2010 Kansas City Royals Repository thread

[SPchief]

All Royals All The Time!

After consultation with others who peruse the game threads we decided to create this as a repository for all things Royals. Minor league news, AL (ahem) Central (thanks Vonne) news and anything Royals can be found here.

alnorth, me and atleast 5 others will continue the game threads as usual. But if you locate something of interest.. ANYTHING.. deals on apparel, best ways in/out of the stadium, giveaways, great stories from this season or from seasons gone by, rumors, trades, anything.... feel free to post it here.

If a big story breaks, you can still start a thread about it. There is merely an all inclusive thread that will make a easy for us all to keep up with all things Royals.


Welcome! "Grab a Brew... don't cost nuthin"...[spills beer on feet]

[KevB]

Originally Posted by Pitt Gorilla

That would be a pretty nice deal.

You probably won't get a much better deal than this from anyone else. Whether or not the R's like Drabek and Arencibia are probably the deciding factors.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by alnorth

Just noticed that some reporters in Toronto are making noise. Blue Jays think the Yankees, Rays, and Red Sox will all fall back and this could be their big chance to win the AL East. The rumor coming out of Canada (who knows if it is reliable or total BS) is more attractive than most of what people have been talking about from Texas or New York. This isn't enough of a no-brainer to send me rushing out to pack Greinke's bags, but it is big enough to make me think about it.

Kyle Drabek, Travis Snider, J.P. Arencibia, and either Brett Cecil or Anthony Gose

for Greinke.

Bob Elliott has some pretty good connections with the Anthopoulos administration (he didn't when JP was running things), so I wouldn't be surprised if there was something to this.

But that particular offer right there is too much for Greinke, IMO. None of those guys are really prospects any more (and Snider/Cecil have had productive major league seasons already). If I'm the Jays, I'm really reluctant to part with Snider in any deal.

[KC_Connection]

If 1 year of Halladay (+ the opportunity to talk extension)= Drabek, Wallace, D'Arnaud.....what does 2 years of Greinke (+ the opportunity to talk extension) cost?

[alnorth]

Rany just wrote an article that looks nutty at first glance, but after a few thousand words he makes his case for it.

The Royals should offer Carl Crawford a 7 year $140MM contract.

I think the Royals should rock the baseball world and make the biggest transaction of the Winter Meetings. And I’m not referring to a Greinke trade.

I think the Royals should do whatever it takes – up to and including a seven-year, $140 million contract offer – to sign Carl Crawford.

Hear me out here. In the next 4000 words, I hope to convince you:

- That Carl Crawford is worth an enormous contract in general;
- That Crawford fits the Royals’ needs particularly well;
- That the Royals can afford him.

I probably won’t succeed. But it’s worth a try.

Seven years is a long time, and there’s a very real risk that Crawford will suffer a serious injury in Year One and whoever signs him will be stuck with one of The Worst Contracts Of All Time. But excepting the apocalyptic scenario, Crawford seems to be almost a certainty to contribute an above-average bat, and game-changing speed and defense, for the bulk of his contract.

...

Ah, yes. Cost. Can the Royals afford to pay one player – any player – close to a quarter of their entire payroll?

I say yes, and here’s why: if Mission 2012 is successful, the Royals are going to have somewhere between 16 and 20 players on their roster who are 0-3 guys – players who are not yet arbitration-eligible, and therefore making somewhere between $400,000 and $700,000 a year. Let’s split the difference – on Opening Day, 2013, the Royals will have 18 guys on their roster making somewhere around $10 million – combined.

...

In other words, the Royals are rapidly facing a situation where they almost have to spend big money on free agents, because if they miss the playoffs in 2013 by five games with a payroll of $25 million, there will be hell to pay. The advantage of having so many young players – so many cheap players – is that you have money to spend. But you have to spend the money. And if you’re going to spend it, spend it on an elite player. And there is perhaps no more elite player on the market this winter than Carl Crawford.

...

So if the Royals pass on Crawford now, hoping to spend their money next winter instead, they’ll quickly find that there’s no one remotely as appealing as Crawford is today. There ought to be some elite starting pitchers available, but 1) pitchers are much, much riskier as long-term signings; 2) the strength of the farm system is in their starting pitchers; 3) if they really want an elite starting pitcher, they should just hold on to Zack Greinke.

...

Best of all, you’ll go into 2011 with a legitimate shot at .500, if not better, and you can go to Greinke and say “Look, we just signed the best free-agent hitter on the market. We’re committed to spending the money to win. Oh, and if you haven’t heard, we’ve got the best farm system in baseball. Here’s a pen.”

[KC_Connection]

Speaking of prospects, how did Boston acquire Gonzalez for their #1, #3, and #6 guys (none of which were pro ready)? That makes no ****ing sense for the Padres.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by alnorth

Rany just wrote an article that looks nutty at first glance, but after a few thousand words he makes his case for it.

The Royals should offer Carl Crawford a 7 year $140MM contract.

I don't think you can justify spending that much money on a guy simply to get close to .500, especially when he may be regressing by the time the Royals are ready to contend.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

I don't think you can justify spending that much money on a guy simply to get close to .500, especially when he may be regressing by the time the Royals are ready to contend.

