Steroids talk aside:

Very discouraged by what Hochevar showed last night. He was not pitching inside at all - which, coupled with throwing his slider more often, was a key to his second-half success in 2011.

Even in the disaster inning against Cleveland, Hochevar was working the ball inside and trying to move the hitters off the plate.

If he does not move hitters off the plate, he is not an effective major league starter, plain and simple.

Hopefully, last night was an anomaly. But something to watch for moving forward.

I almost posted this link yesterday, but here's a link to 2013 FAs (including pitchers). IT seems highly appropriate now.

2013 FA

Pitchers of note (ones I would like to see the Royals chase - and think they actually might - in bold):

Shaun Marcum
Gavin Floyd
Zack Greinke
Cole Hamels
Danny Haren (has a $15.5 million team option, not sure if the Angels pick it up)
Edwin Jackson
Brandon McCarthy
Jake Peavy ($22 million club option that won't be picked up, I don't think)
Anibal Sanchez
Ervin Santana
Carlos Zambrano

Marcum is a KC guy and likely wouldn't be extremely expensive. He's an innings eater, and a guy who is highly effective despite not having overwhelming stuff. Would be a really nice fit.

I don't think they bring back Greinke, though I think it's worth kicking the tires.

A combo of Marcum and someone like Anibal Sanchez or Brandon McCarthy would improve the rotation tremendously.

Sanchez
Marcum
Duffy
Hochevar
Chen

Would look much better to me, and it gives you Paulino/Montgomery (who had another effective, low-walk start last night)/Lamb/Odorizzi all lurking in the wings, trying to chip into a spot.

Sadly, I think Greinke will be priced way out of our "price range".

He's going to be around 20 million per, most likely. Which they've offered him before. I've heard (one source removed from Dayton Moore) that he was a bad teammate, and they're unlikely to bring him back, but it wasn't "we won't look at the guy."

I think someone like Marcum would be a really smart move, though he liked his stint with the Brewers. They're letting him slide on through into FA without discussing a contract extension, so maybe that changes his perception a bit.

I've got to think the prospect of pitching "at home" would be intriguing, especially with a rising young team (that really just needs some starting pitching).

Anibal Sanchez is my favorite from that list. Big-time stuff, salary somewhere in the $12.5 million range (with a floor of $10 million per and a "crazy" ceiling of $15 million - he's not going to get more than C.J. Wilson money). He'd do well pitching at the K, too.

McCarthy is another guy who might be a sneaky sign. I expect the A's to move him at the trade deadline, but he'll test FA unless his new team immediately signs him to an extension.

Did Hamels get an extension from the Phillies? He has Missouri ties with his wife and owns a home in the Springfield area.

I didn't know that.

He's a frontline lefty, though. Guaranteed to get a $100 million contract. One that will make C.J. Wilson's look like kids stuff.

Would love to see that sort of commitment, but don't expect it. Besides, for the price of one Hamels, you probably can get both Sanchez and Marcum, which probably helps the team more, long-run.

So. Um.

Soren Petro has lost his mind. He's shouting out windows and such right now.

Is this what being a Royals fan does to people?

Though to be fair, he's kinda right. He's pulling a seriously puss move here in one regard though - he's bitching that the Royals always refuse to trade prospects for "REAL MAJOR LEAGUERS!!" Well Petro was screaming to trade Will Myers for Jair Jurjjens in the offseason but he won't acknowledge it.

Jurjjens was a butt-lucky, lousy pitcher last year. Anyone that understands the game knew he was due for an implosion but Petro was riding the asses of anyone that dare questioned that. Well Jurjjens is in AAA right now, Soren - he count as a "REAL MAJOR LEAGUER!!!"?

Getting starting pitching isn't the easiest thing in the world to do and Petro has proven that he's pretty damn likely to screw it up if he were in charge as well.

Petro shows his ass when it comes to baseball quite often.

Yes, prospects can and should be leveraged to add starting pitching. But you have to find a partner that works to make a trade.

Quite simply, teams are holding onto controllable starters unless you pay through the nose for starting pitching.

He rode the Jair Jurrjens train HARD last year. HARD. Was screaming to trade for him. It's now clear the guy sucks (just like anyone who paid attention to advanced stats knew).

The Royals don't refuse to trade prospects. They refuse to make bad trades. Look at what Cleveland gave up for Ubaldo Jiminez. That's the equivalent of giving up Mike Montgomery, Jake Odorizzi and Jeremy Jeffress. For a guy who isn't getting it done.

It's a tough trading environment right now. Teams are sitting on young, controllable starters and prospects with equal determination. THat drives the price up to astronomical levels.

The only recent trade for a "stud" starter that really looks good right now is the Nationals trade for Gio Gonzalez. The trades for Mat Latos and Jiminez look god-awful.

What the Royals need to do is get aggressive in the best free agent pitching class in recent memory. Not trade legitimate prospects for marginal pitchers (as Soren has stumped for).

What they should probably do is just suck it up and surrender a marginal prospect for a guy like Wandy Rodriguez.

Good pitchers are rarely available and they're never cheap. Here the Royals could probably get Rodriguez for nothing more than salary relief. Wandy's not a great pitcher, but he's a legit starter; a #3 on most squads. And yeah, they should've gone after Edwin Jackson (still don't get that).

Had they been willing to field a competitive payroll, they could easily have 3 additional legitimate starting pitchers (w/ Oswalt as well). They have so many cost-controlled position players that its inexcusable for them to not pursue some SP on the free agent market.

But if that's the argument that Petro was trying to make, he came unhinged well before he was able to make it.

We just need to pitch Chen on two days rest.

Heard Passan talking about Edwin Jackson the other day. Apparently, he had zero interest in any AL team. Wanted to pitch one year in the NL and take his value up a notch. So that at least explains that, a little (takes two to tango).

Same thing with Oswalt, apparently.

I'd be all for nabbing a Wandy Rodriguez, but the best thing they could do is get aggressive and spend on some starters in the FA market this offseason. As I detailed below, it's a lot deeper than any in recent memory.

Side note: I think they could nab Rodriguez for David Lough and Clint Robinson. Those guys are never going to play in KC. Might as well get something for them.

Throw in Chris Dwyer or Tim Melville (lottery tickets!) if necessary.

Who named this dude? Elmer Fudd?

I have this bad feeling that Duffy will give up 8 ER and will need Tommy John surgery by tomorrow

We'll see about the first (I'm not starting him in fantasy baseball tonight, but I rarely start high K/high BB guys against the Yankees, because they eat those guys up).

I really, really hope his elbow is OK. I think he has the chance to really turn the corner this year.

Any list that still includes Hochevar should be immediately tossed.