Royals Rumors Roundup: Atlanta not expected to chase Mike Moustakas

Hosmer Could be Rockies Target

According to MLB.com’s Rockies beat writer Thomas Harding, the Kansas City Royals should expect a push from their neighbor to the west for Eric Hosmer‘s signature this winter. Colorado looks to have Hosmer and J.D. Martinez atop its early holiday wish list. Harding mentions another priority move for the team would be to bring back Greg Holland. If Hosmer and Holland do team up again, there could be some friendly ribbing after their most recent encounter:

Elsewhere in the rumor mill, the idea of Boston making a run at Hosmer could hit a slight snag. Christopher Smith of MassLive.com believes that a deal for Martinez would be more sensible for the franchise. That’s because, unlike Martinez, Hosmer received a qualifying offer from the Kansas City Royals. That offer means the Red Sox (or any other team that signs Hosmer) would lose a high draft pick and a portion of its international signing money.

For what it’s worth, the article quoted Boston general manager Dave Dombrowski as saying this about signing a player with a qualifying offer:

"“If two players are exactly even in your mind and one has a qualifying offer and one doesn’t, does it make a difference? Yes. But of course it depends on what players you’re talking about. … But I don’t think a qualifying offer — if it was somebody that we really wanted and thought was the guy — would make a difference for us.”"

Smith isn’t the only one discussing the possibility of Boston skipping the Hosmer sweepstakes. Bleacher Report’s Jacob Shafer thinks the Red Sox should target a cheaper option at first base. Another B/R piece, this one from Tyler Conway, predicts Kansas City will retain Hosmer. However, it has Lorenzo Cain landing in Boston and Moustakas winding up in St. Louis.