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
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Kelenic is the top prep bat, toolsy OF. Royals would be ecstatic to have shot at him.
1B Triston Casas, American Heritage HS (FL).
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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 dallaschiefsfan:
Something that might get lost in the shuffle. The cost/terms of this contract are way too team-friendly for this to be a Boris-led decision. I gotta' believe Moose was just ready to play ball and directed Boras to get something done with the most likely taker - KC. He had to be thinking, "forget about this waiting until after June 1st ***t. Get me signed to a team, Scott."
Whether true or not I don’t know, but it makes sense to me. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower:
Let's be real here: Duda and Moose are most likely not going to be on the roster after the trade deadline unless both suck complete ass.
Everyone who has a hardon to see Cutty and Dozier are probably going to be satiated.
This. These guys could both pan out to be trade pieces come the deadline...thus speeding up and contributing to the rebuild. If both are healthy and productive, they’re easy guys to move for solid prospects. Unlike dane may lead you to believe, DM knows what the fuck he’s doing. Especially with the team-friendly deals they’ve signed. Teams needing a big bat rental would be all over that shit. [Reply]
If Gordon and Esky can at least be close to below average offensively at their positions and Kennedy can be better than a dumpster fire we could be around .500 at the ASB.
The lineup is respectable especially if we are platooning Jay and Duda.
Originally Posted by Great Expectations:
If Gordon and Esky can at least be close to below average offensively at their positions and Kennedy can be better than a dumpster fire we could be around .500 at the ASB.
The lineup is respectable especially if we are platooning Jay and Duda.
Duffy, Karns, and Junis can be good.
Agreed. Hell, if Gordon can even come close to rebounding and Soler can contribute...and our rotation can stay healthy...this team has a legitimate chance to be even ABOVE .500 at the break. As crazy as that sounds, it’s true. I’m excited for the mix of young and old with these most recent signings. This might actually be a fun team to watch. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Prison Bitch:
Does your wife want you watching porn?
Sometimes? Yes.
For almost all who watch it, it's a harmless release.
Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower:
Soler is probably the only prospect in the system you have to give ML at bats to.
Beyond that, I don't get the handwringing about signing Moose and Duda. Mondesi is definitely not ready for the show. I'd guess same is said for Dozier, and is Cuthbert seriously considered as a potential long term starter for any major league team beyond the Reds?
The Reds have the best 3B prospect in baseball (Nick Senzel, get him in fantasy), so he wouldn't start for them... (more Cuthbert thoughts below)
Originally Posted by Prison Bitch:
Nonsense. All the guys you listed were premier prospects.
Lorenzo Cain actually was not ever a top 100 guy, something Cuthbert garnered a few times when he was younger.
Cuthbert's plate discipline, contact skills, and solid power potential are worth diving into.
Originally Posted by dallaschiefsfan:
In addition to a "not terrible" lineup, we would definitely need Kennedy to have a near-career season and Junis to continue forward on his 2017 and Duffy to repeat last year's performance. Certainly not a crazy scenario. And what if Karnes picks up where he left off? I still think the bullpen could be the surprise part of the roster - several power arms and former-starter types that could excel in short stints.
They've got enough competent pieces to surprise some people if a few things click.
Originally Posted by Strongside:
This. These guys could both pan out to be trade pieces come the deadline...thus speeding up and contributing to the rebuild. If both are healthy and productive, they’re easy guys to move for solid prospects. Unlike dane may lead you to believe, DM knows what the **** he’s doing. Especially with the team-friendly deals they’ve signed. Teams needing a big bat rental would be all over that shit.
I wouldn't expect anything for rental players of major note unless the trade market is way, way different next year.
MAYBE the Yankees give up something decent for Moustakas, if neither Andjuar nor Drury has handled the hot corner adequately. But it's hard to see him returning much. [Reply]
The trade market for position players has completely tanked. The big market teams are all developing their own position players. You can even use the Royals as an example. We just signed two legit 30 HR guys for under 10 million dollars. Just a few years ago that would have been insane. You think anyone is giving up anything of value for either of them? Your best bet is the Yankees 3B situation completely tanks, and there's zero reason to bank on that.
I'm a big fan of Cuthbert though. He's young and has a lot of raw talent. He might not make it, but you'll never know if you don't give him the chance. Duda's making 3 million dollars. I'd put Moose at 1B and Cuthbert at 3B unless Cuthbert completely bombs spring training. Cuthbert is probably a step quicker at this point anyway. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud:
Would you like to share with us what Dayton Moore has planned for 2018, because it appears to be a cluster****?
TIA, Sweetie.
He's prob trying to win 77 games. That's my guess. We have a shitty farm system with only 1 premium AAA guy in Mondesi so nobody is being blocked. I think Moose is a really good MLB player and the price is unbeatable, this is a no brainer. Duda....Nolasco, jay, irrelevant. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Prison Bitch:
Nonsense. All the guys you listed were premier prospects.
You sure? Because this guy had some strong thoughts about them.
Originally Posted by Prison Bitch:
We could dump James' 20M onto owners who care about winning. Don't forget that part of it. Just like we dumped Zack's 27M onto Milwaukee and took back 2 turds in Cain/Escobar. As it's now obvious to all, that was not a "talent deal'. It was another Glass salary dump.
Originally Posted by Prison Bitch:
He's 10x the player Escobar is. I cannot stand watching Alcides Berroa swing the bat.
Originally Posted by Prison Bitch:
Which is exactly why if we fail to make the postseason (and we will fail), the Shields deal wasn't the reason. It was first and foremost Fat-Ass becoming a piece of shit, and secondarily the loser duo at the hot corner. Nobody else comes close to the blame these 3 turds share
And since we're on the topic of Moose..
Originally Posted by Prison Bitch:
Now that Lonnie Chisenhall is OPS'ing over 1.000 (not a typo) and Moose is still a flabby embarrassment to the game, I thought it might be time to break this one out from last year
Overall, young players need time in the big leagues to settle. That's all I'm saying.
Feel free to quote up my dumbass takes in response, I'm sure I have an equal number. :-) [Reply]
Originally Posted by Strongside:
Anyone want to take some long-term, big money action on Cuthbert never being anything more than a bench/utility guy? Serious question.
Well that's all he's ever going to be if they don't play him. He's not some scrub. He played in the Futures game, he's ripped up AAA the last two times he played there, he's 25 and absolutely passed the eye test in 2016 when he got a chance.
During Moustakas' year 25 season he hit .212 and got sent to AAA. People were starting to give up on him. [Reply]
