Kansas City Royals reportedly have “close eye” on Lance Lynn

The Kansas City Royals reportedly have interest in St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Lance Lynn.

As the 2017 non-waiver trade deadline continues to draw closer, the Kansas City Royals remain stuck in an interesting position. Earlier this season, many thought the Royals would end up being sellers. That being said, the Royals have turned their season around.

The Royals now find themselves just 1.5 games behind the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central. The team is positioned to either make a run at another division title or possibly snag one of the two AL Wild Card spots.

The Royals have been an exciting team to watch in recent years. In 2014, Kansas City reached the World Series for the first time since 1985, though they ended up losing to the San Francisco Giants in Game 7. They bounced back to win the World Series the following year, however, defeating the New York Mets in five games. Regardless of whether the Royals become buyers or sellers in 2017, it does appear this particular era of team history is coming to a close.

Core players nearing free agency

This coming offseason, key parts of the Royals’ nucleus such as Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar and Jason Vargas will become free agents. Needless to say, the small-market Royals will have a tough time keeping their core all the way intact. Right now, though, it appears the Royals are leaning toward making one final push in 2017.

Earlier this week, Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports tweeted that the Royals were interested in starting pitchers such as Sonny Gray and Lance Lynn. On Thursday, Nightengale again mentioned that Lynn is someone who the Royals are keeping tabs on.

Lynn, who has never pitched for any team other than the St. Louis Cardinals, has a proven track record of success at the major league level. Over his first five seasons, the now 30-year-old right-hander went 61-39 with a 3.37 ERA (112 ERA+). He then missed the entire 2016 campaign due to Tommy John surgery. In his first season back from Tommy John, Lynn has made a quick comeback, going 8-6 with a 3.30 ERA (129 ERA+) and a 1.12 WHIP over his first 20 starts.

The Royals starting rotation ranks just eighth in the American League with a 4.41 ERA, so the addition of Lynn could clearly give the staff a bit of a boost. Lynn would also give Kansas City another starter with postseason experience.

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Lynn will be a free agent after this season as well. It would make sense if the Cardinals, who are currently in fourth place in the NL Central, would want to entertain the thought of moving him and getting something in return.