Free Agent Signings:
Carlos Santana
Mike Minor
Michael Taylor
Ervin Santana
Top 10 Prospects:
1 Bobby Witt Jr., SS
2 Asa Lacy, LHP
3 Daniel Lynch, LHP
4 Jackson Kowar, RHP
5 Erick Pena, OF
6 Nick Loftin, SS
7 Kyle Isbel, OF
8 Khali Lee, OF
9 Jonathan Bowlan, RHP
10 Carlos Hernedez, RHP [Reply]
Originally Posted by duncan_idaho:
The Royals had a five-year period where they didn’t draft well enough and also didn’t hit on much in Latin America despite spending consistently there. (2011-2015).
But I can’t stand and won’t sit silently when people claim 14 and 15 were all luck.
Any championship team is going to experience some luck. So yes, there was luck.
But go look at those rosters. Home grown talent and centerpiece players up and down the roster. Key stars acquired via canny trades (Escobar, Cain, Shields, Davis, Cueto, Zobrist). A GM that didn’t sit on his hands when the opportunity to get the missing pieces popped up.
Moore and the front office can have:
1) absolutely succeeded with Wave 1
2) failed with Wave 2
3) have some big questions about their approach to Wave 3 and it’s likelihood of success.
Those things aren’t mutually exclusive. And they don’t mean that everything sucks.
I think you misunderstood my point. I am not saying we got lucky. I am saying Dayton Moore and to a lesser extent, Ned Yost got lucky. Moore had no intention of Davis being in the Pen let alone knowing what he had in Herrera and Holland.
Did Moore make some good moves? Of course. But I still contend based on his record of before and after that roster that he got lucky. He has consistently brought in shit for pitching. He had a good run of some good picks otherwise in Cain, Escobar, etc. bit overall he has missed a lot more than he has hit.
My point being that having a Pen that allows you to literally play a 6 inning game is not something that comes along very often and Moore didn't even have that by design. Davis was moved to the Pen after not working out as intended.
Just saying that leading up to that and after that Moore has not come close to the success he had with that team. Not even close. [Reply]
Originally Posted by petegz28:
I think you misunderstood my point. I am not saying we got lucky. I am saying Dayton Moore and to a lesser extent, Ned Yost got lucky. Moore had no intention of Davis being in the Pen let alone knowing what he had in Herrera and Holland.
Did Moore make some good moves? Of course. But I still contend based on his record of before and after that roster that he got lucky. He has consistently brought in shit for pitching. He had a good run of some good picks otherwise in Cain, Escobar, etc. bit overall he has missed a lot more than he has hit.
My point being that having a Pen that allows you to literally play a 6 inning game is not something that comes along very often and Moore didn't even have that by design. Davis was moved to the Pen after not working out as intended.
Just saying that leading up to that and after that Moore has not come close to the success he had with that team. Not even close.
There’s a lot of revisionist history there.
They absolutely acquired Davis hoping he could be a starter for them but knowing he would be - at worst - an elite pen option. (I heard those words out of Dayton Moore’s mouth preseason 2013).
The method Moore brought to the table when he arrived absolutely worked. Big investments in Latin America. Big signing bonus deals for guys drafted in later rounds, stockpiling talent.
The issue is that when the hard draft slotting and Latin America caps happened, the Royals didn’t do a good job adjusting.
The position player plan and defensive plan absolutely developed the way Moore envisioned. The pitching worked out slightly differently but a great pitching staff was definitely the core of that 2014-15 success. It just featured a less heavy reliance on starting pitching.
And whether they planned to have a deep bullpen of killer arms or not, they leaned into it once they found it. They found some market inefficiencies and exploited them.
They just didn’t have an adjustment once the league adjusted, tooo. [Reply]
Well of course there's some luck involved, there isn't a single GM in the world who is going to point at a pitcher and go: "Oh yeah, that guy is going to post ERAs under 1 and be one of the most dominant relievers in baseball history." There are like 1200 things you could criticize Dayton for ahead of Wade Davis. And you don't win championships by luck. That's a terrible argument.
Even then, Wade was a great reliever for Tampa his last year before the trade. He was dominant in the 2nd half (1.50 ERA and 45 K in 30 innings), so it's not like they traded for a guy who'd never posted good numbers and then accidentally got lucky. [Reply]
Current buzz is that Jordan Lawlar, if he doesn't go second to the Rangers, could fall to the Royals at 7.
That would be incredibly interesting. This is actually my favorite of the HS bats in this draft, so it would be thrilling to see him fall to KC.
Great instincts, advanced approach, polished hit tool, will grow into 15-25 HR power. Very Carlos Correa-like. Really, the only thing that doesn't stand out is his arm (it's adequate for SS but not an asset).
