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Anne Rogers writes the Royals aren\u2019t likely to deal Cole Ragans<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt would be really difficult for us to trade Cole,\u201d general manager J.J. Picollo said Monday. \u201cWhen Cole is right, he\u2019s as good as anybody in the game. It\u2019s rare that you get an opportunity to have somebody like that, and we have him for three more years. It\u2019s fun to talk about, but the reality is, if we didn\u2019t have Cole Ragans in our rotation, we\u2019d feel like we\u2019re missing something really big. When you think about our four pillars, it starts with pitching.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026 We\u2019re in a really good spot [with depth], so if the right trade comes along, and it costs us a starting pitcher, we have to look at it. It\u2019s just not going to be Cole.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n She also reports that the Royals may be looking at some bullpen help.<\/p>\n Jaylon Thompson writes about J.J. Picollo\u2019s willingness to make a trade<\/a>.<\/p>\n Picollo will welcome trade conversations. However, there is a balance between striking the right deal and remaining competitive. The Royals are expected to compete in the American League Central and any potential deal won\u2019t deviate from that course.<\/p>\n The Royals are seen as an intriguing potential trade partner. They have starting pitching depth, with Kris Bubic and Noah Cameron, mainly, drawing interest as trade candidates. Teams are also drawn to Ragans, but it will likely require a massive haul to move him.<\/p>\n \u201cYou want to be as well-rounded as a team as you can possibly be,\u201d Picollo said during an appearance on MLB Network\u2019s Hot Stove telecast. \u201cRight now, the depth in our position is with the starting pitching. We are fortunate that we have that depth that we can even consider moving a starting pitcher.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n Harrison Bader is on their radar, reports Jon Heyman.<\/p>\n Craig Brown looks at the pitching surplus the Royals are considering trading from.<\/a><\/p>\n If I had a say (and be very thankful that I do not), I would be looking to spin Noah Cameron. The rookie had a solid debut campaign, but his expected ERA was 4.08, a full run over Cameron\u2019s 2.99 ERA. He had an 84 percent strand rate, which was an insanely inflated number. And his strikeout rate of 7.4 SO\/9 and 20.5 percent was underwhelming. As Petriello notes, Cameron is a candidate to regress.<\/p>\n As we\u2019ve already seen this offseason, teams have clearly moved beyond ERA when evaluating results and are focusing on metrics like expected ERA. When numbers like xERA and FIP are used to evaluate Cameron, there\u2019s no way teams would surrender a solid-regular position player that the Royals would be looking for in a trade. I just don\u2019t think they are going to be \u201cwowed\u201d enough to move Cameron.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n J.J. Picollo wants a well-rounded club.<\/p>\n Matt Quatraro likes the possibility of Harrison Bader.<\/p>\n Pitcher Mike Soroka signs with the Diamondbacks<\/a> on a one-year, $7.5 million deal.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n The Tigers sign reliever Drew Anderson<\/a> to a one-year, $7 million deal after a stint in Asia.<\/p>\n The Rays are signing pitcher Steven Matz<\/a> to a two-year deal.<\/p>\n The Rangers sign infielder Tyler Wade<\/a> to a minor league deal.<\/p>\n The Mets are interested in slugger Kyle Schwarber.<\/a><\/p>\n The Blue Jays are interested in free agent reliever Robert Suarez.<\/a><\/p>\n The Nationals are receiving a lot of interest in infielder C.J. Abrams<\/a>.<\/p>\n Framber Valdez meets with the Mets, Giants, and Orioles<\/a>.<\/p>\n Free agent Pete Alonso meets with the Red Sox and Orioles<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Padres plan to keep Mason Miller in the bullpen<\/a>.<\/p>\n MLB.com lists each team\u2019s best Rule 5 draft pick<\/a>.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Jonathan Mayo at MLB Pipeline writes about prospects to keep an eye on for Wednesday\u2019s Rule 5 draft.<\/a><\/p>\n Will Carlos Beltr\u00e1n be elected into the Hall of Fame<\/a> or will the sign-stealing scandal continue to plague him?<\/p>\n Notre Dame\u2019s athletic director blasts the ACC<\/a> for not supporting their playoff bid more.<\/p>\n The Colts will work out 44-year-old quarterback Philip Rivers.<\/a><\/p>\n Why do we shiver in the cold<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n
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