Former Cy Young winner a 'name to watch' ahead of trade deadline

One veteran pitcher could still be fetching a decent return nearly a decade-and-a-half after winning the Cy Young Award.

Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported Thursday that Kansas City Royals righty Zack Greinke is a "name to watch" ahead of the Aug. 1 trade deadline. Morosi adds that the Royals are not presently engaged in trade talks for Greinke but notes that the right-hander is on an expiring deal and has proved to be durable thus far this season.

The 39-year-old Greinke, a six-time All-Star who was the AL Cy Young winner back in 2009, doesn’t have great peripherals this year. He is just 1-6 with a 4.65 ERA. But Greinke’s strikeout numbers are slowly creeping back up, and he has been good for 14 starts and 71.2 total innings pitched so far.

The 18-50 Royals are obviously going nowhere this season, so perhaps they are hoping that Greinke can be flipped for a nice prospect. Greinke is still looking for his first World Series ring in 20 career seasons, so he might welcome a trade to a contender. (He was on the Houston Astros between their two titles.) The local Kansas City fans might want Greinke (and his wacky ways) to stick around just for the vibes, though.