I hope they take a hard look at trading Santana, cause i'd like to think near that deadline or the deadline day there will be huge demand for a SP. That said i just don't see Dayton waiving the white flag if the Royals are at .500 or just above .500.

If we are around .500 at the break, I keep Santana and play it out. If we're more than 2 games under, I'd look at moving him.

If they're within a handful at worst games out of first I think they have to try. They def. need to break .500 and stay above it

Trading Santana makes sense if:

1) You're out of playoff contention for 2013 (more than a half-dozen games back)
2) You get back a legitimate top 50-75 prospect who is ready to help the big-league club in 2014. You're talking about guys like Adalbert Mondesi/Cheslor Cuthbert/Jorge Bonifacio (current) or Danny Duffy (past) at that point.

If both of those things aren't present, I think you get more value out of him by keeping him, tendering him a qualifying offer, and picking up a supplemental pick in the 2014 draft (which is valuable for the draft pool dollars AND the potential to add a top 75 type guy to your squad).

For example, if the Royals had owned a supplemental pick in this draft, they could have taken Austin Meadows at No. 8 instead of Dozier and comfortably signed him while still landing Manaea and maybe even Dozier.

Yeah, I think the stat I read the other day was since the Wildcard era, no team 5 games under .500 at the AS break has reached the post season. I think it was only a couple that had reached the post season sitting 2 games under at the AS break. The A's last year and the Twins in '03. I'm too lazy to look up the actual stat, though.

Given that Garza appears to be the top pitcher on the market, Santana might bring a really nice haul.

This could be a perfect "buy low, sell high" opportunity.

Probably BS but Matt Garza, Cubs talking contract extension

Yeah, i wouldn't trade Santana just to get some b guys, it'd have to be the right deal. As for Garza, hes likely to go regardless of that extension talk...esp if he gets traded Santanas price would be huge.

Duncan, Can you elaborate on this. The supplemental picks in the 2013 draft were after round 3. How would that have changed the Dozier / Manaea (balance pick) to Meadows / Manaea ? thanks, DS

At least win the division and go from there. This team can hit, they just can't hit for power on a consistent basis. Raul will help that.

And what is there to lose? A b prospect and a little over a mill?

If the Royals are close and serious they have to make hard attempts to get a starting RF'er and 2b. Utley and Ibanez should be able to be had granted they want to come

KK and Danny rippin Rex and his dumb-assery

The system works like this:

If the Royals make a qualifying offer to a free agent who signs with another team. They get a compensation pick at the end of the first-round.

The team that signed Santana would lose its first-round pick, unless it is in the top 10 of the draft (in which case it would lose its next-highest pick). The team that lost Santana would then receive a pick at the end of the first round.

Example from this year: The Brewers had the 17th pick and signed Kyle Lohse, who was on a qualifying offer from the Cardinals. The Brewers lost their pick, with everyone behind them moving up one slot, and the Cardinals ended up with a compensation pick in the first round (No. 28).

So, if KC had been in a similar boat and made a qualifying offer to another FA THIS year, they would have received an extra pick somewhere between 28 and 34. (All comp picks are taken BEFORE the start of the competitive balance round).

That would have given KC:

No. 8 (regular pick)
No. 28-34 (comp pick for FA)
No. 35 (competitive balance pick)
No. 46 (second-round pick)

With the extra $1.75 million the Royals got for the extra comp pick, they could have taken Meadows at No. 8 and paid him slot (because they no longer need to save at that pick to sign Manaea). They can take Manaea with either of the next two picks, and take a lesser college player they're certain of signing with the other. That's where the savings for signing Manaea could have been found.

In next year's draft, the Royals likely will be picking somewhere in the teens with their first-round pick. If they make a qualifying offer to Santana and he signs with a different team, they'll get an extra pick at the end of the first round for him, with the signing team forfeiting their first-rounder. Then, they'll get a competitive balance pick.

That extra $1.75 million from the extra first-round pick could come in really handy. That would give the flexibility to take someone with their REGULAR first-rounder who was falling due to price concerns. Or simply let them take another first-round type talent.

The problem is 7 million for a half season of utley may hinder us signing guys in the future because we're maxed out and cheap.

Jesus man. You are a bamf when it comes to baseball.