Kansas City Royals Rumors: Cubs and Yankees inquire about Danny Duffy

Center field options outlined

One of the biggest holes the Kansas City Royals will need to fill for 2018 comes in center field. Lorenzo Cain almost certainly won’t return. That leaves a group of rather uninspiring internal options. According to Dodd, Moore believes the Opening Day starter is already on the 40-man roster with the most likely candidates being Paulo Orlando, Alex Gordon and Billy Burns:

As Dodd points out, Bubba Starling doesn’t appear to be in the current competition. However, he could insert himself into it with a good start to 2018. As for the outside options, the free agent market includes several cheap alternatives to Cain. But none of those players seem to make sense for an organization set to rebuild. One of the prime candidates would be former Royal Jarrod Dyson. MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan, though, says Moore essentially shot down that possibility:

Other viable free agent options would include Cameron Maybin, who the club reportedly expressed interest in a while back, and Carlos Gomez. Signing either of those players would run counter, though, to the idea that the Kansas City Royals would be tearing things down. At this point, Orlando seems the most likely to at least get the first opportunity in center, allowing Gordon to stay in left. Starling represents a pipe dream center fielder, but the true heir to Cain probably lies in the lower reaches of the farm system.

Royals interested in pair of ex-Rockies

While the chances of a rebuild continue to approach 100 percent, the Kansas City Royals continue to express interest in some free agents. The club should be expected to make inquiries even if a teardown seems likely. For one thing, the club could still look to add some bargains in hopes of flipping them for prospects at the trade deadline.

That possible angle would explain why the club has shown interest in bounce-back candidate Carlos Gonzalez. After a disastrous 2017 in hitter-friendly Coors Field, Gonzalez has failed to garner much attention as a free agent. He will still wind up somewhere and with a decent contract. According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, the Kansas City Royals are one of a handful of teams keeping tabs on the former star outfielder:

Gonzalez apparently isn’t the only former Colorado player to catch Moore’s attention. First baseman Mark Reynolds could be a replacement for Eric Hosmer, according to Chris Cotillo of SB Nation:

Neither player would seem to make much sense given the current narrative surrounding the Kansas City Royals. Reynolds would obviously be a solid replacement for Hosmer. But without Hosmer, the team seems incredibly unlikely to aim for the postseason in 2018. Although, Reynolds could fall under the buy-low, sell-high umbrella.

Gonzalez, on the other hand, would be a player with no real spot to fill. Sure, the right field job is up for grabs, but with Soler and Jorge Bonifacio on the roster, the need for Gonzalez is non-existent. His presence would lead to increased muddling of an already crowded corner outfield spot.

Boston, San Diego still chasing Hosmer

One of the biggest remaining storylines of the Winter Meetings — and the offseason as a whole — continues to be the race to sign Hosmer. While a lot of negative things have been said about the star first baseman, he still registers as a hot commodity. Given his initial price tag, only a few teams would realistically have the funds to sign him.

Many of those financially loaded teams (Yankees, Dodgers and Giants, for instance) don’t have a need for Hosmer. The team with the deepest pockets in the running would be Boston. Especially given what the Yankees have done this offseason, the Red Sox need to make a splash. According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the team will almost certainly sign one of the following three free agents: Hosmer, J.D. Martinez or Carlos Santana. In many ways, Martinez would seem to be the best fit. Olney said as much on Tuesday:

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Adding Martinez would allow Andrew Benintendi to move to center field, and Jackie Bradley could be traded for prospects. The first base market is also much deeper than the corner outfield market. In theory, Boston could land Martinez and a slugging first baseman like Logan Morrison, Yonder Alonso or even Hosmer or Santana, if things work out just right.

While Boston remains very much in play, on the opposite coast, at least one team hopes the Red Sox prioritize Martinez. According to A.J. Cassavell of MLB.com, San Diego continues to show “very real” interest in Hosmer with an obvious hope that a market fails to develop for the 28-year-old. That said, the Kansas City Royals haven’t given up hope of retaining their franchise cornerstone, per Heyman:

Even with that glimmer of hope, it’s getting increasingly hard to imagine the Royals re-signing Hosmer. With Moore dead set on rebuilding the farm system in lieu of competing, would it make sense to add Hosmer and trade everyone else? Well, that’s a topic we’ve already discussed.  But it bares repeating that bringing back Hosmer, while simultaneously tearing everything around him down to the studs makes no sense.

Maybe, there will be clarity on the future of the Kansas City Royals by the end of the Winter Meetings. Then again, fans might prefer not to know what the future holds. Or it could be best to just rip the bandage off in one quick pull.

Next: Expansion should put Royals in new division

What do you think? Could Duffy be on the move? Who will play center field in 2018? Let us know your thoughts and predictions.