As a fantasy baseball dork, Alex Gordon becomes draftable as a late-round flier (or a potential waiver wire add) as soon as I hear that Yost is working with him.

Yost can develop hitters with the best of them. He's not great about managing bullpens (though still better at it than Hillman), but the man knows how to build an offense.

No argument there, although I think it's debatable that our manager could win with the Yankees lineup

He'd find a way to blowout CC's arm and Riveras

Just ask Gil (although he's two hundred and six).

Chris Lubanski signs with Blue Jays

I had hoped for more from Lubanski and the Royals. I thought maybe he could be a power hitting OF for them as he grew. He really struggled at AAA.

http://www.timesherald.com/articles/...e097882568.txt

Lubanski's a great example of how Baird never got a fair shake.

My memory was that he wanted to take Markakis with that pick but Glass wouldn't pay for it. So he took Lubanski as a 'signability' guy and Markakis went just a couple of picks later.

You know the rest.

Him and Mitch Maier amongst others are failed picks thanks to Glass being cheap. I still love the Colt Griffin pick.:shake:

I always point to Maier as an example of the Royals being both incompetent and unlucky.

Carlos Quentin went the pick before they took Maier and most indications suggest that the Royals were high on Quentin at the time.

http://www.ranyontheroyals.com/

Great update, which is about a week old now. But provides an important perspective on the role of the stolen base.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slu...yhoo&type=lgns

Are the Royals really going to set the record for losses?

they won't set the record, but they will suck in all ways imaginable

I don't think so.

But we'll be eliminated by the beginning of May.

Are the Royals gonna like, sign anybody good this year?

No.

Although, I do like the signing for the Cuban pitcher. That should pay off in a couple years.

Great signing.

But we really, really need 2015 to get here quickly or for Moore to do something so extreme that he gets fired.

According to TBrown's twitter, Rick Ankiel is a royal :/

TBrownYahoo Rick Ankiel agrees to a one-year contract with Royals worth $3.25 million guaranteed. Second-year mutual option worth $6 million.

It's only one year, and at least we don't have to watch Maier. I'm ok with this.

Royals Reach Agreement With Rick Ankiel
By Tim Dierkes [January 21 at 10:58pm CST]
The Royals reached an agreement with outfielder Rick Ankielon a one-year, $3.25MM deal, tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown. The contract has a second-year mutual option worth $6MM. Back on December 10th, ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweetedthat Scott Boras wanted three years and "big money" for Ankiel, but ultimately he settled for an unsurprising contract.

Ankiel will try to rebuild value in Kansas City after slipping to a .231/.285/.387 line for the Cardinals in 2009. The 30-year-old's maladies included a sore Achilles tendon, a deep shoulder bruise, and a groin strain. The shoulder injury, suffered in May, came from a headfirst collision with a wall and lingered most of the season.

A converted pitcher, Ankiel has experience at all three outfield positions but predominantly played center field. He'll join Scott Podsednik and David DeJesus in the Royals' outfield, with Jose Guillen presumably serving as designated hitter.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/

Probably the best signing for the ML club all off-season. But it wouldn't take a whole lot to earn this distinction...(perhaps Thompson, actually, but whatever)

Is he going to be '07/'08 Ankiel? If so, this has potential.

If he's '09 Ankiel, he'll be just another anchor. Meh, worth the risk.

I don't mind the Ankiel signing at all. At least he has shown SOME production. If he can be anything like he was in 07-08, he immediately upgrades the middle of out lineup.

I hope we still are making a play for Erik Bedard too, as that is the same sort of thing.

I like the 1 year roll, why not, see what happens.

I hope we try to get bedard

Anyone think Guillen isn't going to be a Royal after this move? or that more moves are ahead? perhaps callaspo or dejesus?

Dayton Moore sure loves his low OBP hitters coming off terrible years.

