It's the end of the world as we know it... and we feel... fine?
2018 is a season of transition for the Royals, or at least it is at this point. Dayton Moore is back. Will he swing full into THE PROCESS 2.0? Or will he try to load up again and make some reload magic happen?
Pending Free Agents:
1B | Eric Hosmer | San Diego Padres, 8 years, $144 million ($5 million signing bonus; $20 million/year in Yrs 1-5; $13 million/year in Yrs 6-8 wth player opt out)
Spoiler!
(DI's Guess: Texas Rangers, 6, $118 million)
3B | Mike Moustaskas | Kansas City Royas, 1, $6.5 million
Spoiler!
(DI's Guess: Los Angeles Angels, 5, $98 million)
CF | Lorenzo Cain | Milwaukee Brewers, 5 years, $80 million
Spoiler!
(DI's Guess: San Francisco Giants, 4, $68 million)
RP | Mike Minor | Texas Rangers, 3, $28 million
Spoiler!
(DI's Guess: Los Angeles Angels, 3, $35 million+ $12 million team option
SP | Jason Vargas | New York Mets, 2, $16 million
Spoiler!
(DI's Guess: Baltimore Orioles, 2, $29 million)
SS | Alcides Escobar | Kansas City Royals, 1, $2.5 million
In case I, picks would be #32, 33, and 34, if Alex Cobb of Rays signs for $50 million guaranteed.
Kansas City will likely have 5 of the top 40-45 picks in the draft, and the bonus pool money should rival that of the teams drafting 1-3 in the 2017 draft. This should give KC tremendous flexibility in acquiring talent that otherwise might slip or not be "signable."
2018 Draft Names to Watch
RHP Kumar Rocker, N Oconnee HS, Georgia.
Spoiler!
Possibly goes top 10 but is a big, physical SP with ace potential. Moore and co. will be all over him if he slips a bit and could offer top 10 money at No. 16
OF Jarred Kelenic, Waukasha West HS, WI
Spoiler!
Kelenic is the top prep bat, toolsy OF. Royals would be ecstatic to have shot at him.
1B Triston Casas, American Heritage HS (FL).
Spoiler!
Tremendous raw power, best in HS bats. Royals typically like HS arms or HS bats with "special" tools. He qualifies.
RHP Carter Stewart, Eau de Gallie HS (Ga).
Spoiler!
Another big, physical specimen with huge upside. More likely to be available mid-first than Rocker.
ANY Any, Any (Any). Any current top projected pick who slides for injury concerns. Includes current top prospect prospect SP Brady Singer, U of Florida. [Reply]
Originally Posted by jaa1025:
With a little foresight on Dayton's part, they would have been restocked and one of the better farm systems in MLB.
I doubt it. The market for position players has been terrible. The big market teams are all developing their own position players now. The Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs, etc. We all talked about this last year when the Tigers didn't get much for JD Martinez. What likely would've happened is Dayton would have traded them all for cents on the dollar and people would have buried him for it. I'd rather have the draft pick than a B-rate prospect. The real value is in pitchers who are under long term control.... and we only have one in Duffy, and there's still a shot he gets traded.
Heck look at what we're seeing right now... we're about to start actual Spring Training games and no one wants to sign Moose to even a 1 year deal. I doubt anyone's giving up 3 or 4 great prospects for him. [Reply]
Originally Posted by jaa1025:
With a little foresight on Dayton's part, they would have been restocked and one of the better farm systems in MLB.
Please define what you mean. Are you talking about trading all those players who were pending free agents before the 2017 season? At midseason 2016? Before 2016?
They could have gotten hauls for those players after 2015. They had a few things lined up midseason 2016 that fell apart because of injuries to Davis and Cain, that would have qualified as a haul. They weren't getting anything of note for Volquez or Morales on rentals in 2016, or they would have moved them.
