2013 Kansas City Royals Repository Thread

[duncan_idaho]

Proposed 2013 Slogan: Tigers: They're what's for dinner
Actual 2013 Slogan: Come to Play
A better, more accurate, or alternative slogan: All in, no panic, we promise.

Dayton Moore has pushed all his chips in and is riding on King/Jack suited, hoping it comes together, he gets some good luck, and he hits the nuts by the river card. There's potential, oh yes, there's potential. There's also risk.

At the midway point, Dayton is left counting on the river card. The flop and turn didn't help him, and he's looking at the Tigers holding a pair of Queens and the Indians holding a pair of 9s. His 2013 plan hasn't failed - yet - but the odds are not in his favor.

Burning questions updates below.

Burning Questions for 2013:

1) Will the improve rotation be improved enough? Does James Shields pitch like a fringe No. 1 away from Tampa Bay? Does Ervin Santana pitch to his highest upside in his walk year? Can Jeremy Guthrie build on his strong performance as a Royal in 2012? Can Wade Davis bring his new mentality- and velocity - back to the rotation?

Midseason check-in: Yes, the rotation is certainly improved enough. Shields has pitched like a fringe No. 1 and Santana is having his best season. Guthrie has horrible peripherals but has continued to perform well at his home park and eat innings on the road. Davis brought neither his kick-ass mentality or improved velocity back to the rotation and is in Luke Hochevar/Hiram Davies territory.

2) When will Luke Hochevar be shown the door?
Midseason check-in: It appears, never, at this point. Hochevar has been solid in non-leverage situations, though pretty much every time he has been used with men on base in an inning, it has been a disaster.

3) Does Hosmer bounce back?
Midseason check-in: It took some time, but Hosmer's performance from June 1 on is probably the most encouraging thing about the 2013 season so far.
4) Can Moustakas hit for a whole season like he did in the first half of 2012?
Midseason check-in: Nope. Moustakas was god-awful, then great for about 3 weeks, then god-awful again. He has been better since he started working with Brett and Grafol but still has a long way to go.
5) Who regresses?
Midseason check-in: Welp, Alicides Escobar is not a surprising name here (though Yost's stubborn insistence on hitting him second is ridiculous). Billy Butler is a surprise. He isn't having a terrible year - still contributing a lot to the offense - but he's not hitting for the average or power he has displayed over the past several years.
6) Who plays 2B?
Midseason check-in: A whole bunch of people, and not that great. Gio is at least getting a shot, though he once again is not doing much with it.
7) Can Jeff Francoeur be at least replacement level, rather than epic horrible level?
Midseason check-in: Hahahahahahahahahahaha
8) Will Dayton Moore survive to see 2014?
Midseason check-in: Outlook uncertain. Probably still around, unless the team completely tanks in the second half and he does something foolish. My guess - he sacrifices Ned Yost this offseason and gets one more shot with a new manager in 2014.
9) Will Danny Duffy come back healthy? And if he does, is he the same, better or worse?
Midseason check-in: Yes. Velocity looks the same, and it looks likely he is the same guy as before.
10) And the big one: Has KC added enough to run down the big-money Detroit Tigers?
Midseason check-in: Doesn't look like it, does it?

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by Nightfyre

5/80 is what he signed - with a 16MM club option tacked on the end. (5MM buyout so I guess the deal is really 6/96 or 5/85)

According to Baseball Reference, it was 5/88.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/pl...html#contracts

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by DeezNutz

Yeah, it's not a two-year window. Gordon through '16. Hosmer through '18. Etc.

Gordon's 2016 option is a player option so that's not correct. Hosmer? Jeez, you're argument can't be based on Eric Hosmer making us a winner.

There was a reason why Rany went on suicide watch when the trade went down last winter, and it's not because DM suddenly became savvy.