That was my first thought as well. Outfield is now kind of crowded with DDJ, Podsednik and Ankiel. I heard Dayton the other day say something to the effect that if Guillen couldn't get his stamina up enough to be an outfielder that they would DH him, but that they would also like to look at Callaspo at DH because they want his bat in there too.

Maybe Ankiel is insurance after Trey blows out Meche's arm?

seriously though i think guillen has to be next to go, he isn't healthy

What the hell? Is this a joke? That circus midget (I mean that literally) honest to god signed Ankiel?

You are wrong old wise one. The only time Ankiel hits home runs is on pitchers mistakes. The "book" on him is solid. Breaking balls in and off speed stuff low and away with heaters up in the strike zone. You hit those spots you will get a strikeout every time.

The Ankiel of 2007 is gone. Maybe he will learn to lay off those pitches with the Royals but even a benching in St. Louis didn't make him change his approach at the plate.

But one year $3.2 mil you didn't break the bank and if he gets it together has an upside.

I have to agree that there's no guarantee that Ankiel will hit worth a damn for the Royals.

But I like the signing for a couple of reasons. First of all, anything that increases the chances that Jose Freaking Guillen will be gone is a good move. I also think Rick Ankiel's story is inspirational because he was such a talented young pitcher who melted down and then overcame some prettty big odds to return to the majors as a power-hitting center fielder.

I don't know if Rick Ankiel will do ANYTHING for the Royals, or if he will even crack the starting lineup, but at least they picked up a player I can root for, and they signed him for a single year for a reasonable amount of money. I can't root for assholes like Jose Guillen. And if there's any chance that Ankiel can come close to the numbers he put up in 2007 and 2008, then this will be a good move by Dayton Moore. Of course, since Dayton Moore doesn't make very good moves, it's hard to be optimistic that this will work out any better than most of his free agent signings.

I just hope he and Zach stay away from each other. Remember when Zach announced that he used to cry himself to sleep holding a baseball bat because he wanted to be an everyday hitter so bad? It's easy to imagine Zach watching Rick Ankiel hit a few home runs and then yearning to be an everyday hitter again. That's the LAST thing this team needs.

I wish Rick all the luck in the world. I hope he hits 290, 35 hrs, and 110 RBI's for you guys...

Little inside info...he and Colby Rasmus couldn't stand each other - very personal - and that was one of the reasons the Cards didn't resign him. Colby is the golden boy.

Anyway, I am not a Royals fan, but I wish him well.

:ZZZ:

Rany and his statics (uzi) suggest this signing will cost the royals 1.5 games next year

As a Cardinals fan -- Good, I don't want him around anymore. Ankiel's a good kid and a hard worker, but the Cardinals have invested 10 years and tens of millions into him. They've gotten all of 1 good season as a SPer and 1 solid season as an OFer...and countless distractions.

From the 'back alley' bullpen sessions to his surgeries to his conversion to OF (and more surgeries), there's just a constant din surrounding the guy. He's entirely too erratic and I just don't care to deal with it anymore.

From a Royals perspective - good luck. Ankiel was a guaranteed K in clutch situations. If you had a runner on 3rd and less than 2 outs, he was going to hack wildly at whatever breaking ball in the dirt or fastball above the letters you threw him. His plate discipline is some of the worst I've ever seen and his swing is simply waaaaaay too long to let him get away with it. Even in 2008 he was a guy that I didn't trust a bit up there. With 400 ABs and 25 HRs he STILL only managed 71 RBI hitting from RBI slots for most of the season (over 300 of his ABs came from 4/5/6 in the order) He'd hit a bunch of HRs that didn't really matter, then swing through a cockshot fastball with runners on in the late innings.

His defense was passable in the OF. He takes poor routes to the ball but he's fearless and incredibly athletic so he'll often be able to dive or otherwise make a miraculous adjustment to catch a ball that should've been a far easier play to make. Ultimately he gets the job done, he's just a bit of an adventure out there. His throwing arm is one of the best I've ever seen, but that goes without saying.

