2023 – A new beginning for the Royals. Matt Quatraro era begins. A year to see which of our young players will make up the core going forward. Can Bobby Witt Jr become a superstar SS or will go to the hot corner? Will Brady Singer take the next step forward? Will Salvy be Salvy? Will Big Vin or Pratto take first base? Will they find a position for MJ? Who else emerges from the youth movement? Not to mention the development of the new downtown stadium.
Free Agents/Trades Acquisitions
Jordan Lyles, RHP
Ryan Yarbrough, LHP
Josh Taylor, LHP
Aroldis Chapman, LHP
Top 10 Prospects from Baseball America
1. Gavin Cross, OF
2. Cayden Wallace, 3B
3. Drew Waters, OF
4. Ben Kudrna, RHP
5. Frank Mozzicato, LHP
6. Maikel Garcia, SS
7. Tyler Gentry, OF
8. Nick Loftin, OF/3B
9. Angel Zerpa, LHP
10. Carter Jensen, C [Reply]
I think they have acquired renfroe, wacha, and will Smith with plans to move them at the deadline if they are performing and healthy. At least, that's how I look at their contracts. [Reply]
I think we'd need a couple more young guys to step up, especially pitchers. If someone from the group of Singer/Lynch/Marsh can be a consistent starter, and guys like McArthur and McMillon pitch like the strikeout machines they were at the end of the year, the staff will keep them in games. [Reply]
The Royals could have landed Luzardo in a trade for Pasquatch? Instead opted to sign Wacha.
Gotta think that’s one they may end up regretting. Would have completely remade the starting rotation and have Luzardo and Ragans at the top suddenly gives you an instant legit strong rotation.
I like Vinnie, but don’t know if his value will ever be more than that that you have a legit chance to add a #1 type starter (with 3 years of control left) in a trade.
The Royals could have landed Luzardo in a trade for Pasquatch? Instead opted to sign Wacha.
Gotta think that’s one they may end up regretting. Would have completely remade the starting rotation and have Luzardo and Ragans at the top suddenly gives you an instant legit strong rotation.
I like Vinnie, but don’t know if his value will ever be more than that that you have a legit chance to add a #1 type starter (with 3 years of control left) in a trade.
Yeesh.
I agree. I think I would have pulled the trigger. First base/DH is the easiest position to fill in baseball. Starting pitching isn't. [Reply]
Rosenthal: Surprising developments spur Royals’ relative free-agent spending spree
By Ken Rosenthal
Dec 15, 2023
The signings of six free agents for a combined $105 million is not something people necessarily expected from the low-revenue, 106-loss Kansas City Royals. But the team’s relative spending spree stems from a series of fresh and surprising developments, according to sources briefed on the club’s thinking.
The continued deterioration of a division the Royals perceive as winnable. An owner, John Sherman, who in one notable circumstance, chose to sign another free agent rather than trade a talented young hitter. And yes, a draft lottery that in its first two years of existence, punished the Royals by assigning them lower positions than they would have received under the old system, which was based solely on won-loss record.
In 2022, the Royals finished with the game’s fifth-worst record and wound up drafting eighth. In ‘23, they finished with the second-worst record and will end up picking sixth. The lower the position, the lower the signing bonus for the first-round pick — and the smaller a team’s overall draft bonus pool.
Frustrated as the Royals are with the lottery, club officials estimate the two-year savings in first-round signing bonuses will be in the range of $5 million. The actual number might end up lower, but the point is this: The lottery, pushed by the Players Association as an anti-tanking measure in the most recent collective-bargaining agreement, is having its desired effect. No longer does finishing with a poor record guarantee a top pick.
Thus, the Royals are effectively getting pushed into free agency. Their farm system is considered one of the worst in the game. They can’t lose their way to one of the top six lottery picks. So, rather than pocket their first-round savings from the past two years, they are reinvesting it into the major-league club.
Their timing makes all the more sense, considering the state of the American League Central. The Detroit Tigers, like the Royals, are trying to revive and showing an increased willingness to spend. But the Chicago White Sox, coming off 101 losses, are entertaining trade offers for their best pitcher, Dylan Cease. The Twins and Guardians, meanwhile, are exercising financial restraint because of uncertainty with their regional sports networks.
