KC has no shortage of remaining trade partners for pitching surplus

February is just days away and as the baseball calendar gets set to enter the month where spring training gets underway, there’s still an overwhelming feeling that the Kansas City Royals could still benefit from doing some more business.

While additions are at the forefront of everyone’s mind, potentially just as important for the Royals is their outgoing business, specifically finding a resolution for their immense starting pitching surplus.

As it stands the Royals confidently have seven major league arms that will enter spring training vying for a spot in their five-man rotation.

If the Royals are looking to pull off an 11th hour trade this offseason, there seems to be no shortage of teams still in search of starting pitching, according to Jon Heyman of the celebrity.land.

In a report via X, Heyman stated that several teams are “still seriously considering starting pitchers”, listing 12 teams with said serious interest and three additional names that might be still in the market.

Royals still have no shortage of potential trade suitors for starting pitching surplus

After the New York Mets acquired Freddy Peralta last week and the Texas Rangers went out and made a splash of their own by bringing in MacKenzie Gore, the Royals’ potential trade suitors seemed to be dropping like flies.

Pair that with the fact that Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic recently reported that trades for either St. Louis’ Brendan Donovan or Boston’s Jarren Duran seem “increasingly unlikely” for Kansas City, and suddenly the Royals’ trade picture seemed even more bleak.

But after Heyman’s report, while all of those teams may not be the best fit for the Royals’ needs, there are a few that stand out as decently strong fits for their starter surplus.

Given their competitive business this winter and plethora of outfield depth – which all Royals fans know by now is still a major need for them – the Baltimore Orioles could be a fit for an affordable All-Star like Kris Bubic. Perhaps a package for the likes of Heston Kjerstad or Colton Cowser might be place to start.

The New York Yankees stand out as a name to consider as well for someone like Bubic, considering they have a former top prospect trying to find his big league footing and likely without a firm grasp on playing time in 2026 in Jasson Domínguez.

And if we’re looking at the maybes, the versatile Toronto Blue Jays might have a few outfield names that perhaps a Bubic or to a lesser extent a Ryan Bergert could address, such as Davis Schneider, Nathan Lukes or Joey Loperfido.

The bottom line here though is that if J.J. Picollo and Co. don’t want to have a major log jam at the starting pitching position when pitchers and catchers report in few weeks, they don’t have to with so many organizations looking for what the Royals already have.

Only time will tell if a deal actually comes to fruition, but the fact that around half the league is still in the market for starters is a promising sign.