His upside is that he'll occasionally get absolutely red-hot. During those stretches he's still not going to hit a good pitch, but he'll fight it off. Rather than hacking over top of a slider in the dirt, he'll just nick it and stay alive. He'll do that for 5 or 6 pitches until the pitcher hangs a breaker or gets a little too much plate with a fastball. He's a valuable guy to have hitting 6th for you when he gets in that groove. Unfortunately for him and KC, I think those will be less and less frequent because pitchers simply don't throw him strikes anymore and he doesn't make them. We'll see if he's willing to alter his approach a bit.

I think he's a worthwhile risk for 1 yr. He certainly fits Moore's trend of not giving a rip about OBP. But he's a great guy and a tireless worker. He'll fit well in KC but he probably won't be nearly as productive as you would hope. I wish him nothing but the best, but I'm happy that he's gone.

Tony Pena Jr to the Bullpen!!!!!

I ****ing wish. It's about all the value he has to this team anymore. He can't field, he can't hit. Might as well try to sharpen his pitching skills.

Well, besides the fact that TPJ is a Giant now, I'd say you're right.

You really don't ever get anything right, do you?

He's right about being wrong at a most amazing clip........

WTF? Pena Jr was moved to the bullpen last year, and now was signed by the Giants as a pitcher this offseason.

Read poster ID.

Suspend disbelief.

He has a truly spectacular ability to be an idiot at a nearly 100% clip.

It's a verifiable skill-set at this point.

I like Ankiel. He has a lot of heart, kind of the anti-Guillen.
Highlights as a Cardinal here:
http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player_media...ayer_id=150449

I'm having a very, very hard time supporting Moore any longer.

I kinda like the signing cause it could mean guillens gone but i hope the 3.2 mill won't cost us a pitcher like bedard if we were trying.

:doh!: Dammit Dayton. I ****ing hate this move. Ever since he had to go off the HGH he's lost most of his power. He might give Gordon a run for his money for most strike outs though. He better cut that ****ing mustache. I don't think many people in KC would accept that sort of pillowbiter douchery to happen like they do on the other side of the state.

This is true, mustaches would only detract from the mullets.

I'm sorry, but I just don't see a lot of downside to this move right now.

At least he MIGHT be able to get it to the warning track. Or catch a fly ball. Or throw a guy out from the outfield.

Wow I must have missed that. Which one of our players has a mullet now?

I wanted the Cubs to sign him. :evil:

I thought we were talking about the proclivities and tolerance of the fanbase.

No I was talking about him actually having a mustache. It wasn't just him it was almost the entire team. The Cards fans I met actually liked that their team was parading around the field like a bunch of pillowbiters from the 80's.

We're cool with unibrows, but **** a pillowstache.

I'd like to welcome you to '09. :)

you can't even wish for the team to crash and burn so they will clean house, because the royals don't care they get their money from people wanting to go to a "ball game" with their family, and drunk young people, and high schoolers, and good lord the people that just go look at the girls in tank tops.

I don't think this is a bad signing. Though after you sign Anderson and Podsednick while you still have DeJesus, Maier and Guillen on the roster really leaves one to was Moore, WTF ARE YOU DOING, DUMBASS???

LMAO

On Rick Ankiel and Dayton Moore
Posted by Joshua Fisher
Rick Ankiel's an odd duck, and not in the Long Island sort of way. While it wouldn't surprise me if he eventually latched on with the famed Atlantic League outfit, Ankiel can thank Scott Boras for finding him an even zanier huckleberry: Dayton Moore. Coming off a 0.1 WAR age-29 season, Ankiel will earn $3.25 million to play center field for the Kansas City Royals next season. And in a brilliant negotiating ploy, Moore secured a mutual $6 million option for the 2011 season. Setting aside the obvious silliness of a mutual option--every single free agent contract signed could be termed a "mutual option," right?--Ankiel's just another punchline in the legendary stand-up routine that is Dayton Moore's tenure.

