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]
The choice seems to be between playing Cuthbert Mondesi and Dozier everyday and potentially exposing them all as busts and having practically nothing available to replace them in the farm system on one hand and signing Duda and Moose for one year and flip them for prospects similar in quality to Cuthberts and Dozier at the deadline on the other.
Maybe GMDMs new strategy to get as many young guys into the system is to sign guys like Duda, Moose, Jay, Nolasco etc for under market deals and then flip them at the deadline for as many guys as they can at the A ball level and hoping a few pan out.
Baseball took away his ability to offer bigger deals to guys in Latin America and give overslot deals in the draft so maybe he'll skirt around that by trading for them after the fact. [Reply]
Originally Posted by WhawhaWhat:
Maybe GMDMs new strategy to get as many young guys into the system is to sign guys like Duda, Moose, Jay, Nolasco etc for under market deals and then flip them at the deadline for as many guys as they can at the A ball level and hoping a few pan out.
Baseball took away his ability to offer bigger deals to guys in Latin America and give overslot deals in the draft so maybe he'll skirt around that by trading for them after the fact.
Considering the awful return for position players last year, and likely fewer teams actually wanting to rent a player because so many are tanking, I wouldn't expect to get much from any of those guys. [Reply]
Originally Posted by sedated:
I wouldn't expect to get much from any of those guys.
Hence A ball guys. The youth movement is starting from the bottom, not the top. I have a feeling he knows that nothing of value is being blocked by any of those signings. [Reply]
Originally Posted by sedated:
Considering the awful return for position players last year, and likely fewer teams actually wanting to rent a player because so many are tanking, I wouldn't expect to get much from any of those guys.
Accordingly to Mellinger today, Moustakas not only turned down the Royals $17.4million dollar qualifying offer, he also turned down a 3 year, $45 million dollar deal with the Angels.
Originally Posted by WhawhaWhat:
Maybe GMDMs new strategy to get as many young guys into the system is to sign guys like Duda, Moose, Jay, Nolasco etc for under market deals and then flip them at the deadline for as many guys as they can at the A ball level and hoping a few pan out.
Baseball took away his ability to offer bigger deals to guys in Latin America and give overslot deals in the draft so maybe he'll skirt around that by trading for them after the fact.
It offers a ray of hope that we have some kind of a plan. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud:
Accordingly to Mellinger today, Moustakas not only turned down the Royals $17.4million dollar qualifying offer, he also turned down a 3 year, $45 million dollar deal with the Angels.
He needs to fire his agent.
Brutal. Life-changing money that would’ve set up him and his family for generations. That’s gotta hurt.
Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud:
Accordingly to Mellinger today, Moustakas not only turned down the Royals $17.4million dollar qualifying offer, he also turned down a 3 year, $45 million dollar deal with the Angels.
He needs to fire his agent.
Christ.
Seems like teams are pushing back against Boras and the way he holds the league hostage for the elite talent he represents. That, or Moose severely overestimated his own value. Possibly both. [Reply]
Seems like teams are pushing back against Boras and the way he holds the league hostage for the elite talent he represents. That, or Moose severely overestimated his own value. Possibly both.
Important to remember there's always injuries. When they happen, what then? If we don't sign any of these vets, you'll have to replace injured players with....what? AAA guys who aren't big league capable.
Anyway, CLEVE is always seemingly able to rebuild while never bottoming out. Texas has done it, BALT to a degree, some others. We aren't going to become a contender much faster by winning 65 games in 2018 instead of 75. [Reply]
