Royals general manager Dayton Moore set aside any baseball discussion on the matter last week while an organization and a city mourned. But now Moore and his staff begin the search for solutions.
The Royals could delve into the dwindling free-agent market for a starter, orchestrate a trade or cross their fingers for an internal solution.
"We will look internally first," Moore told MLB.com
As it stands now, the rotation will consist of left-hander Danny Duffy, right-hander Ian Kennedy, left-hander Jason Vargas and right-hander Nathan Karns.