Welcome to the rumor mill, Mr. Myers. (Getty Images)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- This winter has to be an interesting time for young Wil Myers. The Royals top prospect took the minors by storm last season with some incredible power output, but this offseason his name has been bouncing around in trade rumors, notably rumored swaps for either Red Sox lefty Jon Lester or Rays right-hander James Shields.

"Rumors are just that: Rumors," said Royals manager Ned Yost, when asked about the possibility Myers would be traded. Still, Yost wouldn't altogether take Myers' name off the table.

"Absolutely," Yost replied when asked if Kansas City would be willing to swap a young position player to get a starting pitcher in return.

"We’re talking about stuff, just like all organizations are," Yost continued. "We’ve been locked up in our room, going over about 90 different scenarios with about 40 different players."

Yost continued to stress that it was of utmost importance that the Royals improve their starting pitching. As things stand -- at least until Danny Duffy and Felipe Paulino return from injuries around midseason -- the Royals' rotation appears to be Ervin Santana, Jeremy Guthrie, Bruce Chen, Luke Hochevar and Luis Mendoza.

Even with an exciting, young group of offensive and defensive players -- not to mention a strong, underrated bullpen -- that just isn't going to get it done.

"Starting pitching, can’t have enough of it," Yost said. "I'd like to have as much as I can get. But at what cost? That’s important to me."

Enter the Myers rumors and the uncertainty attached to them.

The 21-year-old outfielder hit .314/.387/.600 with 37 homers, 109 RBI and 98 runs in 134 minor-league games last season (35 in Double-A, 99 in Triple-A). It's easy to see why other clubs would be interested in coughing up someone of Lester or Shields' caliber, not that we can be sure those are the most realistic targets to this point.

So with Lorenzo Cain in center and Alex Gordon in left, do the Royals strike while the iron is hot on Myers -- especially after Mike Trout and Bryce Harper made young outfielders incredibly attractive this past season -- and get back a pitcher that could serve as their ace? That's the question of the offseason for the Royals.

"We’re just gonna do what's best for our organization," Yost added.

And that may or may not include dealing one of baseball's up and coming stars. After all, there are about 90 different scenarios being discussed by Kansas City brass.

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