With the Padres deciding whether or not to deal from their stash of pitching, the Royals and Rangers appear to be two teams targeting Ian Kennedy.
One week after the Padres started fielding offers on a trio of starting pitchers, the Rangers and the Royals have emerged as potential matches for Padres' starter Ian Kennedy, according to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.
Joining teammates Andrew Cashner and Tyson Ross, Kennedy appears to be one of the top available pitchers on the trade market this offseason. As he enters his final year of arbitration, Kennedy will likely land a salary close to $10 million in 2015. While the Padres may receive a larger return for Cashner or Ross, Kennedy appears to be the one most likely to move, given that he will be a free agent after the 2015 season.
As Rosenthal notes, the Padres will be looking for offense in return for any pitcher, and because of that, the Royals may not match up well.
The Rangers would likely be a better match for San Diego. Outside of Yu Darvish and Derek Holland, the Rangers have plenty of question marks at the back end of the rotation. Martin Perez and Matt Harrison are coming off major surgeries, and both of their timetables for return are questionable at the moment. The addition of Kennedy would help solidify a staff that is currently relying on younger guys like Nick Tepesch and and Nick Martinez to take major steps forward in 2015.