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Report: Royals willing to trade top hitting prospect for frontline pitcher

Royals prospect Wil Myers is widely considered the best hitter in the minor leagues. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Wil-Myers-Getty-T

The Royals are serious enough in their pursuit of a frontline starting pitcher to offer one of the minor leagues' top prospects, according to two sources in a Yahoo! Sports report.

The Royals are willing to part with outfielder Wil Myers -- the minors' top hitting prospect and consensus 2012 minor league player of the year -- if it brings a bonafide top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher.

While the Royals have designated Myers off-limits for anything other than pitching, teams with frontline starters understand Kansas City is desperate to add another pitcher...an overhaul of the Royals' rotation could thrust them into contention in the AL Central – especially with a pitcher like Tampa Bay's James Shields, whom the Royals covet at the top of the rotation but are loath to trade for because only two years remain on his deal and he has thrown the second-most regular-season innings of any pitcher the last two seasons.

The Royals believe an aggressive offseason that has already included adding Ervin Santana and re-signing Jeremy Guthrie has the team on the brink of contending in 2013, making Myers expendable if it means adding another starting arm to the rotation. The Royals reportedly are also willing to discuss trading Billy Butler, Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and even Alex Gordon.