I can't beat up Moore with Rany Jazayerli's unflappable passion or Joe Posnanski's surgical precision, but I can tell you that signing this particular mediocre defensive center fielder coming off a .285 OBP season doesn't even make a top ten list of Moore blunders. The fact is that it could be worse. Rick Ankiel, for his considerable warts, does have his attractive traits. As a 28-year old with fewer than 300 career plate appearances, Ankiel posted a .264/.337/.506 line. To put that in perspective, the 2009 Royals whiffed, tapped, and popped their way to .259/.318/.405. Though what many will latch on to this morning is his dismal, injury-riddled 2009, Ankiel seems a decent gamble for a team with absolutely nothing to lose.

Unfortunately, it's not quite that simple. As the Lawrence (Kansas) Journal-World's Jesse Newell notes on a message board, Ankiel's signing wreaks havoc on roster flexibility. David DeJesus and Ankiel will surely flank newly-acquired Scott Podsednik in the outfield, and Royals brass is already pumping up Chris Getz at second. He's the next David Eckstein, you see. This leaves Jose Guillen and Alberto Callaspo battling for the DH spot. Their 2009 wOBA's were .304 and .352 respectively. Callaspo's seven years younger. Easy, right? But Guillen will make $12 million in 2010--thanks, Dayton!--and Callaspo a fraction of that. So, to recap, the much better player is now extraordinarily devalued trade bait.

I think the real question at this point has to be "Why do we even care?" Why do fans care what Moore does at this point? A tiger doesn't change its stripes. Moore's never going to be any good, and neither will be the Royals under his leadership. And why does the baseball community care? Dayton Moore is baseball's Lindsay Lohan. A young star incapable of handling a bigger role whose drastic errors are so routine as to be barely newsworthy. At some point, his entire general managership becomes an episode of 24--explosions everywhere, but, you know what, that's the show.

Rick Ankiel is a classic Dayton Moore signing, and not in the way you might think. While his .285 OBP fits right in with this dismal squad, he's well worth a few million bucks. 2008 Rick Ankiel was worth two or three times what the Royals will pay him in 2010. Even a bargain, though, can be quintessentially Moore. A good signing makes the Royals worse, thanks to the laughably-constructed roster. Only Dayton Moore.

Erik Bedard-S- Mariners Jan. 23 - 9:24 am et
Orioles GM Andy MacPhail believes Erik Bedard is not close to a decision on where to pitch in 2010.
"[Bedard] sort of told us from the get-go that this wouldn't be an early decision, that this was something that probably would move closer to the reporting date in spring training," said MacPhail. The 30 year old was 5-3 with a 2.82 ERA in 15 games for the Mariners this past year while battling injuries. The Orioles and Royals are thought to be the top contenders for his services.
Source: MASN
Related: Orioles

Dayton has a dream of having a good lefty for a starting pitcher. A healthy Bedard keeps that dream alive for Moore.

Damn! I wish somebody would have wrote that the MLB network is showing a Royals/Blue Jays playoff game from 85. Pretty cool , Sundberg just hit a homer. Just told my 8 year old that I was 10 when this game happened and she freaked.

The 7-24-83 Pine tar game is on ESPN Classic right now.

Did anyone else watch this yesterday? That was a lot of fun, things have really changed.

I enjoyed the commentators (Yankee) talking about whether they thought Lou Pinella would ever become a manager.

Dayton Moore of the #Royals says LF Podsednik CF Ankiel and RF Dejesus. Dejesus is a tremendous LF but RF will not be a fit. TBC 18 minutes ago from web
from greg schaums twitter

Dayton is so awesome, DDJ is RF is a joke when he is an above avg LF'er

Moore has looked at the possibilities in the outfield and selected the absolute worst possible scenario.

Congrats, Dayton!

I really don't understand him...he continues to be the elmer fudd of GM's

I thought this deserved repeating.... :banghead:

Bob Fescoe hates the signing, which might be more reason to like it, plus apparently ankiel has a lisp?

Check out Rany's recent update. As usual, very informative.

