Tuesday night was further indication that the Kansas City Royals need starting pitching help before the trade deadline. Right-hander Jeremy Guthrie was knocked around by the Seattle Mariners, who have the 28th-ranked offense in the MLB. As a result, the Royals are exploring options on the market.
Despite their 4.46 starter's ERA (22nd in MLB), the Royals (40-28) have managed to comfortably stay atop the AL Central and currently lead the Minnesota Twins by 3.5 games. The rotation has not improved either. In April the unit owned a 4.25 ERA; in May it accumulated a 4.62 ERA; and so far this month it has a 4.50 ERA.
The loss of James Shields proved to be just as costly as many had thought while Yordano Ventura had a poor 2015 (4.68 ERA) before going down with an injury. Danny Duffy and Jason Vargas are also on the disabled list and have combined for just 16 starts. The lone bright spot has been Edinson Volquez, who is 7-4 with a 3.33 ERA in 14 starts, which won't be enough to carry the struggling cast.
Trade rumors now have the Royals linked to a National League ace.
"It wasn't at all surprising when Ken Rosenthal and I heard on Tuesday that the Royals have inquired to the Cincinnati Reds about the availability of Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake," writes FOX Sports' Jon Morosi. "The Royals miss the reliable innings James Shields took with him to San Diego. Yordano Ventura is on the disabled list. So is Jason Vargas. There you have three-quarters of the Royals' 2014 postseason rotation; Guthrie, whose current ERA is 5.90, completed the quartet."
However, this is nothing new. Back in May it was reported the Royals talked to the Reds about Cueto's availability as they likely had concerns about the longevity of their rotation. It's unknown what it would take to land the right-hander, considering he'll be a free agent after the season and was dealing with elbow inflammation just a few weeks ago, but it's clear the Royals are looking to make a move.
"A rotation upgrade would seem sensible for Royals GM Dayton Moore as well; the Kansas City rotation has produced just a 4.37 ERA this season (21st in the league), and metrics such as FIP and xFIP feel that's a pretty fair indicator of what to expect based on the talent the Royals are working with," Steve Adams of MLBTradeRumors.com wrote yesterday.
Leake could be the more realistic option for Kansas City. He'll be a free agent after the season as well, but he's not commanding anywhere near the value Cueto is, especially since the two are owed pretty much the same salary for this season. Earlier in the season rumors indicated Cueto was seeking a $200 million deal in the offseason, and perhaps rightfully so, because his ERA has been under 3.00 since 2011 (115 starts).
Kansas City has the 13th-ranked farm system in the MLB, according to Baseball America, so it's clear they have the resources to make a deal for Cueto. We'll see how far Dayton Moore decides to go.
