Winter Meetings Recap: Brett Anderson Traded, Jason Hammel?

Jul 23, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Jason Hammel (39) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

With the Winter Meetings reaching their halfway point, a number of moves were made that may have impacted the Royals. Some, we re thankful that they missed out on, while other moves may have helped. Then, there are the always interesting rumors of players that the team is interested in. Here is a recap of what went on earlier today.

• With the Royals in need of a power bat and Mark Trumbo on the block, it seemed like a logical conclusion that the Royals may look into what the Angels would be asking for. Thankfully, either the Royals were not interested or the Angels got a better offer, as Trumbo is headed to Arizona as part of a three team deal between the Angels, White Sox and the Diamondbacks.
• There was another trade that could have affected the Royals today. The Atheletics traded Brett Anderson to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for Drew Pomeranz and Chris Jensen. Anderson had been on the block for over a year now, and the Royals actually offered Wil Myers for Anderson last season. Now, the A’s have had to settle for a younger version of Anderson and possibly just dump his salary on another team. While Anderson has been a very good pitcher when healthy, his injury issues have certainly held him back, and it may be fair to wonder if he will ever develop into the pitcher that he was expected to become.
• However, there is news for the Royals on the pitching front. Kansas City is one of four teams that have been linked to free agent starter Jason Hammel. Yes, the same Jason Hammel that had a career year in 2012, and fought through an injury plagued 2013 season. For a team that claims to be looking for upgrades, Hammel does not seem as though he would be better than plugging Yordano Ventura or Danny Duffy into a rotation spot (more on the Royals interest in Hammel tomorrow).

The Winter Meetings appear to be heating up, and there may be plenty more moves forthcoming in the next couple of days. If anything breaks with the Royals, we will get that news, and our reactions, to you as soon as we can.