Getting to .500 is not really his argument. The Royals are in a weird position where we are going to get very young and very inexpensive very soon. The article also goes on at length about his age.

The Royals are going to have the bulk of their roster costing them only about 10 million by 2013-2014. Even after counting everyone's scheduled raises and leaving room for Greinke, we've likely got a TON of money available to spend for just a few spots.

He's arguing that even though we likely have nothing to play for in 2011 (other than convincing Greinke to stay), we might in 2012-2013, and he's more likely to help us than anyone who might be available next winter.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by alnorth

Getting to .500 is not really his argument. The Royals are in a weird position where we are going to get very young and very inexpensive very soon. The article also goes on at length about his age.

The Royals are going to have the bulk of their roster costing them only about 10 million by 2013-2014. Even after counting everyone's scheduled raises and leaving room for Greinke, we've likely got a TON of money available to spend for just a few spots.

He's arguing that even though we likely have nothing to play for in 2011 (other than convincing Greinke to stay), we might in 2012-2013, and he's more likely to help us than anyone who might be available next winter.

I just think that's a lot of money to spend on a guy for a season when you won't be contending. I'd save the free agent signings for when the team is closer.

[KevB]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

I just think that's a lot of money to spend on a guy for a season when you won't be contending. I'd save the free agent signings for when the team is closer.

He talks about the guys that will come available next season....it's not pretty. Go read the whole things, it's very convincing.

[KChiefs1]

I love this time of year...not what it used to be but I still find it fascinating.

Found this:
http://jaysjournal.com/2010/12/04/th...aga-continues/
http://jaysjournal.com/2010/11/27/th...st-comparison/
http://jaysjournal.com/prospects-aff...top-prospects/
http://jaysjournal.com/tag/kyle-drabek/
http://jaysjournal.com/tag/travis-snider/
http://jaysjournal.com/tag/jp-arencibia/

[KChiefs1]

Originally Posted by alnorth

Kyle Drabek, Travis Snider, J.P. Arencibia, and either Brett Cecil or Anthony Gose

for Greinke.

1. Kyle Drabek, SP
2. J.P. Arencibia, C
3. Anthony Gose, CF

That about covers the Royals needs right there huh?

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by KevB

He talks about the guys that will come available next season....it's not pretty. Go read the whole things, it's very convincing.

Not sure I could read an entire 4000 word post about the Royals signing Carl Crawford, but I did a quick look through.

Jorge Posada
Jose Reyes
Jimmy Rollins
Jason Bartlett
Michael Cuddyer
Jason Kubel
Carlos Beltran
J.D. Drew

That list is pretty terrible, indeed. He might be on to something.


Edit: Though, I did just read Rany's entire article on the Chiefs' playoff chances. Winning that Chargers game means everything.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by KChiefs1

I love this time of year...not what it used to be but I still find it fascinating.

Found this:
http://jaysjournal.com/2010/12/04/th...aga-continues/
http://jaysjournal.com/2010/11/27/th...st-comparison/
http://jaysjournal.com/prospects-aff...top-prospects/
http://jaysjournal.com/tag/kyle-drabek/
http://jaysjournal.com/tag/travis-snider/
http://jaysjournal.com/tag/jp-arencibia/

As a Jays fan, I have to agree with him. Giving up both Snider and Drabek would be too much for Greinke. To me, Greinke's 2009 was an outlier and not indicative of what he's going to do going forward, especially if he moves to the AL East. He's an above-average, nearly elite pitcher, sure, but would he really be that much of an upgrade on Drabek going forward (the team's projected #5 guy next year) to justify giving up Snider and other top prospects? Especially when you'll have to pay him 20 million a season in a few years? I don't think so.

This guy is more in favor of it, but then again, he was likely drunk when he wrote this: http://www.drunkjaysfans.com/

If I was the Jays, I might go for something like Drabek, Arencibia, and Gose. The Royals are still getting 2 major league ready guys and a top prospect, and the Jays don't have to give up proven quality players like Cecil and Snider with high ceilings.

[DeezNutz]

After sleeping on it for a night, there's no way in hell I'd pull the trigger on the speculated deal from the Blue Jays. We'd lose that trade.

Second, I feel somewhat justified by Rany's argument for Crawford. He was someone whom I talked about during the '10 season, and this signing would be a lot of sense.

I suggest an opening bid of 6 for 108: http://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showt...rd#post6917906

[eazyb81]

Originally Posted by alnorth

Just noticed that some reporters in Toronto are making noise. Blue Jays think the Yankees, Rays, and Red Sox will all fall back and this could be their big chance to win the AL East. The rumor coming out of Canada (who knows if it is reliable or total BS) is more attractive than most of what people have been talking about from Texas or New York. This isn't enough of a no-brainer to send me rushing out to pack Greinke's bags, but it is big enough to make me think about it.

Kyle Drabek, Travis Snider, J.P. Arencibia, and either Brett Cecil or Anthony Gose

for Greinke.

I'd rather take the rumored deal from Texas.