This team would obviously need a lot of luck to beat the Tigers. How much luck, though?

What do you think is the highest, real, no-luck expected win total for this team?

They had the Royals salaries in the paper this AM. This year is the most they've ever spent on payroll, $79 million. Here's some stuff that blows me away:

Ho-Chaser is the 7th highest paid player. Santana, Shields and Guthrie are the only pitchers to make more.

Frenchy makes seven times more than Salvy Perez and twice as much as Escobar. That's a frickin' crime.

Hoz, Moose, Holland, Herrera, Collins, Mendoza, Dyson, Duffy and Cain are all between 500 and 600 thou.

I guess when you're a player, you can't let guys like Hoch and Frenchy stealing money bother you. It would sure bother me if I were a starter.

Assuming that all individuals playing to the peak potential isn't "luck"?

90 games.

They're getting noticed.

Frenchy signed a free agent deal. Hochevar is arbitration eligible. Salvy and Escobar are both not eligible for either. That's the way it works in baseball and the players know that. Unfortunately for them they signed crap deals that take away their arbitration and a couple of FA years. Not unfortunate for the cheap-o Royals though.

JIMP

must. not. get. hopes. up.

I would rather go unnoticed. Sneak up on the whole AL.

That payroll will go up during the year. The most I believe they actually spent on payroll over a whole season was $81 million a few years back during the Meche-era. And that was on top of being near the top of spending in the draft and Latin America.

But those salaries are normal for young players early in their first contract. That'll start going up soon. If they turn into what we hope they will, DM will have some brutal decisions to make.

The Tigers have been scared of the Royals potential for the past couple years now. Them re-signing Anibal Sanchez was a direct response to the Shields trade, imo.

There are signs that Detroit's clubhouse isn't the best right now. The question is if that will translate to under performance on the field. With what they had on paper and a weak central division, they should have won 95+ last year.

We are the reigning clubhouse champions, so we have that going for us.

Nice to hear Denny Matthews again.

I'm getting excited!

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2013/0...medium=twitter

With the Royals will likely open the season with a club-record $79MM payroll, Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star doesn't anticipate any contract extensions for the team's young talent especially Eric Hosmer, a Scott Boras client.
The Royals will keep their eye on the outfield trade market, tweets CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler.