Latest from the Interwebs: (1) Royals showing interest in our old friend Soria which, if true, means we're willing to give up some present bullpen piece; (2) Mets are interested in Zobrist (NY doesn't seem to be a great fit for Ben and his family); (3) Rosenthal reports that we'll bring Bubba up to the bigs in 2016 and he'll occupy a solid roster spot in 2017.
My take? Soria is seeking $27 million over 3 years, despite two TJ surgeries. We won't pay that. Maybe less, but not that. And Dayton will be reluctant to shed any of the major back of the bullpen pieces to accommodate Soria, who says he'll take a closer or setup role, unless they completely abandon Holland, which the Royals can do. Even then, Soria would have to agree to a deal less than 27/3.
Zobrist is a tossup. He loves KC and the Royals love him. I suspect his choice will come down to family lifestyle, so KC will have an edge over NY.
Bubba? Fascinating. He had a somewhat decent year in the minors this season and is tearing up the AFL. Rosenthal says he'll come up in 2016 and start in 2017. We drafted this guy in 2011 and he's struggled until this season. Let's not consider Bubba as a key piece until he's called up to The Show and displays some real promise against MLB pitching.
