Royals Rumors: Joakim Soria For Colby Rasmus Trade In Works?

The Blue Jays are looking for a closer. The Kansas City Royals might be shopping one. Bob Elliot of the Toronto Sun is trying to put two and two together in working out a deal that would delight two teams with holes to fill. The question is whether or not it's worth it for the Royals.

Certainly with the signing of Jonathan Broxton rumored for the Royals, the scope of the bullpen has changed a bit. If they want to keep both closer Joakim Soria and Broxon in the back end of the pen, that creates a loaded eighth and ninth inning for manager Ned Yost. However, Soria's cost is becoming prohibitive with each passing year while he also loses trade value in the process. Thus, it might be the right time to strike.

Elliot writes, 'The Kansas City Royals will start with Lorenzo Cain in centre, but with concerns about whether the 25-year-old (42 career starts) will hit has the Royals looking at Colby Rasmus of the Jays." Rasmus, of course, didn't hit at all when switching to the American League, batting only .173 in 35 games with the Blue Jays after coming over from the St. Louis Cardinals in midseason.Then again, Rasmus has long been considered one of the game's best outfield prospects and it's likely that the team willing to be patient with him will reap the rewards (i.e. San Diego with Cameron Maybin or Adrian Gonzalez).

Isn't Soria worth more than Rasmus at this point, however? After all, Soria is a proven commodity that the Jays could control for three more seasons at below-market rate. They're rumored to be in on Heath Bell among others and if they'd rather not break the bank for a mid-30s reliever, Soria is definitely the way to go. Then again, there are options on the open market and perhaps they want to be the patient ones here.

Either way, the trade options now open for the Royals are certainly interesting. The Winter Meetings should be fun to follow for a Royals team that's been surprisingly active thus far in the MLB offseason.