The division-wide malaise offers opportunity. And Sherman, who took over in Nov. 2019, evidently is growing impatient, eager for the team’s streak of seven straight losing seasons to end. The fact that the team is seeking public financing for a new ballpark might be part of Sherman’s motivation, too.
Once the Royals knew they could sign free-agent outfielder Hunter Renfroe, who on Friday agreed to a two-year, $13 million deal, they were faced with a difficult choice in their pursuit of another starting pitcher. They could trade first baseman/DH Vinnie Pasquantino to the Marlins for left-hander Jesús Luzardo, a deal sources said was discussed at the winter meetings. Or they could sign right-hander Michael Wacha, a second-tier free agent who was in some demand.
Luzardo, under club control for three more seasons, was intriguing. But Pasquantino, who did not play after June 9 last season because of a torn labrum in his right shoulder that required surgery, is under club control for five more seasons and still holds considerable promise. For a team that last season ranked 23rd in runs scored, trading Pasquantino for Luzardo would have plugged one hole and created another.
The front office consulted Sherman. The owner chose to keep pushing forward. And on Friday, the Royals reached agreement with Wacha on a two-year, $32 million contract. Wacha can opt out after his first season. Right-hander Seth Lugo, who earlier agreed to a three-year, $45 million deal, can opt out after his second.
In 2023, the Royals ranked next-to-last in the majors in ERA, ahead of only the Rockies. But their acquisition of lefty Cole Ragans from the Rangers for reliever Aroldis Chapman proved to be one of the biggest coups of the trade deadline. The additions of Wacha and Lugo should further boost the rotation, reducing the pressure on homegrown pitchers such as Brady Singer and Daniel Lynch.
The free-agent newcomers to the bullpen are Will Smith (one year, $5 million) and Chris Stratton (two years, $8 million). Smith, the first of the pitchers to commit to the Royals, helped persuade Stratton, his teammate with the Rangers last season, to join him. Wacha and Lugo, teammates with the Padres last season, presumably spoke as well.
The six players the Royals signed heard the same message from club officials: A division title is within reach. All six, including infielder Garrett Hampson, who signed a one-year, $2 million deal, bring postseason experience. The plan is for them to be stabilizers, helping younger Royals players settle into their major-league careers.
The team is by no means perfect. Smith, 34, projects as the current closer, but he isn’t the dominant force he once was. The Royals probably could use another late-inning type to help share the closing load. A left-handed hitting infielder would round out the position-player roster, but that is less of a priority. Younger hitters such as Pasquantino, MJ Melendez, Nick Pratto and Kyle Isbel need to take a step forward, or the Royals’ spending might go to waste.
The lineup beyond No. 2 hitter Bobby Witt Jr. will be deeper, with Renfroe, Pasquantino and Sal Perez — the subject of trade discussions at the most recent deadline — hitting somewhere in the middle of the order. Players such as Melendez and Nelson Velázquez, another find at last year’s deadline, could end up toward the bottom. And while the Royals might not mash, they at least have players who can run: Witt, Isbel, Maikel Garcia, Michael Massey, Drew Waters. The defense last season ranked fourth in the majors in Outs Above Average.
The team’s current $111.7 million payroll, as calculated by Fangraphs, would be the Royals’ highest on Opening Day since 2018. The investments could backfire. None of the free agents is a star. But at least the Royals are putting forth the effort. Avoiding the lottery, as they have learned, is a worthy goal. [Reply]
The Royals could have landed Luzardo in a trade for Pasquatch? Instead opted to sign Wacha.
Gotta think that’s one they may end up regretting. Would have completely remade the starting rotation and have Luzardo and Ragans at the top suddenly gives you an instant legit strong rotation.
I like Vinnie, but don’t know if his value will ever be more than that that you have a legit chance to add a #1 type starter (with 3 years of control left) in a trade.
Yeesh.
Yeah, that's a really tough call. Do the Royals still sign Wacha and/or Lugo if they make this trade? Do they make another move for a first baseman?
Again, tough call without knowing more.
I've been thinking for a few years that Vinnie could potentially be basically a Mike Sweeney clone except left-handed, and hopefully without the chronic bad back or other injuries(shoulder). I think Vinnie might have a BIG coming out party this year and explode the way Sweeney did in '99.
