Royals Rumors: Billy Hamilton potentially next Royal to be traded
Royals rumors kicked off over the weekend when Homer Bailey was sent to Oakland and Martin Maldonado was later traded to the Cubs. Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com wrote an article discussing why Billy Hamilton might be the next to go.
The Kansas City Royals made the decision to bring Billy Hamilton in a one-year deal, knowing full-well they wouldn’t be good this year and hopefully, at the very least, they could ship the guy off somewhere and land a prospect in return.
That appears to be the best case scenario here, as Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com sat down with Hamilton and discussed the possibility of a trade.
"“Coming into the season with a one-year deal,” Hamilton told MLB.com on Sunday, “you know it’s possible [to get traded]. And that’s especially true when the team isn’t winning. If we were winning, it’d be different maybe.”"
The Royals rumors got underway on Sunday when Homer Bailey was scratched from his start less than an hour before game time. Speculation ran amuck after that and not long after, it had been announced that Bailey was on his way to Oakland. On Monday, Martin Maldonado was traded to the Cubs.
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With the Royals officially in sell mode (we all knew that’d be the case), how long is it before Hamilton, or whoever else, gets shipped off?
To be honest, Hamilton’s .217 batting average doesn’t exactly scream trade bait, but his speed and top notch defense do. That’ll be why teams bring in the Royals speedy outfielder, as a pinch runner and/or late inning defensive replacement (think back to when Jarrod Dyson and Lorenzo Cain used to spell Nori Aoki in the outfield during the 2014 postseason).
With Bubba Starling now in the big leagues, the Royals don’t have a need for Hamilton and that’s why him being traded sooner rather than later makes perfect sense.
Now, it’s doubtful the Royals get much back in exchange for Hamilton’s services. He’s not doing much of anything at the plate and is on a one-year deal. The fact that they got a former first round pick for Bailey was shocking, but don’t expect that to happen for Hamilton too.
Plus, there’s the whole financial issue that will come into play, as Flanagan notes in his piece. He’s still owed $2 million this season and has a $1 million buyout for next season. That could be a major roadblock when it comes to trading him.
Next. Five Royals Trade Scenarios. dark
Truthfully – If the Royals can get back one decent prospect for Billy Hamilton, that’ll definitely be a win. He’s been disappointing this year and while his defense and speed have been fun to watch at times, he provides nothing for the team moving forward.