Royals field calls, lay groundwork at Meetings

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The Royals continued to draw strong interest from rival clubs for their available players, including Danny Duffy, on Day 3 of the Winter Meetings on Wednesday.
Calls and texts were coming in for Whit Merrifield, Scott Alexander and Kelvin Herrera as well.
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The Royals are not believed to have had any teams express interest in All-Star and Gold Glove catcher Salvador Perez, likely because the asking price would be too high.
Kansas City doesn't seem anxious to move Perez, either.
"Not really," general manager Dayton Moore said.
The Royals also seem open to eventually unloading the contracts of right-handers Jason Hammel (owed $11 million) and Joakim Soria (owed $10 million). But those deals aren't likely to happen soon and likely will require the club to send money in the deals if they do happen.
It would appear the Royals could leave here without any trades coming to fruition. Nothing appears imminent, Moore said.
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"We've done very few deals at the Winter Meetings," Moore said. "But we've done quite a few deals afterward. You lay the groundwork here. That's what we do.
"We had a lot of discussions with teams today. We met with some teams. We're explaining what we're trying to do."

The Royals have made it clear they are in for a full rebuild, meaning virtually anyone on their roster is available. What the club wants in return are controllable players to restock the farm system, likely in the 19-to-22-year-old range.
"You have to be very strategic in what you want in return," Moore said."If you get what you want in return, it's OK. Otherwise, it's a bird in hand [thing].
"You want a [prospect's] talent that blends in with the next wave of young players we have. That's when you make the move."

Bury me a Royal.

— Danny Duffy (@Duffman) December 13, 2017

Dealing players such as Duffy, Hammel, Herrera and Soria would shave payroll, something else Moore is determined to do as he hopes to bank resources for the next run at being a contender, which he seems to be targeting for 2020.
But teams seem to be cautious right now in terms of spending, Moore said.
"I think what happens is that everyone feels compelled to go through the process and filter through who you match up with the best," Moore said. "And I think that a lot of the teams are going through the economics where the dollar sign attached to the player is an issue, maybe more so than in recent years."