Kansas City Royals Rumors: Trading For Carlos Gonzalez Would Be Foolish

Carlos Gonzalez
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When Kansas City Royals outfielder Alex Gordon went down with a serious leg injury, which turned out to be a groin strain that will keep him out for eight weeks, Kansas City held its collective breath.

Even though he will be back by the end of the season based on his current injury timetable, the team is understandably looking for players to fill his place until he gets back to 100 percent. One of the names that has come up recently is current Colorado Rockies slugger Carlos Gonzalez.

While Gonzalez certainly makes sense for someone this trade deadline, KC should not make a move for the oft-injured outfielder.

Gonzalez has been on a tear for Colorado lately, going 13 for 28 leading into the All-Star Break, which has only increased his trade value. He’s not worth the price tag to the Royals for a couple reasons.

First of all, Gordon will be back this season. It makes no sense to trade valuable young assets for someone that is going to serve as a replacement for a couple months. With his talent, Gonzalez would likely push Alex Rios out of the lineup once Gordon returned. Kansas City doesn’t want to waste Rios on the bench.

Second, there are other outfield options that make a lot more sense for the Royals. The best option appears to be utility man Ben Zobrist. He makes more sense because once Gordon returns from injury, he can act as a super utility man or replace an ineffective Omar Infante at second base.

There are other teams in desperate need of an outfielder that should be making a play for Gonzalez; the Royals are not one of them. Kansas City should focus on adding a top-of-the-rotation pitcher, which they are aiming to do.

After all, the Royals themselves showed us last season that once you get into the playoffs, anything can happen.

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