And, because it pisses me off and is something that will undoubtedly come up this season as some try to find something good in the Kendall signing:

"Think Kendall is better at calling a game? We’ve been through this before. As Keith Woolner – you know, the guy the Indians hired to be their Manager of Baseball Research and Analysis – proved 10 years ago, “if there is a true game-calling ability, it lies below the threshold of detection.” There’s no evidence that any catcher – let alone Jason Kendall – has the ability to get a better performance from his pitchers than another."

From Rany, a few updates ago. Just to remind everyone that DM is brilliant.

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Tim Scott fail

The best part is when he say's Dayton Moore is Mr. Belding from Saved by the bell, sounds about right

I hate that ****ing guy. If we would've gotten rid of him along with teahen and Buck, this might have been the best off season EVARRRR.

What's sad is all of the dancers in the Tim Scott fail had to be put down after the awards show.....
.....because, well, it was just time.

He's STRRRIkomatic!!!!! Wow, just wow.

This would be the best off-season signing in Moore's career as a GM.

Ah, I just found out why the Royals are interested in Bedard...

Mariners head trainer Rick Griffin hinted Thursday that free agent Erik Bedard (shoulder) might not be ready to pitch for another three-to-five months.
Bedard underwent exploratory surgery on his left shoulder in August that revealed a torn labrum and inflamed bursa. According to Griffin, he was given a 10-to-12 month recovery timeline and it has only been seven. In other words, he might be ready by late April, but chances are he'll be out until May. No wonder he's drawn such little interest on the open market this winter.

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/pla...=281375&spln=1

I think bedard is worth the risk, hopefully DM gives it a shot

Sure Bedard is worth the risk, but hope everyone realizes he's not going to be able to pitch until June, and we'll probably be 20-30 games back at that point.

Has to be, at least, a 2-year deal, with an emphasis on deal.

1 yr/ $1 million with a team option for a 2nd year at $7 million w/ no buyout.

It's similar to what the Cardinals gave Carpenter coming out of Toronto. He ended up unable to pitch that season, the Cardinals declined his option, resigned him to a contract for $500K.

It worked out okay for us...

Sounds about right.

So I'm sure Dayton is working to finalize a 3 year/$21 million deal.

ROFL - I hate you

Bedard is going to get more than $1mill. Yes, Carpenter was coming off an injury just like Bedard, but he also was mediocre in Toronto.

Bedard has a much better track record - he hasn't had an ERA above 4 since 2004.

On petro the other day petro said "of course this team is going to be better, baseball is about the law of averages and it pulls you toward .500, so the team might be worse, but they will win games. A caller called in and was like, dude we've lost 100 games for like 10 straight years, I don't see where your logic is coming from.

That's a fair point, and Carpenter had pretty serious shoulder surgery; though Bedard's isn't much better.

That said, prior to Carp's surgery, he'd been seen as a guy on the rise and an emerging workhorse. He was still only 27 (Bedard's 30) and put together a very strong season in 2001. Carpenter's reputation was better than his results. It was hard to find anyone that wasn't puzzled as to why he was struggling. Bedard, OTOH has character questions and has never been healthy in his entire career.

Bedard certainly had the better individual season, but he brings a lot of other question marks that Carpenter didn't bring. With Carp, if his shoulder came back sound, you knew he'd be a workhorse for you. With Bedard, even if his shoulder comes back, you're always going to wonder how long he'll last. He's a lefthanded Harden. With Carp, you also got a guy you knew was respected in the clubhouse whereas Bedard seems reviled everywhere he goes.

Ultimately, with the Sheets contract being what it was, you're probably right. He'll probably get somewhere near $4 million guaranteed (probably $3 million with a $1 million buyout) and an option for $9/$10 million for next season. I can't see any team giving him a 1 yr deal worth anything if they don't know if he'll pitch at all this season; shoulders are strange animals.

I don't think I'd go that high.

I personally would like a Bedard deal in the range of that initial Carpenter deal with St. Louis. This team isn't going to score worth a shit.