Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Kris Bubic seemed like one of the top trade candidates at the start of the offseason, but his market has been radio silent.
Bubic, once a first-round pick in 2018, finally broke out to become an All-Star this past season. But after 20 great starts in which he posted a 2.55 ERA, Bubic hit the injured list with a rotator cuff strain that would not only end his season, but affect his offseason too.
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It appears at this point as if Bubic’s recent injury and proximity to free agency, which will come at the end of the upcoming season, have hampered his market. But on Wednesday, one National League team emerged publicly as a potential suitor.
Will Mets make a push for Bubic?
According to a report from Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic, Bubic is among the options on the trade market for the New York Mets, who as of Wednesday were focused more on trades than free agency as a solution to upgrade the rotation.
“The Mets are interested in both rentals and pitchers with club control,” the insiders wrote. “Thus, Tarik Skubal (Detroit Tigers), Freddy Peralta (Milwaukee Brewers), MacKenzie Gore (Washington Nationals), Edward Cabrera (Miami Marlins), Kris Bubic (Kansas City Royals) and Brady Singer (Cincinnati Reds) are all among the conceivable options.”
While Bubic is far down that list of names, a lot of those above him may not move at all. If New York gets told no on Skubal and Peralta, there’s a case to be made that Bubic might be the best pivot if the goal for the Mets is to win as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Rosenthal and Sammon named infielders Mark Vientos, Ronny Mauricio, and Luisangel Acuña as Mets players with major league experience who could be traded in a deal for a starter.
The Royals want offensive impact, so if they could pry Vientos loose somehow, the deal would be worth doing. It’s just tough to gauge Bubic’s value right now, and it’s become clear that he won’t net the Royals the kind of value they might have hoped.
More MLB: Royals GM Drops Hints About Remaining Free Agency, Trade Goals
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