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MLB Trade Rumors: Royals' Trevor Rosenthal Drawing 'A Lot' of Interest
August 26, 2020
Quality relief pitchers are always coveted commodities when Major League Baseball's trade deadline rolls around, and this year is sure to be no different.
With that as the backdrop, Jon Heyman of MLB Network said it is "no surprise" that Kansas City Royals closer Trevor Rosenthal is "drawing a lot of trade interest" leading up to Monday's 4 p.m. ET deadline.
Like Heyman suggested, that teams are looking to buy is not a shocking development.
Kansas City sits in last place in a competitive American League Central division and is well behind the Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox. The postseason is a long shot even with eight available spots for each league this year.
Rosenthal is also under contract through just this season, so the Royals have incentive to trade him and get something back in return before he potentially leaves during the offseason anyway.
The veteran, who has also pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Nationals and Detroit Tigers throughout his career, has been impressive this season. He entered play Tuesday with a 1.59 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, six saves and 15 strikeouts in 11.1 innings and 12 appearances.
The improved play is surely a welcome development for Rosenthal after he struggled on his way to a 13.50 ERA during 22 appearances for the Nationals and Tigers last year. The right-hander also struggled with injuries in 2019 and was nowhere near the All-Star version of himself who posted a 2.10 ERA with 48 saves in 2015 for St. Louis.
Rosenthal's bounce-back efforts may be enough to convince a contender looking for bullpen help to trade the Royals valuable prospects or young players as the American League Central team looks toward a potential rebuild.