isn’t great for making a trade. Herrera is up for arbitration in 2018, so a new team would have to work that out. That will put a limit on what other teams are willing to give up for him.