Teams that have asked about trading for Luke Hochevar have been told by the Royals that they want quite a bit in return, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). The 29-year-old is set to earn $4.56MM this season after avoiding arbitration in January.
It's surprising to hear that Kansas City is looking for a significant return on the right-hander after he pitched to a 5.73 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 32 starts last season. In fact, Royals skipper Ned Yost announced today that Hochevar would be slated for the bullpen rather than fight for the fifth spot in the rotation against Bruce Chen, Will Smith, and Luis Mendoza.
Hochevar, the former first-overall pick in the 2006 draft, owns a career 5.39 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9. The right-hander has one more year of arbitration eligibility left and will be free to hit the open market after the 2014 season.
The Royals called the Rockies to discuss Hochevar back in December but nothing came of those talks.
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