They would have gotten lesser returns at the start of 2017 for Hosmer/Moustakas/Cain, and based on what JD Martinez brought back at the trade deadline, nothing of major value then. The trade market for position players was horrendous for sellers - true buyer's market.
Had those players been traded at any point before midseason 2016, Moore would have gotten crushed, and rightfully so.
Originally Posted by Mother****erJones:
What was the rumor?
The Royals had a deal lined up with the Nationals in which the Nats would have received Cain and Davis, and the Royals would have gotten one of Robles or Turner, and some of their surplus pitching prospects. Giolito was also in the discussion.
Then Davis and Cain both got hurt, and the deal fell apart.
Originally Posted by Prison Bitch:
I never believed that tall tale.
Believe it or not, my source on it was a guy who travels with the team, received a full World Series share, and has one of the full championship rings.
Originally Posted by Nightfyre:
Whit and Duffy need to be traded now. Go all in on the rebuild.
And Perez. Perez will be an avg first basemen by the time we can compete again. No band aids. Lets go lose 120. Who gives a shit? Acquire prospects, as much as possible. It's a numbers game. [Reply]
Originally Posted by BWillie:
And Perez. Perez will be an avg first basemen by the time we can compete again. No band aids. Lets go lose 120. Who gives a shit? Acquire prospects, as much as possible. It's a numbers game.
If you trade Salvy you will lose a huge chunk of the fanbase...
It doesn't make sense from a business standpoint; fans are fickle [Reply]
Originally Posted by Mecca:
Most of the base is already ticked Hosmer is gone.
Not saying you're wrong, but where are you getting that info? Not here and not from RR. Did the Star or Facebook have a poll or something? Legit asking. I would think any intelligent member of the fan base(oxymoron perhaps?)could tell the difference between Hosmer choosing to leave as a FA vs Sal being traded by the team [Reply]
Originally Posted by Why Not?:
Not saying you're wrong, but where are you getting that info? Not here and not from RR. Did the Star or Facebook have a poll or something? Legit asking. I would think any intelligent member of the fan base(oxymoron perhaps?)could tell the difference between Hosmer choosing to leave as a FA vs Sal being traded by the team
Intelligent fan and money spending fan aren't the same thing. Lots of people are pissed off, several on facebook basically saying they will no longer go to games that kinda stuff.
People need to realize educated fan is a minority, most of the people going out to the games are frankly pissed off Hosmer is gone. [Reply]
Believe it or not, my source on it was a guy who travels with the team, received a full World Series share, and has one of the full championship rings.
I trust him on this.
There was also a lot of smoke that the Royals were actively listening on offers for Wade, Cain and Dyson in 2016 and multiple writers had connected them with the Cubs, Dodgers and Nats as potential partners - it didn't take much to figure out what a potential deal would have looked like, especially once the Sox completed the Eaton deal. [Reply]
I think there's also a surprising share of fans online who are mad at Hosmer for leaving.
I'm not opposed to trading Duffy or Whit, but I'm always more on the fence about Salvy. He is a fan favorite, yes, but it's a good thing to have a veteran catcher to work with young pitchers. It'd be hard to do better than him. But hopefully the next couple years Ned will try to save some miles on Perez's body. [Reply]
Fans being mad at Hosmer is one thing. I don't feel that way at all, but I get it. Fans being mad at the Royals for Hosmer leaving is silly at best. [Reply]
Yeah all of my friends who are bothered are mad at Hosmer, not the Royals. Had the Royals not offered a contract, that might have been different. [Reply]
The Royals offered Hosmer a contract. Of the whole detail of the contract, we'll never know, but the effort was apparently there. I'm not upset at the Royals for doing their part. Hosmer made a decision that he felt was the best interest for himself, and I can't fault him for that as well.
I'm not mad at either side. I'm glad that both Hosmer (along with the other guys) and the Royals were able to win a WS in my lifetime, which I never thought would be possible considering the abortion years of 2000 to 2010. [Reply]