It's been an interesting and busy day for the MLB Hot Stove, with trade rumors and free-agent market advancements dominating the headlines. Here's the loudest rumblings from the morning/afternoon of September 6th.
What's next for Kansas City?
The Kansas City Royals got their man on Wednesday, bringing left fielder Alex Gordon back to Kansas City on a four-year, $72 million deal. The $18 million per year is a slight discount over the $20 million-plus Gordon's representation was seeking, but it's a fair deal for both sides nonetheless.
With Gordon locked down, it's now time for the Royals to address the next need on their checklist -- starting pitching. According to MLB Network's Jon Heyman, they've got three names in their sights.
Royals get back Gordon. Will look at starting pitcher now. Have Kennedy, Chen, gallardo on radar. @FlannyMLB 1st with AG
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 6, 2016
The Royals have been connected to both Wei-Yin Chen and Yovani Gallardo in free agency rumors this offseason, but Ian Kennedy is a new target...
Speaking of Kennedy...
The 31-year-old righty is still drawing widespread interest despite posting an iffy 4.28/1.30 ERA/WHIP combo and serving up a career-worst 31 home runs in 168.1 innings pitched. However, he's still a veteran arm who's flashed ace stuff at times over the course of his eight-year MLB career.
Teams connected to Kennedy in various rumors over the past few weeks are as follows: the Royals, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates and Colorado Rockies. New York is an interesting destination, considering Kennedy was the subject of trade speculation in the Bronx at different points of the past two seasons.
Where does Baltimore stand on Chris Davis?
"The Orioles were holding firm on a seven-year, $154 million offer to Davis, but owner Peter Angelos has yet to sign off on a “full-bore” pursuit of Yoenis Cespedes or Upton, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Davis is represented by Scott Boras, who is not afraid to keep his client on the market until late in the offseason, so this standoff could continue for a while."
Where does this leave us in the Baltimore Orioles/Chris Davis saga? Well, it would appear that Baltimore remains optimistic that Davis will come down to meet them financially in a saturated buyer's market for outfielders. However, with Alex Gordon returning to the Royals, there might be a more concerted push by teams to scoop up the remaining marquee names.
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