I'd have no problem with it. He's hitting 335 this year with 8 homers. At this point in the season, I'd rather have a player who can help immediately than a prospect who may or may not pan out. We're in win now mode.

I suppose I could come around to the deal. It would be hard, with Kendrick's contract (4/35, I believe) we would need him to continue performing at a high level (.285/.345/.470 would be nice).

What worries me is that his production will suffer from the moment he reaches Kauffman Stadium. 4/35 is a big commitment for the Royals, and that contract could send us back a long way if Kendrick performs as he did last year (.287/.325/.400 with 8 HR's).

I know we've been burned by prospects in the past, but with Santana's inevitable departure, it would be nice to keep our options open for the rotation next year.

Situation 1:

Royals trade Kyle Smith, Orlando Calixte, Will Smith and Jason Adam for 0.5 seasons of Chase Utley

Pros:
Utley is very good when healthy
Utley is a winner who has experienced the highest levels of success
Utley is the best bat/defense combo available
Relatively low prospect price paid

Cons:
Utley is old
Utley is injury prone
Utley walks after this year

Situation 2:

Royals trade Yordano Ventura and Orlando Calixte for 2.5 years of Howie Kendrick at $9 million and change/year.

Pros:
Kendrick is in his prime
Kendrick is controlled for 2 more years after 2013
Kendrick is above-average with both bat and glove at 2B
Kendrick offers some RH pop, which the team sorely misses

Cons:
Salary (contract is a bit high for KC)
Likely a .290/.330/.430 player, and salary restricts budget
Complementary, not leading, player
Higher prospect price paid

In a vacuum, I would rather have Kendrick through 2015, but his contract probably prohibits KC from chasing rotation reinforcements in FA (even mid-level guys would probably be available for that price range) or pursuing a second-tier OF to play RF. And in trading Ventura, you've traded your best internal option for a quick-impact, high-level starter.

The combo of lower cost/more flexibility from Utley is more appealing to me.

Utley now + Ventura and a FA SP (AJ Burnett?) or FA RF (Mike Morse? Jason Kubel?) is a little more appealing to me than just Kendrick by himself.

It helps more now, IMO, and allows them to fill critical holes more capably moving forward.

Why would we need to chase rotation reinforcements in FA?

Kendrick's deal essentially gives us no breathing room when it comes to the rotation. If Kendrick reverts to his career output (.290/.330/.430 with around 10 HRs) and Paulino is injured again and/or Guthrie regresses, the situation for 2014 begins to look pretty dire.

If we aren't obligated to Kendrick, we would at least have the space to sign a bat with more power, make an effort to extend Shields or sign another starter. We also would still possess the luxury to test out Ventura's ability in the rotation, of course.

Well, if you let Santana walk and you trade Ventura, you're looking at:

1) Shields
2) ______
3) Guthrie
4) Davis/Mendoza
5) Duffy/Paulino

We haven't seen how Duffy and Paulino react to being back in the show. In all likelihood, they're just fine. But it's also possible that one or both struggle to re-acclimate to the majors.

Also, neither has pitched at the level of a good No. 2 starter over a full season, something Santana is doing this season and has done multiple times in the past.

If you're trying to win in 2014, I think you have to enter the season with a better option as your No. 2 starter than Jeremy Guthrie/or hoping for Paulino and Duffy to be that.

Awful.

This!

Right now, the Royals will have enough payroll flex to pursue solid, second-level FAs. Probably two of them, if they keep payroll where it is. That could mean adding a bat like Mike Morse or Jason Kubel in the OF and a solid SP to strengthen the rotation spots behind Shields.

Shields and Santana are short-term solutions at SP, and Guthrie probably isn't much better.

So what appears as a glut of starting pitchers now could quickly become a dearth.

So if we trade Ventura because of durability concerns, we'd better get something really nice in return.

I'd deal Ventura for a power bat only

So Im assuming you dont see Lough as much of a long-term option at RF?

On this team you need to get some power from the RF position. 20-30 HR a year type of guy.

Man, I wish we could have acquired Scherzer. He was outstanding at Mizzou and is dealing now.

You guys don't think that if we get into playoff contention or even make the playoffs, that David Glass will open up the purse strings $5-$10 mil more next year? It would be kind of hard justifying not doing it because of the money he'll make off attendance if we're in the playoff race late in the season.

Better than Jeff Fracoeur but really best as a 4th OF type. Really need someone who is at least a 15 HR/40 2B threat out there.