Royals Fielding Calls For Brian Bannister

Update 8:48 ET: ESPN's Buster Olney and Jayson Stark note that the Yankees are among the teams interested in acquiring Brian Bannister, however, to this point no deal is close because the Yankees have asked the Royals to throw in the $650,000 remaining on Bannister's contract.  I swear that last part isn't a joke.

According to Buster Olney of ESPN The Magazine, the Kansas City Royals are getting several calls on right-hander Brian Bannister, but as of Thursday night the team was not close to making a trade.

Olney notes that Bannister would likely draw a lot of interest because of his very club friendly contract.

Bannister is 6-7 on the year with a 3.80 ERA, which considering his $1.74 million price tag is not all that bad.

Furthermore, Olney notes that the Royals are also listening to offers for left-handed reliever Ron Mahay.

Mahay is in the final year of a two-year $8 million deal, and presumably the Royals would love to rid themselves of his contract. The 38-year-old has been somewhat inconsistent this year, sporting a 4.09 ERA, but he has held lefties to a .207 OBP.