It will take a grip more than Derek Holland and Leury Garcia to get Alex Gordon.

I disagree. Holland is a 26 year old LH with great stuff, a team friendly contract, and whose 'down year' at one of the worst parks for pitchers in baseball still was above average. Pitchers are more valuable than hitters anyway. Holland + for Gordon is not a lopsided trade by any means.

I agree that it would take more than Holland and Garcia (or perhaps Sardinas if they'd rather have a SS than a 2B), but if you add Perez and Cruz I think it might be getting close. Holland and Perez would both start the season in their rotation while Cruz would help mitigate the loss of Gordon's bat to an extent. While it would certainly thin our our pitching depth, any trade that doesn't include Andrus/Profar/Kinsler leaves open the possibility of making a deal for a TORP and, depending on how much of Cruz's salary we'd have to eat, a deal like this might also free up enough money to make a strong play for Greinke. I imagine at the end of the day the Royals would want more for Gordon than this package but it could serve as a suitable foundation to start discussions.

@Kristen W.

From a trade standpoint there hasn't been much talk outside of what's already been mentioned (Choo, Ellsbury, Ethier, and the 3 you mentioned).

If we want to think outside the box of conversation for a minute and just think of players that, for whatever reason, are movable, then I'll toss some names out there that not many are mentioning.

Gerardo Parra
Josh Willingham
Denard Span
Nick Markakis
Drew Stubbs
Carlos Quentin

These are just some names that I thought maybe some GMs could at least kick the tires on.

In my opinion, ideally, if I were the Rangers, the guy to get would be Ben Zobrist from the Rays. Switch-hitting utility guy that can play at least 5 positions. Has a high OBP and plays adequate defense at all positions. Now, there's basically no chance the Rays move him, but you never know with those guys down in St. Pete.

I disagree. Holland is a 26 year old LH with great stuff, a team friendly contract, and whose 'down year' at one of the worst parks for pitchers in baseball still was above average. Pitchers are more valuable than hitters anyway. Holland + for Gordon is not a lopsided trade by any means.

Alex Gordon is arguably the best left fielder in all of baseball. Derek Holland is a middle of the rotation pitcher (MORP) and Leury Garcia has the ceiling of a utility infielder/pinch-runner. Combine that with the fact that Alex Gordon's contract is considerably affordable, and yeah, you're looking at a lopsided trade right there.

@ Notorious

Think we should be concentrating on a LH-power bat to replace Hammy. Otherwise our lineup is too RH'ed and we'll be facing Hernandez, Weaver, Parker etc. a few times every year for the next however many.

Notorious. Carlos Quentin would be awesome but he was recently extended. He is from the San Diego area and from the little I have read he intends to put down roots. Don't know the particulars of his contract but I suspect it has meaningful trading restrictions.

if by arguably the best left fielder you mean that his family members and you make the argument, then sure. Otherwise, the name Ryan Braun ends the argument immediately (as does Josh Hamilton if you count him in LF).

Summary: we don't see either Gordon or Holland the same. I think Holland is a young high ceiling high floor pitcher in a league that values pitchers far higher than hitters. I see Gordon as a great player who isn't the most valuable hitter on the Royals team (ie Salvador Perez, Hosmer). I guess we'll see.

I guess we differ on what value actually is. Alex Gordon has produced 12.8 fWAR over the last two seasons, 2nd in baseball among left fielders behind Braun. The differences between Braun and Gordon are that Braun has a better bat (though Gordon's is still well above league average), and Gordon plays far superior defense (UZR of 23.6 over the last two years to Braun's -1.0).

Again, the operative word is "arguably". I said Gordon is arguably the best left fielder in baseball. If you value an elite bat and average defense more than a very good bat with elite defense, I suppose it's just a matter of taste. But there's certainly a pretty solid argument for Gordon over Braun.

If we're talking best player on the Royals, the nearest person to Gordon's 12.8 fWAR over the last two years is Billy Butler at an even 5.0 fWAR.

If Derek Holland pitched to his ceiling on a consistent basis, his name wouldn't come up in any trade talks. He would be a Ranger without any questions. You're right, this is a league that values pitching, but to be more specific, it values good pitching. Derek Holland has glimpses of being a good pitcher, but at this stage the jury is still out on him being that guy. Alex Gordon is a proven commodity, and elite, at that.

KC might make a good match for us because aside from Gordon they also have a lot of good young hard-throwing RH'ed relievers (aside from Holland who'll likely close for them next year) who are good enough to pitch in a late-inning setup role, e.g. Crow, Coleman, Herrera, Paulino etc. and that's definitely a need for us. Who knows if Uehara and/orAdams will be back and whether Ogando stays in the pen and whether Scheppers can step it up next year etc. Adding some more depth would relieve some pressure and allow us to take our time making those decisions.

@eric

You make great points. Though I think it's a stretch to put Gordon into Braun category, there's no doubt Gordon is an excellent player. When I describe KC value, I meant trade value- which I would assume leans to Hosmer and Perez.

The issue I have with your description of Holland is that Holland has been a good pitcher for the rangers the last couple of years. He's infuriating because of the way it happens- games where he's unstoppable, and games where he falls apart. BUT, if he never changes, he still is an above average major league pitcher. That's my point. You have a pitcher whose not yet reached his prime who already is an above average LH major league pitcher. It doesn't feel this way because he's 'unreliable,' but at season's end, you can with low risk expect a worst case scenario of a #4 pitcher, a decent shot at a #2, and an outside shot at a #1. I think that combination can be the centerpiece of most trades, particularly a top player at a non premium position.

Alex Gordon is almost certainly the best LF defensively, except perhaps for Prado. Overall, I think Ryan Braun gets that distinction, and it's really not that close.

I'm not an insider, but I think someone suggested an Andrus for Ethier trade on espn...no way IMO.

"BUT, if he never changes, he still is an above average major league pitcher. That's my point. You have a pitcher whose not yet reached his prime who already is an above average LH major league pitcher"

Derek Holland is 26 years old. He has logged 570 major league innings. He is already IN his prime. Odds are that Holland over the next four years is no better than the Holland of the last two years. That makes him an average pitcher; a decent #3 guy.

Anyone assuming he'll be a good #2 or even a #1 is deluding themselves. Not saying it couldn't happen, but any GM operating on the belief that it WILL happen won't be a GM for long.