He should be a HS guy that moves quickly due to the advanced approach and would be a potentially exceptional pairing with Bobby Witt, Jr., either as an up-the-middle combo at SS and 2B, or as a dominant left side of the infield.
Something to keep an eye on tomorrow.
In order of preference for #7 and guys who MIGHT get there, I'd go:
1) Lawlar, HS SS (low chance it happens)
2) Khalil Watson, HS SS/CF (also low chance it happens now)
3) Henry Davis, C, Louisville (polished college bat with power, could play a corner OF spot, also not likely to happen)
4) Kumar Rocker, P, Vanderbilt (probably needs a light summer to recover from his college season - wasn't much in the tank by the CWS. With rest and a good offseason conditioning program, could quickly vault back to the guy who looked like surefire #1 entering the draft season)
5) Brady House, HS SS (also looking like he might go higher now, but probably the best athlete in the class. Not as polished as Lawlar or Watson, but more power upside)
6) Colton Cowser, OF, Sam Houston State (i talked about him last week. Really like the package, which is Jared Kelenic-ish).
7) Benny Montgomery, HS OF (big-time upside. Jo Adell-like athletic profile/toolbox)
8) Harry Ford, HS ATH (Ford is an incredible athlete who catches in high school but could play 2B, 3B, CF, or either corner as a pro. He's a powder keg, explosive athlete)
I think it will end up being Rocker unless Lawlar unexpectedly falls. Watson and House also draw consideration, but I think the Roayls end up choosing from Rocker, Cowser, Montgomery, Ford, and Will Taylor (and take the big righty). [Reply]
IF/OF Whit Merrifield to the Yankees for CF Kevin Alcantara, 2B Ezequiel Duran and RHP Yoendrys Gómez
Lewis: Merrifield is the Royals’ best trade chip and arguably the best second baseman who could be acquired at the deadline. For the Royals to do this — to trade big-league talent for prospects, which Moore said this past week he does not relish doing — the offer would have to blow them away, so how about Alcantara (a 6-foot-6 toolsy outfielder), Duran (a second baseman with pop) and Gómez (a 21-year-old power righty with secondary pitches who could eventually earn a spot in the rotation)?
All three are nearly top-10 prospects in the Yankees’ system, depending on your source. (Before the season, The Athletic’s Keith Law ranked Gómez eighth, Duran 11th and Alcantara 13th among New York’s prospects.) Alcantara, 18, and Duran, 22, might take longer to develop, but Gómez likely would be ready for the majors in 2023, when this Royals roster might be ready to contend. One could argue the Royals have so many starting pitching prospects, why add more? But the answer lies in something owner John Sherman said the day he was introduced in 2019: “When you have a lot of pitching prospects, get some more.”
The best-case scenario for the Royals would be moving two and a half years of Merrifield for a potential All-Star center fielder, a starter with pitchability and velocity, and a boom-or-bust second baseman. As hard as it would be for Royals fans to see Merrifield in pinstripes, they’d know that the team had aligned a player (Alcantara) to a position (center field) that’s a must at Kauffman Stadium.
What do you think of this deal?
Bowden: I really like your trade idea for both sides, but the prospect package might be a tad too strong. Gómez and Alcantara would be fair value, but if the Royals could get Duran too, it would be a no-brainer for Kansas City. The Yankees need to get more athletic and improve on the basepaths, and acquiring Merrifield, who leads the league with 24 stolen bases in 25 attempts, would accomplish both aims. The Yankees would significantly benefit from Merrifield’s versatility; he could play second base or left field, depending on the best fit for them that night.
IF/OF Whit Merrifield to the Mets for CF Pete Crow-Armstrong, RHP J.T. Ginn and OF Alexander Ramirez
Lewis: Maybe this is a byproduct of thinking Merrifield could handle playing in New York, but the Mets also feel like a possible destination. They’ve reportedly shown interest in Pirates second baseman Adam Frazier, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, and they’ve recently traded with the Royals, in February’s three-team deal that landed Andrew Benintendi and sent Khalil Lee to the Mets.
Once again, a center fielder is a centerpiece of the deal. Crow-Armstrong, whom the Mets picked at No. 19 in the 2020 MLB Draft, recently underwent shoulder surgery. Still, his defense will play in center at Kauffman Stadium, and his contact ability should help his bat play in the big leagues, too. To bolster the deal, let’s add Ginn, a big-time talent out of Mississippi State who last year had Tommy John surgery, to the package. Ginn, 22, has a premier fastball-slider combo with a developing changeup that should one day make him a big-league starter. And then there’s Ramirez, a young, toolsy player who could serve as insurance in the outfield.
