CHICAGO | There is little sense of urgency this year among the Royals as the July 31 nonwaiver trading deadline approaches. This time, there is no Octavio Dotel to be shopped hard for the best return.</p><p> “I’d never classify any player as untouchable,” general manager Dayton Moore said, “because I’m always looking to improve our baseball team.”</p><p> That’s about as specific as Moore gets when questioned about trade possibilities but, yes, the Royals will listen — and have listened — as offers surface for David DeJesus, José Guillen, Zack Greinke and Ron Mahay.</p><p> Club officials acknowledge privately they are disinclined to trade any of those players, unless overwhelmed by an offer, and see little chance for a major deal before the deadline.</p><p> Gil Meche’s name continues to surface in trade rumors, but he has a no-trade clause and has said he doesn’t plan to waive it. Further, Moore says the Royals need Meche to build a contending team in coming years.</p><p> The club, in contrast, would welcome any reasonable offer for veteran second baseman Mark Grudzielanek, who becomes a free agent after the season. So far, there is little market for Grudzielanek, 38, despite his .308 average and steady defense.</p><p> “It will probably have to be a need-based thing for somebody,” a club official said. “Somebody loses a second baseman and really needs to go get one. Otherwise, I don’t see it happening.”</p><p> Several teams, sensing a buy-low opportunity, contacted the Royals about Guillen following his recent public rants regarding teammates and fans. The price, though, seems to start at two top prospects. </p><p> That cooled all inquiries.</p><p> Plus, the Royals seem more inclined to add a veteran bat before next season, probably through free agency, than to deal away Guillen, who leads the club in homers and RBIs while in the first season of a three-year deal.</p><p> DeJesus is having the best season of his six-year career, but his real value is in an under-market contract signed before the market’s latest acceleration. He makes just $14.3 million over the next three years.</p><p> The Royals would be shopping Mahay if, like Grudzielanek, he were in line to become a free agent after the season. But Mahay is under contract through next year, and the club isn’t anxious to surrender a veteran lefty who has been their best setup reliever.</p><p> Jimmy Gobble’s puzzling decline makes it even tougher to trade Mahay barring a can’t-refuse offer. </p><p> Greinke remains under club control via arbitration through the 2010 season. While the Royals show no inclination to explore a multi-year contract with Greinke _ a decision that could later prove costly — neither do club officials show much interest in trade probes.</p><p> “The main thing we’ve done,” Moore said, “is work to improve our pitching. We know we can’t build a championship ballclub without pitching and defense.”</p><p><b>Butler adjusts stance</b></p><p> Only time will tell whether an altered stance re-energizes Billy Butler at the plate, but Friday’s early returns were encouraging. Butler hit the ball hard four times and collected two hits, including a cannon shot of a homer.</p><p> “I looked at some video,” he said. “I don’t know if it was the cause of (his slump) or not, but I thought I was a little too close to the plate.”</p><p> Hitting coach Mike Barnett suggested Butler step back a little from the plate.</p><p> “We agreed that might free my hands up a little bit to get to some pitches,” Butler said, “and still be able to get to the outside part of the plate.”</p><p> Butler had a season-high four RBIs in Friday’s 9-5 loss after producing just one RBI in his previous 25 games. He also closed the pre-break schedule with just three hits in 35 at-bats.