Rany is ok but here's what he predicted about Hosmer before last year:

"He hit .313 and slugged .493 after the All-Star Break; both numbers seem like reasonable approximations for what he can do next season. Any better than that, and he’s a candidate to make the All-Star team in front of his hometown fans."
http://www.ranyontheroyals.com/2011/...art-three.html

[Nightfyre]

5 years/$80M (2013-17), plus 2018 option. Re-signed by Detroit as a free agent 12/14/12. $4M signing bonus. 13:$8M, 14:$15M, 15:$16M, 16:$16M, 17:$16M, 18:$16M club option, $5M buyout.


Straight off Baseball Prospectus.

[Nightfyre]

so 5/80 or 6/96.

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by Reaper16

Reports were that Anibal got that much from Detroit because Detroit felt pressure to make a move after the Royals traded for James Shields.

While that may be true, I remain unconvinced that Mr. Wal-Mart would have approved of the deal. Reports surfaced Cubs offered Anibal a 5/78 deal before the Tigers signed him.

Anibal was getting a huge payday with or without the deal for James.

FYI- I still disliked the trade when it happened, but this doomsday style meltdown is rather ridiculous.

[Nightfyre]

I like James Shields - but we gave up to much to acquire him. He was a great acquisition - just not at the cost.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by Nightfyre

I like James Shields - but we gave up to much to acquire him. He was a great acquisition - just not at the cost.

So what would you have given up? (I'm ready for an insane Baltimore Orioles fan kinda proposal here). What does it cost to get a starter who goes 200 IP with 200K his prior two seasons?


A bucket of shag balls and a Christmas card?

[Nightfyre]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

So what would you have given up? (I'm ready for an insane Baltimore Orioles fan kinda proposal here). What does it cost to get a starter who goes 200 IP with 200K his prior two seasons?


A bucket of shag balls and a Christmas card?

The key point here is that we only have two years of control of Shields. We gave up six years of every prospect we sent in that deal. I would have turned the deal down - and that's not unreasonable, if not simply because Frenchy is SOOOO terrible that Myers replacing Frenchy is undoubtedly worth more wins than Shields over whomever we could have acquired with 12 or 18 million in free agency dollars.

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by Nightfyre

I like James Shields - but we gave up to much to acquire him. He was a great acquisition - just not at the cost.

I'm attempting to find a post made by a member on here. The member attended a luncheon featuring Dayton Moore. I'm almost positive that whoever it was that attended claimed that Moore mentioned that Moose (I believe he also mentioned Hosmer or Perez) could have been traded instead of Myers.

[Hootie]

Originally Posted by tk13

If we kept Myers I'm fully convinced at this point he'd be up hitting .225 with 3 HRs in about 70 games, and Chen and Hochevar would be starting every 5 days with 5.50 ERAs.

I totally 100% agree.

But since we traded him you know he's going to turn into a 40 HR a year hitter.

[Nightfyre]

Originally Posted by Chiefspants

I'm attempting to find a post made by a member on here. He attended a luncheon featuring Dayton Moore. I'm almost positive that whoever attended the luncheon claimed that Moose (I believe he also mentioned Hosmer or Perez) could have been traded instead of Myers.

Why send any of them though. This team was not ready for a win now push.

[Sure-Oz]

Originally Posted by Nightfyre

Why send any of them though. This team was not ready for a win now push.

You're a GM that is desperate for an extension

[Hootie]

it is what it is

but revisionist history me says I wish we would have given them Moose AND Hosmer AND Odrizzi (or however you spell it) and kept Myers

I realize they are young but Moose has just looked so bad.

[Nightfyre]

Hos still has tremendous upside. He is simplifying his swing again and making great contact. Moose is coming around a bit as well. Maybe GB can push the right buttons for him and he will turn out. The upside is still there. For both.

[LoneWolf]

Originally Posted by unnecessary drama

it is what it is

but revisionist history me says I wish we would have given them Moose AND Hosmer AND Odrizzi (or however you spell it) and kept Myers

I realize they are young but Moose has just looked so bad.

Moose has shown signs of coming out of it. I admit its been a very small sample size, but I believe he has 4 multi-hit games out of his last 5 played.