Kansas City Royals: Starting rotation candidates for 2018 season

The Kansas City Royals have plenty of decent options for their rotation. The question now is will any of these guys be traded before the beginning of the season?

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Danny Duffy is the most likely candidate to be traded. While Kennedy and Hammel are options as well, Kennedy’s contract is ridiculous and Hammel’s stats last season weren’t enough for teams to want to jump at acquiring him.

If Duffy isn’t traded, he’ll be the unquestioned starter on Opening Day. Kennedy and Hammel will fight for the second spot and the other will get the third. From there, the final two spots will probably go to Junis and Karns, if Karns is healthy.

Oaks certainly has an opportunity to win a spot in the rotation though and I wouldn’t be shocked if he found his way in the fourth or fifth spot. The Royals were smart acquiring him because he’ll be a great candidate to slot in for sure once Hammel hits free agency next year.

Next: Prospects who could make an impact in 2018

Pitching was a sore spot for the Royals last year, but there were certainly times when the offense did zero favors for the pitching staff. Hopefully this year the pitching looks decent and fans can get a glimpse of what the future rotation might look like.

Who are your picks to land in the rotation out of spring training?