Royals weigh options on Day 2 of Meetings

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Teams continued to check in on the Royals' available trade candidates on Day 2 of the Winter Meetings on Tuesday.
Reports surfaced that the Yankees and Cubs inquired about left-handers Danny Duffy and Scott Alexander. It is believed the Rockies also may have inquired about reliever Kelvin Herrera as well.
Expect more of the same on Wednesday as teams around baseball now know the Royals are committing to a virtual total rebuild.
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Royals general manager Dayton Moore said on Monday he would entertain offers on virtually anyone on the 25-man roster, though he seemed to hesitate when asked about catcher Salvador Perez, saying that it seemed unlikely the return for Perez would ever be acceptable.
Meanwhile, Moore continues to purvey offers on other players including Duffy, Alexander, Herrera and perhaps second baseman Whit Merrifield.
Moore said no deals appeared imminent. But the Royals often view the Winter Meetings as a stepping stone to making deals shortly thereafter, as they did with the Zack Greinke deal in 2010 and the James Shields-Wade Davis trade in '12.
"Just looking at different situations [now]," Moore said.
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Moore also said he doesn't have plans to speak to his one targeted free agent, first baseman Eric Hosmer, personally as they wait for the market on Hosmer to take shape.
"I don't know if it's necessary," Moore said. "We've talked in the past.
"We'll continue to have discussions [with Hosmer's agent Scott Boras]. That's how Scott and I have managed it in the past."
But signing Hosmer seemingly remains a long shot. For one thing, there were reports that talks between Hosmer and the Padres were heating up.
And also, Moore remains committed to either containing payroll or trimming it. The Royals have about $115 million in payroll commitments right now.
"We certainly can't go above that," Moore said. "I'd like to scale back as much as we could."
Yet, Moore still believes they could do a Hosmer deal.
"We would have to shave payroll elsewhere if that were to happen," he said. "But it could be done."