MLB trade rumors: Royals Luke Hochevar on the block, not Ervin Santana
By Chris Roling
Along with the Baltimore Orioles, the Kansas City Royals are another team starting to seriously heat up with the trade deadline approaching.
Unlike the Orioles, the Royals are looking to be sellers at the last second on the deadline. Specifically, the Royals look like they are attempting to move pitchers Ervin Santana and Luke Hochevar.
We have heard in the past the price the Royals are asking for Santana is ridiculous, so much so that more teams are reportedly interested in Hochevar according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com:
"Hochevar, meanwhile has emerged as an excellent set-up man and valuable trade chip after originally struggling to live up to his status as a former No. 1 overall draft pick. Some teams may still see him as a possible starter, which can’t hurt his value. He is 3-1 with a 1.89 ERA and 0.87 WHIP in a breakout year.“He’s a hot item,” one exec said."
That’s not exactly a bad alternative.
Santana is a great player no doubt, but on a market that has outlandish expectations in exchange for starting pitching, Hochevar is not exactly a bad way to finish in second place.
The market is just heating up for Hochevar, but it may be just enough to get him out of Kansas City before the deadline passes.
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