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 ChiefsCountry:
Cubs let Davis and Arrietta go and got draft compensation. Cubs signed Yu and Chatwood. Neither one had draft picks attached to them. Theo with a very smart offseason.
Smart decisions all the way around, IMO. And with those comp picks, they’ll start to rebuild/reload their farm system (likely with some advanced college bats that will be ready for the majors right around the time Chicago has to make a decision on some of their young guys as they hit FA). [Reply]
@BNightengale: The #Royals are still searching for a starting pitcher and a reliever, but with their payroll at $122 million, they say their options are limited, and chances for free agent closer Greg Holland are extremely remote. [Reply]
Spring training stats mean nothing. Paulo Orlando is damned near batting 500 this ST. Stop using that as an accurate sample size. Moreover, Alex Gordon is still an elite glove in left field with arguably one of the top 3 strongest arms at his position. Even him batting 220 with 12 home runs next season will equal out to a +1 WAR. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Sure-Oz:
@BNightengale: The #Royals are still searching for a starting pitcher and a reliever, but with their payroll at $122 million, they say their options are limited, and chances for free agent closer Greg Holland are extremely remote.
Yordano's death just lingers for years, cost us prob 2-3 wins each season and since he was (1) young and (2) signed for 5 years to a cheap deal, it had an effect long after his passing [Reply]
#Royals option pitchers Scott Barlow, Heath Fillmyer, Andres Machado, Eric Stout, Kyle Zimmer & INF Hunter Dozier to AAA. INF Samir Duenez & C Meibrys Viloria to AA.
#Royals also assign pitchers Scott Blewett, Foster Griffin, Chase Vallot, INFs Jack Lopez, Nicky Lopez, OFs Donnie Dewees & Terrance Gore to minor league camp. 51 left in MLB camp, including 17 non-roster invitees.
Originally Posted by Bufkin:
Spring training stats mean nothing. Paulo Orlando is damned near batting 500 this ST. Stop using that as an accurate sample size. Moreover, Alex Gordon is still an elite glove in left field with arguably one of the top 3 strongest arms at his position. Even him batting 220 with 12 home runs next season will equal out to a +1 WAR.
It's time to admit Alex Gordon sucks ass and if there were a different player in left field that lets a few more balls drop, it's not going to effect the Royals Win/Loss record. [Reply]
#Royals option pitchers Scott Barlow, Heath Fillmyer, Andres Machado, Eric Stout, Kyle Zimmer & INF Hunter Dozier to AAA. INF Samir Duenez & C Meibrys Viloria to AA.
#Royals also assign pitchers Scott Blewett, Foster Griffin, Chase Vallot, INFs Jack Lopez, Nicky Lopez, OFs Donnie Dewees & Terrance Gore to minor league camp. 51 left in MLB camp, including 17 non-roster invitees.
Originally Posted by Molitoth:
It's time to admit Alex Gordon sucks ass and if there were a different player in left field that lets a few more balls drop, it's not going to effect the Royals Win/Loss record.
The way I see it, Gordon has 80 days to prove he's got his mojo back. After 80 days, if he is still batting around 200, he becomes the 4th OFer. Bonifacia in right, Jay in center, and Soler in left. Orlando goes back to Omaha since he still has options. [Reply]
Alex Gordon hasn't had a hit since Mar 6th. He's played in five games since then. He's 0 - 15 in those five games. His batting average for spring training is .133. I know it's only spring training but jeez. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DeepSouth:
Alex Gordon hasn't had a hit since Mar 6th. He's played in five games since then. He's 0 - 15 in those five games. His batting average for spring training is .133. I know it's only spring training but jeez.
We own that Gimp for another 2 years and $40MM. Yay! [Reply]
