http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/po...enefits-royals

Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Meche's retirement benefits Royals
By Rob Neyer
ESPN.com

Gil Meche is retiring?

"After a lot of thinking and prioritizing of issues in my life, I have decided to retire from baseball. As a competitor my entire life this is the hardest decision that I’ve ever faced, but it’s not fair to me, my family or the Kansas City Royals that I attempt to pitch anymore.

"I came into this game as a starting pitcher and unfortunately my health, more accurately, my shoulder, has deteriorated to the point where surgery would be the only option and at this stage of my life I would prefer to call it a career rather than to attempt to pitch in relief for the final year of my contract.

"I can’t thank the Kansas City Royals and their fans enough for my four seasons there, and if I have any regret, it’s that we weren’t able to accomplish on the field what the goal was when I signed there.”


Until today, Meche was the highest-paid Royal. By a LOT. He was slated to earn $12 million in 2011; next on the list is Joakim Soria, at $4 million. Jason Kendall ($3.75 million) and Jeff Francoeur ($2.5 million) are the only other Royals making more than $2 million in 2011.

To which I can only say, it's about damn time.

The Gil Meche contract was ridiculous the moment the Royals offered it, and only became more ridiculous the moment he signed it. There's just no sense in spending $55 million on any player if you're not going to contend, and when Meche signed that contract in December 2006 there was no reason to think the Royals were going to contend for anything but fourth place.

It's since been argued that Meche actually did OK. He pitched well in 2007 and 2008, gave the Royals some innings in 2009, and with a decent 2011 -- even just pitching out of the bullpen -- he could essentially give the Royals their $55 millions' worth.

Please.

The Royals threw $55 million into a giant sinkhole, $55 million that could have been better spent elsewhere. Exactly where, I don't know. But you'll have an awful hard time convincing me that 617 innings and a 4.27 ERA was the best way to spend $55 million. Or even a good way. And yes, hindsight it 20/20 but it's not like Meche had some brilliant history of success when the Royals signed him. It looked (to me) like a stupid move then, and it looks like a stupid move now.

Granted, theoretically the Royals don't owe him that $12 million this year, which would make the deal look quite a bit better. But I suspect that they'll pay him some chunk of that money, as a sort of settlement. It's just hard to see Meche leaving $12 million on the table, when to earn it all he'd have to do is throw 50 innings of relief or something this summer.

Either way, the Royals will have a tiny payroll this season, which should allow them to invest heavily in the draft, again. Which, considering their drafting success over the last three or four years, seems like a mighty good thing.

Stay Douchey Rob

You can't have it both ways. You have people saying the Royals don't spend enough money, then you have them saying guys like Meche are overpaid. Well, you aren't signing someone like Zack Greinke for $12 million a year.

Given our current payroll, which isn't necessarily a bad thing for '11, we're on the clock: if the pendulum doesn't start to swing the other way as the prospects come up and, we hope, produce, Glass needs to sell the team.

glad we didn't trade for this clown


Milton Bradley arrested on felony charge


Bradley
According to King 5 Sports in Seattle, Milton Bradley was arrested on a felony in Los Angeles County.
We're still awaiting more details, but one would think this would finally be enough to void the rest of his contract. The troubled Bradley is still owed $12 million for the 2011 season. Stay tuned for more information as it is made available. Jan. 18 - 9:07 pm et
Source: King5Sports on Twitter

If Butler Gordon Guillen produce like they are supposed too then we could have had a nice #2 in meche, it didn't work out, but it gave us a pitcher with Major League credentials for awhile

Our payroll is going to be hilariously low this year and next year. This team is going to make an enormous profit, which if Glass was truthful in saying he wanted to be close to break even in the long run, means that extra money should be banked for the future. If we just arbitrarily threw 25-30 million on 1 or 2 players right now before we knew what we had in prospects, in a year where we have no chance, it would be a dumbass waste of money.

I'm fine with a tiny payroll this year. I expect that if ANYONE good falls in the draft due to signability, we'll hand out the bonus and steal the player in the 2nd or 3rd round. If one or more of our prospects turn out to be stars I expect us to start buying up free agency years. If we are good and need just a couple more pieces in the winter of 2012-2013 (catcher?), I expect us to buy those pieces and go for it.

We dont have to waste money for no good reason, if that extra money goes to the draft and to locking up/signing players in the future when we might actually need to spend the money, fine. If it goes to buy Wal-Mart stock when we really do need the money, not fine.

If Rob really wanted be a stat guy and do the hard work, he'd look at Meche and break him down before and after Hillman destroyed him. But then what would he have to complain about...

2007 - 3.67 ERA, 62 BB, 156 K
2008 - 3.98 ERA, 73 BB, 183 K
2009 - 3.31 ERA, 31 BB, 67 K
(Up to 132 pitch game)

I'm not doing all the math, but his numbers from that 132 pitch CG to the end of his career:
Around 106 IP, 81 ER, 65 BB, 69 K

Those might be slightly off but it's in the neighborhood.

And with a gifted $12M, we should be hard to outbid in Latin America. Losing a top prospect because of $1-2M will be unacceptable.

This next draft may also be the last one without a hard-slotting system (both sides seem to agree somewhat on a slotting system for the next CBA), if that happens, it would take away the big advantage we shamelessly exploited to build up our monster farm system. This next draft is also apparently going to be deep and it may be our last chance to overpay for prospects.

Given that and all the pile of cash we saved, we should signal to all the best young players this year that we are ready to hand out bonuses, and just go hog-wild in the draft on anyone who falls.

$12 million dollar draft! Let's sign the **** out of some would-be college Freshmen. Yes, Mr. 39th round pick. We know you want to go to UC Irvine. But what if we give you $2.3 million?!?!?

Dayton Moore straightened out KK during his show...check out the BTL podcast with Moore:

http://www.810whb.com/podcasts

Or look at FanGraphs and see that Meche gave the Royals $47 million of value in his four years -- which exceeds the money they actually paid him during that time.

The Meche signing was ok for more reasons that what he produced.

I know some people think this is bs but it showed player we were willing to pay for a FA and if you think about it there is no way ZG signed his first extension if Meche and some of the other moves that offseason aren't made.

Figures have been exchanged. Last year Butler made $470,000. Butler is seeking $4.3MM this year, and the Royals offered $3.4MM.

They are close enough that I think they will meet in the middle to avoid arbitration, something a little bit under 4.