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 tk13:
I just don't think they're going to sign Moose, and if they did he'd play some first or DH. It's time to see what Cuthbert is made of at 3B.
Agreed. I don't know where Moose fits at this point. If they're serious about giving Cutty 500 AB's, I don't see how that happens with Moose in the picture. [Reply]
Originally Posted by okie-dokie:
So, what happen to play the young guys and rebuilding!
I think that GMDM realized that he doesn't have many of those young guys around that can produce at the MLB level. I think the youth movement is going to start at the A and AA level. [Reply]
Originally Posted by WhawhaWhat:
I think that GMDM realized that he doesn't have many of those young guys around that can produce at the MLB level. I think the youth movement is going to start at the A and AA level.
Plus, he signed Escobar, Duda, and Jay to one year deals. Mondesi, Hunter, and Starling will all be playing together in Omaha. That would allow the Royals to bring all three up at the same time whether it be in July or next year.
Also, If Soler, Boni, Cuthbert, or Merrifield have good years, I wouldn't be surprised to see one or two of these guys traded for pitching or left handed hitters. The Royals without Duda and Jay are very heavy with right handed bats. [Reply]
Originally Posted by okie-dokie:
So, what happen to play the young guys and rebuilding!
Yeah, dumb. We know how Dayton loves band aids, though. Maybe the thought is we can flip them for some crappy draft picks come trade deadline (Jay & Duda) [Reply]
Originally Posted by okie-dokie:
So, what happen to play the young guys and rebuilding!
I don't think they were comfortable throwing Cuth, Dozier, Mondesi, and Soler all out there at once to sink or swim without a safety net in place. What has Esky, Jay, and Duda cost about 7 mil in 1 year deals? [Reply]
I really like Dayton Moore. I just finished reading his book, More than a Season, which makes me like him more.
I like that the Royals aren't totally giving up on the season. I think they'll give the youngsters a lot of plate appearances while also giving the team a chance to win a moderate number of games, enough that we could have an outside chance of making the playoffs.
I don't think that jockeying for the worst possible record and best possible draft pick makes much sense when so many teams seem to be trying to do the same thing. If the market is going to be so out-of-whack, I'd rather add a few proven major leaguers to the mix and see what happens.
The Royals seem so much better off now with their Scouting and Player Development systems, I think these next few seasons will be very interesting. Also, the 2015 World Series win takes a lot of the edge off of doing a partial rebuild. [Reply]
Originally Posted by BigCatDaddy:
I don't think they were comfortable throwing Cuth, Dozier, Mondesi, and Soler all out there at once to sink or swim without a safety net in place. What has Esky, Jay, and Duda cost about 7 mil in 1 year deals?
To me, that's a good bargain. Mondesi and Soler, in particular, seem to have a good chance of either being valuable major leaguers in 2018 or being disappointments. I'd rather have some insurance. That said, I should also say that I'm expecting Esky to have a better 2018 than 2017. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DanT:
To me, that's a good bargain. Mondesi and Soler, in particular, seem to have a good chance of either being valuable major leaguers in 2018 or being disappointments. I'd rather have some insurance. That said, I should also say that I'm expecting Esky to have a better 2018 than 2017.
I have a feeling that someone is going to want Esky prior to the deadline. We won't get a top prospect, but we'll get something and can then slide Mondesi to short if needed. [Reply]
I don't see anyone who'd want him. What contender right now, as things stand, need a SS anyway?
Cleveland (lindor), Spanks (gregorius), Hou (Correa), ANA (Simmons), Red Sox (Bogarts), Dodgers (Seager), Cubs (Russell), Nats (Turner). None of them need a SS unless they're hurt and even then, Escobar isn't a very good option [Reply]
Originally Posted by Prison Bitch:
I don't see anyone who'd want him. What contender right now, as things stand, need a SS anyway?
Cleveland (lindor), Spanks (gregorius), Hou (Correa), ANA (Simmons), Red Sox (Bogarts), Dodgers (Seager), Cubs (Russell), Nats (Turner). None of them need a SS unless they're hurt and even then, Escobar isn't a very good option
I assumed someone would go down and they might need a replacement. [Reply]
