KC Royals Trade Rumors: Is Dee Gordon a real possibility?

The Miami Marlins let folks know over the All-Star Break that they were open for business, fueling KC Royals fan speculation about Dee Gordon.

They have multiple pieces that pique the interest of MLB teams and, according to John Heyman, the Kansas City Royals are one of three teams interested in second baseman Dee Gordon. Could Gordon help this KC Royals team, and how realistic is the possibility of a trade that would send him to Kansas City?

Let me start by saying that Dee Gordon would be an absolutely outstanding fit on this team. Gordon is currently slashing .295/.342/.358 with 32 (!!!) stolen bases on the year. This is a significant upgrade from his season last year in which he missed 80 games for a PED suspension, but aren’t quite the numbers he put up in 2015 when he won the NL batting title.

Say what you will about players who use PED’s, I am strictly analyzing his value to the KC Royals as a player.

Dee Gordon would be exactly what the Royals need in the lead off spot. I recently wrote an article about why I think Nick Markakis would make a lot of sense for this Royals team, and I think Dee Gordon would be even better for the Royals offense than Markakis would have.

I am of the belief that the Royals number one trade priority ought to be a bat. The offense has been abysmal at times this season, and adding a lead off hitter who gets on base at a .342 clip and is going to steal 50 bags this season could spark this offense right back to it’s 2015 level.

Assuming that Gordon would take over everyday duties at second base and lead off, let’s also assume that Whit takes over in the 2-hole and plays one of the corner outfield positions with regularity. I don’t think Whit will be the one getting the boot from the everyday lineup; that role belongs to one of Gordon/Bonifacio/Moss/Soler.

We haven’t even gotten to the most exciting part about Dee Gordon yet…can you imagine what the Royals middle infield will look like for the next four years if the Royals add him? A lineup that contains Dee Gordon leading off and playing 2B and Raul Mondesi hitting second and playing shortstop is a lineup that should excite everyone. That middle infield would be an immediate difference maker for the Royals post-2017.

Royals fans ought to be giddy about a potential addition of Dee Gordon, but there is the question of, “At what cost?”

Dee Gordon is a player that will be under team control for the next four seasons. Players who hit .290+ with 50 stolen bags and play on the middle infield that are under team control do not come cheap.

Fortunately for the Royals, the Marlins are one of the most dysfunctional franchises in the entire sport and may have an even weaker farm system than KC does. What does that all mean?

Dee Gordon won’t be as expensive as he should be.

While I don’t mind suggesting possible trades, I honestly can’t tell you what Dee Gordon would ultimately end up costing. What I can tell you is that there is only one person I’m not willing to send to Miami for him: Raul Mondesi.

Every single other player that isn’t on the KC Royals MLB roster should be up for grabs. Yes, including Foster Griffin. There’s even some players on the big league club that I would consider sending to Miami, including Matt Strahm, Nate Karns, Jorge Soler, Jorge Bonifacio, and Brandon Moss. Strahm and Karns are injured, but if Miami asked for them, they should definitely be a “yes.”

A middle infield duo of Gordon and Mondesi would ensure, at the bare minimum, adequacy for the Royals for the next four years. You would be hard pressed to find a BAD team in the MLB featuring a dynamic middle infield. They just don’t exist.

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Dayton Moore should be all-in on a Dee Gordon trade, because Dee Gordon is exactly what this Royals team needs both now and moving forward.