Kansas City Royals Rumors: Still Looking for Starting Pitching

The Kansas City Royals swung a six-player deal on Monday. All the players headed to KC were of the pitching variety. Ned Yost said that the trade would definitely bolster the bullpen. It may have indeed been a move to add relievers as rumors are swirling that the team is still looking at starting options.

Nick covered the trade here that brought Trevor Cahill, Brandon Maurer, and Ryan Buchter to the Kansas City Royals. It at first appeared that Cahill would take up the fifth spot in the rotation. Now he may occupy a role of swingman, one he has had success doing in the past.

Buchter was another solid addition to the Kansas City Royal bullpen. He also comes with team control beyond 2017 which is a plus.

Now a mere 24 hours later rumors are surfacing that Dayton Moore could potentially still be in the market for a SP. Doug Mitler covered this latest development for ESPN here. Mitler calls yesterday’s trade and potential starter acquisition:

"“A move that demonstrates they are all-in on another playoff run…”"

Jon Heyman brought the potential interest in another starter to light via his Twitter account as you can see below:

So if the Kansas City Royals are indeed looking to add a starting pitcher then the obvious question becomes, who could that potentially be?

I’m sticking to my guns on this one. I wrote in a previous article here that, while he may not be the sexiest name, Lance Lynn made a lot of sense. On paper the two teams match up nicely to get a deal done. Lynn could easily slot into the number three spot in the rotation behind Danny Duffy and Jason Vargas.

Why would that be important?

Doing so would push Ian Kennedy and Jason Hammel into the number four and five spots respectively. As Hammel proved again last night, he simply cannot be trusted beyond the fifth inning. If you are looking to not only make the playoffs, but make a deep run in October, you cannot afford to have your number four pitcher only going five innings.

Plain and simple! Adding Lynn would mean not having to rely on Hammel in the postseason. Yost could use him if and when he needed him. He could be used in combination with Cahill as a long relief/spot starters that can provide flexibility.

Next: Whit Merrifield Super Utility Man

It may be a bit surprising to some to hear the Kansas City Royals still looking to add pitching. Remember pitching is the currency of baseball. For a team with championship aspirations you can never have too much. The next five days could get very interesting.