The Kansas City Royals have made trade inquires on a trio of players, including Oakland Athletics' infielder Ben Zobrist and Cincinnati Reds' pitchers Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports reports. 

Due to the All-Star Game in Cincinnati, the Reds have been reluctant to make a move on dealing some of their top trade targets and likely will not move Cueto, Leake, and others until after the festivities in early July. 

The Royals have obvious needs in the rotation, with Yordano Ventura, Jason Vargas, and Danny Duffy all on the 15-day disabled list, and with Jeremy Guthrie pitching to a 5.55 ERA. The Royals are resorted to using Joe Blanton on the mound as a starter. Leake, or even Cueto, would make the Royals that much better.

Zobrist, on the other hand, seems available to any team that is willing to pay the price. Many teams have shown interest in the utility man, as he can play all around the diamond, fitting needs for many different organizations. For Kansas City, he would be an upgrade at second base, where Omar Infante is currently situated and hitting a dismal .230/.237/.311.

On the season, Zobrist is hitting .243/.325/.434/.758 in 154 plate appearances. Cueto is pitching to a 4-4 record with a 2.98 ERA in 90.2 innings, but is dealing with an elbow injury and has health issues overall. And Leake is pitching to a  4-4 record with a 4.01 ERA in 89.2 innings this season. 

--Devan Fink

With July 2--otherwise known as "international signing day"-- quickly approaching, prospects all around the world are perfecting their craft in hopes that they will get a minor league contract from a Major League club. 

Cover Those Bases has learned of the agreements of 17 Venezuelan international prospects, per a source with knowledge of the situation.

• Right-hander Alvaro Seijas has committed to the St. Louis Cardinals, as expected. He will earn $760,000 as the bonus for the deal.Cover Those Bases previously reported Seijas' agreement with the Cardinals. Seijas is ranked as the sixth-best international prospect, according to MLB.com.
• Outfielder Daniel Montano has committed to the Colorado Rockies, as expected. He will make $2 million as the bonus for the contract. Cover Those Bases previously reported the deal. Montano is ranked as the seventh-best international prospect.
• Outfielder Miguel Aparicio has committed to the Texas Rangers for a bonus of $550,000.
  
• Right-hander Gabriel Estrada has committed to the Colorado Rockies for a bonus of $380,000. 
• Shortstop Juan Morales has committed to the Arizona Diamondbacks for a bonus of $450,000. 
• Shortstop Angel Medina has committed to the Kansas City Royals for a bonus of $380,000.
• Outfielder Diego Rinconez has committed to the San Francisco Giants for a bonus of $175,000.
• Catcher Rafael Marchan has committed to the Philadelphia Phillies for a bonus of $500,000.
• Catcher Nishel Gutierrez has committed to the San Francisco Giants for a bonus of $125,000.
• Shortstop Kelvin Melean has committed to the San Diego Padres for a bonus of $500,000. 
• Outfielder Jesus Lujano has committed to the Milwaukee Brewers for a bonus of $350,000.
• Shortstop Antiono Pinero has committed to the Boston Red Sox for a bonus of $300,000.
• Shortstop Ildemaro Escalona has committed to the Detroit Tigers for a bonus of $105,000.
• Shortstop Reinaldo Ilarraza has committed to the San Diego Padres for a bonus of $350,000.
• Second baseman Kevin Alarcon has committed to the San Diego Padres for a bonus of $400,000.
• Catcher Sebastian Rivero has committed to the Kansas City Royals for a bonus of $400,000.
• Outfielder Darwin Alvarado has committed to the Detroit Tigers for a bonus of $170,000.

None of these commitments will become official signings until July 2, when the new international signing year begins.

Other Interesting Notes

• RHP Alvaro Seijas was expected to get more than a six figure bonus, but the Venezuelan market has fallen, as teams are beginning to underestimate players. A lot of Major League players are from Venezuela and some are stars. 
• San Diego Padres GM A.J. Preller has been "very aggressive" in Venezuela trying to get the best infield prospects, the source said. Before going to the Padres, Preller worked with the Texas Rangers and did a lot of work with international prospects. Of just this list of 17, Preller was able to sign three.

--Devan Fink

Here's the latest news from around the league...

• As already reported by multiple outlets, the Cubs have called up top infield prospect Addison Russell to the Major Leagues. Russell was the Athletics' No. 11 overall pick in 2012 and shipped to Chicago in the Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel trade. The 21-year-old Russell is an outstanding hitter and boasts a career .897 OPS in the minor leagues in 1,087 plate appearances. One thing scares me, though: Russell only has 104 walks for a really scary 9.56 walk percentage. Normally a shortstop, Russell will play second base for the Cubs, as that is a position of need for them and Starlin Castro currently holds the shortstop position. 
• Major League Baseball has suspended Royals' righty Kelvin Herrera five games for throwing behind Athletics' third baseman Brett Lawrie and pointing at his head. Herrera's suspension will last five games. The flamethrower will surely be missed in Kansas City's bullpen, as he had a 1.41 ERA in 70 games last year and has not allowed a run in six games this year. 
• Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura, who initially hit Lawrie as a result of his "dirty" slide on shortstop Alcides Escobrar, will only receive a fine for his antics.
• No Athletics player received any discipline from the league for any of the occurrences in their series against Kansas City. 
• Red Sox' designated hitter and slugger David Ortiz has been suspended one game for bumping into the home plate umpire on Sunday. Ortiz has announced an appeal of his suspension and will be allowed to play during the appeal process.

--Devan Fink

The Kansas City Royals have inked right-handed starter Kris Medlen to a two-year deal with a mutual option for 2017, they announced today. The Royals will announce a corresponding move later today.

Medlen will make a guaranteed $8.5 million over his two year deal, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. He makes $2 million in 2015 and $5.5 million in 2016. Medlen has a $10 million mutual option for 2017, Rosenthal reports, and that comes along with a $1 million buyout.

The deal includes performance bonuses. Medlen can make an extra $4 million in incentives this season and $6 million next season, according to Rosenthal. If all options are exercised and Medlen reaches all his performance bonuses, he can make a total of $27.5 million over three years. 

The Royals have been busy this week, signing two free agent starters to deals, Edinson Volquez and now Medlen. They will likely lose top starter James Shields to free agency, so the rotation has been a big need for them. General manager Dayton Moore showed his creativity with these signings, as both Volquez and Medlen are not top arms, but have a shot to be real solid for Kansas City.

The Royals' rotation was worth the ninth-highest fWAR this past season. Behind Yordano Ventura, Jason Vargas, Danny Duffy, Jeremy Guthrie, and James Shields, Kansas City boasted one of the better rotations in the American League. The additions of Volquez and Medlen could make their rotation just as good or even better in 2015.

Medlen was non-tendered by the Braves at the beginning of this offseason, making him a free agent. The Braves did not want to tender Medlen a contract in that he is coming off a missed season due to Tommy John surgery. Medlen did not pitch in a major league game this season, as he tore the UCL in his elbow during Spring Training. On March 18, he went under the knife.

The 29-year-old Medlen had been one of the better pitchers in the Braves' rotation in 2013. He went 15-12 with a 3.11 ERA in 197 innings pitched. He struck out 157 and walked just 47. The former 10th round pick is still young and has a high potential. 

Medlen's best season may have come the year prior, in 2012, when he went 10-1 with a 1.57 ERA in 138 innings pitched, making just 12 starts in 50 appearances. The potential is there for Medlen, who owns a 2.47 ERA in his last 335 innings pitched. And that makes him just the type of guy the Royals want.

--Devan Fink