Jon Heyman has some of the latest news from the Winter Meetings regarding the Kansas City Royals and it seems the Royals might still bring in a starter despite recent news to the contrary that they were perhaps set for their 2012 rotation options. The latest buzz actually centers on the interest of other teams in Wil Myers, while also noting the Royals are in on Gio Gonzalez of Oakland.
The Royals have already grabbed a couple starting pitchers this offseason with the resigning of Bruce Chen as well as the trade for Jonathan Sanchez of the San Francisco Giants. By signing Jonathan Broxton, they also can move Aaron Crow to the rotation on an experimental basis. That gives the Royals three arms to test for some time already, so the fact that they’re even in on another pitcher tells you everything you need to know about the 2011 Royals starting rotation.
As for Gonzalez specifically, he’s been one of the best pitchers in the American League for the last two years with the Athletics. He’s pitched 200 innings in each of the last two years with a combined 3.17 ERA to show for it. He’s won at least 15 games each season and is just now 26 years old. He’s likely to start getting expensive, but he’s also the kind of pitcher you’re happy to pay for.
However, he did lead the AL in walks last season with 91 while also adding 197 strikeouts, so he can make a team a bit nervous. Yet his overall stats show that he’s able to get out of a situation that he creates. He’d be an ideal candidate to land in KC with his experience and timeline of still entering his prime.