The 2016 MLB Hot Stove continues to sizzle with a litany of new free agency and trade rumors hitting wire. We're here to sift through the latest and most interesting of the bunch with our MLB Rumors Roundup For January 9th.
Cliff Lee A Royals Target?
With left fielder Alex Gordon re-signed to a multi-year contract, the Kansas City Royals' focus shifts to finding a starting pitcher to fill the void left by Johnny Cueto's departure in free agency.
The team has already been connected to Yovani Gallardo, Ian Kennedy and Wei-Yin Chen in free agency rumors. Now, we can add 2008 AL Cy Young winner and four-time All-Star Cliff Lee to the Royals rumblings mix.
Via Kevin Ruprecht of Royals Review:
"Lee's agent said Lee would pitch only in the "perfect fit". Who knows what that means, but the Royals are competitive. They've been to the championship two years in a row and face a weak division. Those are probably criteria in the perfect fit definition. So Lee at his most recent healthy state was a good pitcher, and he could slot right in with the Royals.
"What remains is if Lee can deal with his elbow injury and still pitch. He tore a flexor tendon in his pitching elbow and elected to go the rest/rehab route instead of surgery. He has been medically cleared to throw."
The 37-year-old lefty hasn't pitched since July 31, 2014. However, the fact that he posted a sub-4.00 ERA in every season from 2008-14 is enough to provide some hope for a 2016 comeback. He'd also be an attractive budget option for the Royals as he's unlikely to command a multi-year offer sheet this offseason, especially with talks of a potential retirement still lingering in the air.
Not So Fast On RA Dickey Trade?
The Toronto Blue Jays currently have six starting pitchers on their 2016 depth chart, leading to speculation that the team will look to trade away a starter for either outfield depth or a top-of-the-order hitter to replace Ben Revere (traded to the Washington Nationals for Drew Storen).
Rumors cropped up on Saturday that the team is willing to part with veteran knuckleballer RA Dickey for a bat, but FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal isn't buying that talk (at least not yet):
"Reports surfaced Saturday that the Blue Jays next could trade Dickey, but the team has not had any discussions to that effect, sources say. The Jays are reluctant to trade pitching given their lack of depth, and only three pitchers in the majors have thrown more innings than Dickey in the past five seasons --- James Shields, Clayton Kershaw and Felix Hernandez."
The aforementioned Kansas City Royals, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers are three teams which have been connected to Dickey in various (unsubstantiated) social media rumblings over the past 24 hours.
Jonathan Lucroy Talks Ongoing
The Milwaukee Brewers are currently fielding calls for catcher Jonathan Lucroy (per FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal), and they could be inclined to trade him before Opening Day to extract a maximum return with two years left on his current contract. Milwaukee won't be able to secure premier prospect package for Lucroy after a rough 2015 season at the plate and a six-week absence due to a toe injury, but his $9.25 million salary for 2016 makes him an attractive cost-effective trade chip.
The Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Angels, Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays are four teams who could be in the mix for Lucroy.
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