If that happens, I think our offense could actually be sneaky good this year, and in the upper half of MLB. If our pitching can even approach mediocrity this year, we could legit have a chance at the Central. It's such a weak division... 85 games could legit get it won. Albeit, that would be a massive, historical leap rarely happening before, so I don't think it's fair to expect that. [Reply]
Originally Posted by GabyKeepsMeWarm:
Yeah, that's a really tough call. Do the Royals still sign Wacha and/or Lugo if they make this trade? Do they make another move for a first baseman?
Again, tough call without knowing more.
I've been thinking for a few years that Vinnie could potentially be basically a Mike Sweeney clone except left-handed, and hopefully without the chronic bad back or other injuries(shoulder). I think Vinnie might have a BIG coming out party this year and explode the way Sweeney did in '99.
If that happens, I think our offense could actually be sneaky good this year, and in the upper half of MLB. If our pitching can even approach mediocrity this year, we could legit have a chance at the Central. It's such a weak division... 85 games could legit get it won. Albeit, that would be a massive, historical leap rarely happening before, so I don't think it's fair to expect that.
Vinnie better turn into our version of Edgar Martinez because if he doesn’t, we’re really gonna regret passing on this trade opportunity.
Again, I like Vinnie, but his base running is awful, he doesn’t offer much defensively so all of his value is tied up in his bat. To be fair, it’s a ‘great’ bat and he has probably the best plate discipline on the team and the Royals DO need another offensive star in the top of that lineup with Witt.
But we need him to perform these next few years (and stay healthy) on an Edgar clip to have a chance to make some noise while Witt is still here. If he doesn’t, we’re gonna miss not having Luzardo at the top of our rotation where we could operate more as a pitching and defense team that uses speed and timely hitting to score runs.
I like Vinnie a lot, seems like a good kid, so hope he rakes this year and shuts me up.
(Really would have been nice to have Luzardo though) [Reply]
I, for one, won't complain about keeping a Pasquantino and choosing to sign a pitcher instead of trading for Luzardo.
And I love Luzardo. Love, love him.
I think there is still a trade to be had, but it is in using a surplus like Garcia, or Daniel Lynch, or even Singer.
I'm not sold they're done adjusting the lineup. Right now, the outfield would seem to be a combination of Melendez, Pratto, Waters, Velazquez, Isbel, and Renfroe.
Renfroe is going to play a lot, but ideally you'd have him DH a ton because the large OF in KC is a bad fit for him defensively. Neither Melendez nor Velazquez is a great option in LF, and if Waters is in CF, the OF defense is just incredibly shaky.
I think there's still a move out there. I'd still love to see them take a stab at Joc Pederson if you can get him off the West Coast. He'd be a fine addition offensively - added some LH pop and balance - and would be a defensive upgrade in either corner. [Reply]
Originally Posted by duncan_idaho:
I, for one, won't complain about keeping a Pasquantino and choosing to sign a pitcher instead of trading for Luzardo.
And I love Luzardo. Love, love him.
I think there is still a trade to be had, but it is in using a surplus like Garcia, or Daniel Lynch, or even Singer.
I'm not sold they're done adjusting the lineup. Right now, the outfield would seem to be a combination of Melendez, Pratto, Waters, Velazquez, Isbel, and Renfroe.
Renfroe is going to play a lot, but ideally you'd have him DH a ton because the large OF in KC is a bad fit for him defensively. Neither Melendez nor Velazquez is a great option in LF, and if Waters is in CF, the OF defense is just incredibly shaky.
I think there's still a move out there. I'd still love to see them take a stab at Joc Pederson if you can get him off the West Coast. He'd be a fine addition offensively - added some LH pop and balance - and would be a defensive upgrade in either corner.
Maybe Bellinger won't get the deal he's hoping for and could be enticed by a short term deal with an understanding that if the team isn't doing well, he could be dealt. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Nightfyre:
Maybe Bellinger won't get the deal he's hoping for and could be enticed by a short term deal with an understanding that if the team isn't doing well, he could be dealt.
Bellinger hit a lot of wall scrapers last season; going to Kaufman probably wouldn't be the best idea for him.
He needs to go somewhere with an easier CF (so he can play CF without being exposed) and a short porch in Right so he can challenge another 30/30 season.
Most teams could use him so if he's going to sign on a 1 year deal, I suspect it won't be in KC; he'll have a wealth of options at that point. [Reply]
