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Q.  Why would the Royals trade Alex Gordon?  They just traded for Ervin Santana, trying to win in 2013.

A.  The Royals' payroll these days is below Oakland's.  Their entire team payroll last year was $63.1M.  Here's their 2012 payroll; sort the dollars column.  

Gordon's and Butler's contracts, by Angels or Rangers standards, are small.  But by Oak, KC or TB standards those are big checks the teams are writing.  The guy behind Gordon is Wil Myers, supposedly THE number one prospect in baseball.  We are not talking about waiving Alex Gordon here; we're talking about cashing him in for super-talented $480,000 ML players the Royals absolutely love.  ... as it pertains to their shopping Gordon in the abstract.

If you are the GM of the Royals, Rays or A's and you are not alert to this - cashing your year 4, 5 players for tremendous year 1 players before it becomes an emergency year 6 situation - you're being derelict.  For example, Billy Beane traded Dan Haren with three years of club control left, getting back Carlos Gonzalez, Brett Anderson and several other players.

Could even be that the Royals took on the $12M, knowing that a Gordon deal is imminent; that's the way Billy Beane worked things in Moneyball.  

But I don't know that the Royals want to move Alex Gordon.  I do know that if I were them, I'd be shopping him -- for the same reasons that Billy Beane is always shopping his year 4, year 5 stars.  These small-market teams are in a CONSTANT process of fighting the year 4-6 clocks.  Every time you can back the clock up from year 4-5 to year 1, and do it to your advantage, it's a good thing.

*Asterisk:  Maybe because of the TV money, the Royals are about to raise their payroll from $63M to $85M or somesuch.  Maybe in a new 30% inflated environment, the Royals' whole Moneyball Year-5-to-Year-2 waterwheel no longer applies.  But I doubt it.

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Q.  Why would you say the Royals are interested in Paxton?  Teams have scouts at games.

A.  Among other reasons:  because Baker, onsite, said that the Royals looked specifically interested in Paxton.  Were you there to specifically see them not look interested?  QED.

And because, why wouldn't they be.  Seattle fans just cannot seem to grok what an ML-ready ace is worth.  The Seattle inferiority complex is soaking their brains in nasty meningitis fluid.

Hey, just you watch.  Until we deal for Wil Myers, the line will be "no way in the world you can get him."  The very day we trade for Myers, that line will switch to "Well, let's see whether he can hit."  As with Jesus Montero right now.  You feel me?  :- )  And the day we trade away James Paxton, guess what the feeling will be about him?

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Q.  Maybe the Royals are talking to Jack Zduriencik about James Paxton for a bag of balls.  Maybe Jack wants to trade James Paxton for Bruce Chen.

A.  Asked and answered.

Zduriencik has shown that he's Stars & Scrubs.  The near 6-for-1 for Adrian Gonzalez, the Cliff Lee trade, the laser-focus on Smoak and then Montero (the very tippy-top minor leaguers on the market), the free agency chase of Prince Fielder.  Last winter, Jack was interested in nobody less than Fielder.

Zduriencik thinks more of Paxton than Dr. Detecto does.  MORE.  ::MIB interstellar cockroach demanding sugar:: MOOORREEE

Get your bearings back and then hit The Stalk.  Spec has a rundown of the star-power Royals bats that Zduriencik might consider dealing James Paxton for.  Come on:  if Zduriencik is in a conversation about Paxton, you think it's to acquire a backup middle infielder?

Seattleites seem to like staying on the porch.  ;- )  Like they've grown fond of drizzle and 50 degrees out.  You get into a coffee routine ... hey, isn't it Pumpkin Spice Latte month? 

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Q.  How about specific names here?

A.  Sure, and ... whoop!, it's URL-count time.  For a prompt and cheerful refund of your SSI subscription fees, dial 1-800-STALK...

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