SI.com's Jon Heyman is reporting that the Royals have entered the mix for free agent left-hander Jarrod Washburn. Washburn and the Mariners have exchanged numbers, but are not close to a deal as of yet.
The Royals are hoping that Luke Hochever, Kyle Davies, and Brian Bannister can exceed their relatively low expectations, despite combining to have a 6.76 ERA this spring.
Washburn would allow the Royals to push one of the guys mentioned above into the bullpen, which would give them a little bit more of a stability in the middle innings.