Experimenting with the idea

I have been busy for the past few weeks only able to see box scores and read recaps from the Royals  games. That being said I have done my best keeping up with the struggling hometown team. The losses continue to pile up and the topic has quickly changed from this year to next year. The question arises: Can we compete next year? The simple answer is no because with the lack of starting pitching on the team. There is Danny Duffy as the only "legitimate" future starter on the team and a bunch of questions after that. There is some hope in the minors but that doesn't give us a guarantee. What should the Royals front office do? Well the best solution is get more depth and the best way to do that.... Trades. The Royals do have some pieces that other teams might find valuable, but few of them will garner top of the line starting pitching. What I propose is we put Billy Butler on the market. This is not a disrespect to Butler in the slightest,  but a compliment that he is the best hitter and therefore the best piece to potentially reel in a top starting pitcher. There are several teams looking for a consistent hitting DH/1B and a package deal can most likely be put together. Can the Royals win without Butler? Of course they can, with hitters like Clint Robinson, Johnny Giavotella, David Lough, and even Mike Aviles there are bats in the minors that can come up and hit in the DH spot. Another option would be if Wilson Betemit is not traded he can play more DH. The Royals have options with hitters, but with the majors worst starting pitching something needs to be done or competing will not happen.

The Bottom Line:
Billy Butler is an elite talent; however on this team he is at this time he is not the focal point. The question becomes would you rather have Billy in 2012 or a better Starting Rotation? If you want to compete the answer is not that hard to figure out.