Would this stand as enough certainty for the Royals, given what Merrifield will provide to the Mets?
Bowden: First, if the Royals can get Crow-Armstrong straight up for Merrifield, they should immediately call a press conference. I really like the 19-year-old and believe he’s a future All-Star center fielder with above-average leadoff potential. Factor in Merrifield’s age and six years of future major-league control of Crow-Armstrong, and this type of deal would be another no-brainer for KC. However, I don’t love the fit with the Mets, who have Jeff McNeil at second base, Dominic Smith in left field and Michael Conforto in right. If I were the Mets, I wouldn’t want to disrupt a first-place team. I’d rather see them pursue Kris Bryant if they’re going to add a position player. I think pitching should remain the Mets’ top priority in trade talks.
RHP Scott Barlow to the Phillies for OF Mickey Moniak, LHP Bailey Falter and SS/2B Nick Maton
Lewis: What’s the market for a pitcher like Barlow? Well, last summer the Royals traded 30-year-old lefty reliever Tim Hill, who had four-plus years of control remaining, to the Padres for Franchy Cordero and Ronald Bolaños. Barlow is more valuable than Hill was then. He’s only 28, he has three and a half years of control left and he’s been one of the best relievers in baseball this season. Per FanGraphs, his 1.2 WAR heading into play Friday night ranked eighth among all relievers.
The Phillies seem to perennially need bullpen help, so Barlow would be attractive. To make it happen, maybe the contact-dependent Moniak makes sense as a center fielder who could play in the near future. (Royals center fielder, Michael A. Taylor, will be a free agent after the season.) The Royals would want more for Barlow, so how about more pitching depth? Falter, a funky lefty with deception, could fill in with spot starts, if necessary. His mid-90s heat could also work out of the bullpen.
Adding a utilityman such as Maton makes sense, too. From Kanas City’s perspective, is this too much or too little?
Bowden: I like the concept of this trade idea, but I don’t like the players coming back to the Royals. Moniak likely won’t ever hit enough, Maton is nothing more than a utility player and, although I think Falter can become a quality set-up reliever, I like Barlow better than him. Bottom line: Barlow is the best player in this trade scenario, and I will always take quality over quantity.
RHP Scott Barlow to the Astros for CF Colin Barber and RHP Forrest Whitley
Lewis: Applying the center field tag to Barber might be a bit deceptive. Scouts question his arm, but his hitting ability should play every day, and for Barlow’s services, this deal seems to make a lot of sense for the Royals. (Note: Barber, 20, is currently on the injured list.)
Especially when Barber is paired with Whitley, who underwent Tommy John surgery in the spring. That might scare Kansas City a bit, but the 23-year-old is a former first-rounder — with considerable injury history beyond the UCL operation — who fits the Royals’ prototype of a big power arm. The high-upside Whitley could really pan out for them if he can get healthy, and the Astros might be ready to move him to strengthen the big-league team’s competitive window.
Bowden: I love that you went outside-the-box and were willing to take a chance on Whitley, despite him being out until at least June 2022, and Barber, who has done very little since being drafted in the fourth round in 2019. I like the deal for both sides. The Astros get a much-needed, impact set-up reliever to help them win now. The Royals roll the dice on Whitley, hoping he lives up to the hype, which I think will happen — if he can get healthy — by 2023 or 2024. I also like the left-handed hitting Barber’s ability to draw walks. I’m just not sure if he’s going to hit, but he’s still a worthwhile thrown-in.
Bonus round: Anyone else?
Lewis: Who else do you see as a trade option for the Royals before the deadline, and what might the return look like?
Bowden: Left-hander Danny Duffy is on his free-agent walk year and he will be traded — unless his 10-and-5 rights, allowing him to veto any deal, get in the way. I could see the Blue Jays, Braves, Cardinals and Giants having interest, if he can pass the medicals. However, I think the best fit is the Dodgers, who have depth issues in the rotation with Trevor Bauer on administrative leave and Clayton Kershaw and Dustin May on the injured list. What about Zach McKinstry straight up for Duffy? McKinstry can play second, third and corner outfield. He’s under team control through 2026, and he’d give the Royals a strong bench player for years to come. [Reply]
Originally Posted by petegz28:
This team went to 2 and won 1 World Series in spite of both Yost and Moore. Moore lucked into H-D-H and that's plain and simple. His pitching drafts, signings, trades, etc. have been complete and total ass.
And I say this as I watch the leadoff walk score.
He did good with Hos and Moose, etc. but let's face it, if it was not for that Pen and particularly Davis, we don't win a World Series or even go to one.
