Could Cubs Raid Cash-Challenged Royals?

That Kansas City Royals playoff run sure was fun, huh?

There are parallels you can draw between the Cubs’ budding farm system and that of the AL Champion Royals. In particular, several key players on the KC squad had come from within their own organization.

Alex Gordon, Eric Hosmer, and Mike Moustakas were all once highly-touted prospects, much like the group the Cubs currently boast. After some growing pains, the trio finally helped the Royals get to where they were built to go. But, sad as it may be, it’s likely that one or two of these three homegrown players are going to price themselves out of Kansas City.

Could the Cubs have some interest?

You bet. Alex Gordon would be an awfully nice fit in left field. A player such as Gordon would provide a left-handed bat, OBP, stellar defense, and speed. These are all things the front office and new skipper Joe Maddon will actively seek to add to the current Cubs roster.

The problem with Gordon, however, is that his impending free agency means that he would likely come as somewhat of a rental. Would the Cubs be interested in trading any of their impact prospects without first working out an extension with Gordon’s agent Casey Close?

Yet, I’m told the Royals are in the process of putting together a list of names for the Cubs for whom they would entertain a deal. That list could be headed by Arismendy Alcantara. Given his dynamic speed, Alcantara fits the mold the Royals currently feature in their ballpark .

At the same time, Alcantara might be a player the Cubs would be willing to part with, since he doesn’t necessarily have a long-term position clearly in his sights.

There will be plenty of opportunities for the Cubs to add from outside the organization without dipping into their prospect currency. Even so, both Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer have remarked about the lack of quality position players available on the free-agent market this offseason.

That is where a trade for someone like Gordon makes some sense.

As Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago has mentioned multiple times, the Cubs will be kicking a lot of tires this offseason. They will be leaving no stone unturned in taking this roster to the next level.

The Cubs could soon be in a position similar to that of the Royals this year, having young, homegrown players helping them end a long drought to get into a World Series.

The difference is that the Cubs will likely be able to keep them together.