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In an attempt to clear up salary space before the winter meetings, the Kansas City Royals are "calling everyone" to gauge trade interest in starters Luke Hochevar and Bruce Chen, sources have told Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports:
Sources: Royals "calling everyone" to trade Luke Hochevar and Bruce Chen. KC accelerating timetable to acquire starter, wants to free up $.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 29, 2012
As back-of-the-rotation starters at their best, neither player likely has much trade value, but that does not necessarily mean Kansas City will not find an interested party.
Hochevar, 29, has been pretty terrible for the Royals over the past six seasons. The former No. 1 pick owns a 5.39 ERA and 2.07 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his six years in KC, but has still managed to hang on to a rotation spot. A Super Two player, Hochevar made $3.51 million in 2012 and is arb-eligible for another two seasons.
The 35-year-old Chen has performed a bit better than Hochevar in the past, but was pretty comparable to the perpetually struggling right-hander this past season. Chen posted a career-best strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.98, but a glaring home-run rate of 1.5 per nine led to an unsightly 5.07 ERA over 34 starts on the season. Signed to a two-year deal following a successful 2011 campaign, Chen is owed $4.5 million next year.
