From Baseball America:

While the big league club just completed a decade of futility, there is hope for the Royals' future. Six of the Royals Top 10 Prospects are pitchers and the position players provide plenty of intrigue. The list leads off with lefthander Mike Montgomery whose fastball touches 94-95.

Here's the problem - you already wasted him.

Butler is a legitimate hitter, but Hosmer and Moustakas need at least another year in the minors, probably 2 (potentially 5). Moustakas just struggled at High A; that certainly looks like a guy that has another 2 or 3 minor league seasons before he gets a look. Hosmer was absolutely abysmal outside of rookie short-season ball, he's another guy that looks a long way off.

But let's be wildly optimistic and say that they'll be in the bigs by 2011 to get their rookie knocks out of the way. They'll probably then experience a bit of a sophomore slump in 2012, followed by legitimate strides in 2013.

In the incredibly unlikely event that both guys pan out according to plan, I still can't imagine you'll see them as legitimate run producers until about 2013. Greinke's last season under this contract is 2012.

Unfortunately, the Royals cupboard is so bare in the high minors that Zack Greinke is as good as wasted already. They just don't have anyone in AA or above that looks like they'll develop into a legitimate major leaguer. Unless Alex Gordon becomes what he was supposed to be, David Lough becomes a true #3 hitter w/ a mix of power and speed and Billy Butler develops 30 HR pop, the Royals will remain well behind Zack Greinke's development curve.

I think Greinke will be very effective beyond 2012. Don't you?

Sure.

In Boston.

I will not hear this.

2011 needs to be a respectable season, and large sums of money need to be sent his way.

This. Along with a soundproof panic room personally installed for him.

He'll be a $20 mil/season pitcher if he stays healthy; there's no way the Royals would match that. I think that's also when Dice-K comes of Boston's books and the Yankees will probably be looking to replace Pettite. Burnett's a FA in 2013, so the Yankees wouldn't have to worry about being hamstrung by his deal. You'll get a bidding war out of the AL East.

Even if the Royals come up with the coin, there's the possibility that the draw of the NL (and batting) gets to be too much for him. The Mets will be getting long in the tooth in their rotation and you know that he'd salivate over the prospect of pitching in that park. The Braves will have Lowe and Hudson off their payroll, can't you see them making a move for the southerner to pair with Tommy Hanson? The Dodgers are always on the prowl, though they'll probably be looking at extensions for Kershaw, Kemp, Ethier and Broxton around that time, so they may be tapped out. Hell, the Cards will drop $27 million in salary in 2012 as that's when Carpenter and Lohse's deals end...

Sorry boss, but I don't see any chance in the world that he comes back to KC if he stays healthy for the next 3 seasons.

Are you guys seriously not excited about Jordan Parraz, Mario Lissan and Blake Johnson?

And I wouldnt mind picking up a guy like Brad Ausumus for a year or two...

Brad Ausmus AND Jason Kendall? FML

Yea, im not a big fan of the kendall signing, but i thought Brad was better.. :banghead:

Please tell me this is sarcasm.

Mario Lissan is a utility infielder at his absolute apex. Blake Johnson will struggle to latch on as a 5th starter.

Parraz has some interesting upside but largely on the strength of one good season in the Texas League (a hitter's paradise). He'll certainly need to repeat it before I consider him a legitimate prospect.

You can't let a bidding war begin in the first place.

In '11, assuming Moore and Hillman haven't caused his arm to fall off, I'm offering 5 for 90, and I think that 6 for 108 would get it done.

Teams simply cannot lose home-grown, elite talent like Greinke.

Apparently Brandon Jones of the Braves has been DfA.....the royals need to get this guy. It makes too much sense omg the OBP would be so against DM

Brandon Jones-OF- Braves Jan. 12 - 4:34 pm et

Braves designated OF Brandon Jones for assignment.
What was once one of the top prospects in the organization was cleared in order to make room for Eric Hinske on the team's 40-man roster. Jones, 26, was 4-for-13 in five games with the Braves last season, but spent the majority of the year with Triple-A Gwinnett, batting .281/.360/.419 with seven home runs and 57 RBI.

mlbtraderumors.com

Royals Considering Gomes, Thames
By Tim Dierkes [January 12, 2010 at 8:08am CST]

The Royals are looking to add a power hitter, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The bat would slot into right field or the DH spot, depending on the health of Jose Guillen. Morosi names Jonny Gomes and Marcus Thames as two players of interest who could fit into Dayton Moore's limited budget.

Gomes, 29, was non-tendered by the Reds after hitting .267/.338/.541 in 314 plate appearances. 35% of those PAs came against left-handed pitching, keep in mind. Gomes would be best-served as a DH, as his limited defensive work in the outfield corners grades poorly. We haven't heard about much of a market for Gomes, aside from seemingly mild interest from the Reds and Yankees.

Thames, 33 in March, hit .252/.323/.453 in 294 plate appearances for the Tigers and was cut loose in November. He saw lefties even more often than Gomes. The main defensive difference between the two is Thames' 239.3 career innings at first base. The Indians and Blue Jays were named as interested parties in mid-December, though the Tribe may be out after signing Austin Kearns and Shelley Duncan.

Though not mentioned by Morosi, free agents Gary Sheffield and Jermaine Dye also fit the profile of right-handed bats with pop and limited defensive ability.

If Johnny Gomes is a power hitter, I've really lost touch with baseball.