All seems quiet right now on the Royals trade front, but that certainly doesn't mean that Kansas City won't be active in talking with other clubs during the final week of the July baseball trade deadline. While it was no surprise that Kansas City traded Wilson Betemit, it certainly came out of the blue last week when Kansas City moved him one afternoon to the Detroit Tigers.
Depending on what you read, it seems the player Kansas City is most actively shopping right now is outfielder Jeff Francoeur. It was reported late last week that Kansas City had been discussing a possible Francoeur trade with the Red Sox, however it appears as of now that Boston is just doing their homework on Francoeur. Those discussions could mature this week as Boston recently placed J.D. Drew on the disabled list.
Moving onto the other outfielder and likely the biggest trading chip Kansas City possesses (sans Joakim Soria), Melky Cabrera was linked up last week with a possible trade to the Philadelphia Phillies. The teams went as far as discussing names in a possible deal. While it is unknown if the Royals will trade Cabrera, ESPN's Jim Bowden believes neither Francoeur or Cabrera will traded by Kansas City unless Dayton Moore is overwhelmed with the return. If you are more inclined to believe Bowden, then it is likely neither outfielder will be going anywhere this week but on a road trip to Boston and Cleveland with the Royals.
The market seems even more quiet for Royals pitchers Jeff Francis and Bruce Chen, the other players that may be jettisoned before week's end. Bowden mentioned back on July 19th that both Francis and Chen may be moved, but there hasn't been any updated news since then.
We'll continue to keep you updated throughout the week on both rumors and any actual deals the Royals make before July 31st.