(New) 2013 Kansas City Royals Repository

[duncan_idaho]

New thread, this time with more burst.

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?

[Sure-Oz]

Apparently The Royals are favorites for Omar Infante

[Fansy the Famous Bard]

Buy high, sell low.. that's my philosophy too!

[alnorth]

Royals and two mystery teams talking with Infante.

Why is it that we are always leaked while other teams are more cagey. We might have a very chatty person in the Royals front office.

edit: though to be fair, no one leaked Vargas.

[Strongside]

I don't care if it's more than 2 years. Infante is a HUGE upgrade over what we currently have. Having a career .280 hitter at the 2B position is a far sight better than Gio, Getz, Johnson and Bonifacio. His defense isn't incredible, but it's good. We need the offense...and bad.

FFS, Bonifacio has 10 HR's in 7 years. Infante hit 10 last season.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by Strongside

I think all the talk about giving Hoch another shot at the rotation is due in part to us dangling him as trade bait. It's easier to get a solid return if teams believe that he's still a starting pitcher candidate...

Teams like the Jays aren't going to trade for Hoch if they believe he's a bullpen arm only, when they're specifically looking for a starter. However, if our leadership 'says' he's a starting pitcher, then they may be more apt to pull the trigger on that kind of deal.

From an intellectual standpoint, I agree and HOPE this is what the front office is doing. That would be a smart move.

But this Royals' front office hasn't always been the FO that makes the smart move...

[Fansy the Famous Bard]

Originally Posted by Strongside

I don't care if it's more than 2 years. Infante is a HUGE upgrade over what we currently have. Having a career .280 hitter at the 2B position is a far sight better than Gio, Getz, Johnson and Bonifacio. His defense isn't incredible, but it's good. We need the offense...and bad.

FFS, Bonifacio has 10 HR's in 7 years. Infante hit 10 last season.

The problem is Infante had a career year right at the end of his prime. Over the course of 12 years his peripherals are

.319 .402 .721

That's nothing to get excited about.

Rey Sanchez had a career year once with the Royals, and he regressed back to the norm shortly after... 8 mil per would absolutely hamstring this organization for years with an average, aging player. It's not about simply adding adding adding.. it's about adding intelligently.

[duncan_idaho]

[Royals fan cynicism speaking]
Prediction:
Royals sign Omar Infante to a 3 or 4 year deal for $30 million plus.

Christian Colon opens the season by hitting .330+ with great OBP skills and solid power for the position over the first half of the season.

[/cynicism]

[Great Expectations]

Originally Posted by Zeke

The problem is Infante had a career year right at the end of his prime. Over the course of 12 years his peripherals are

.319 .402 .721

That's nothing to get excited about.

Rey Sanchez had a career year once with the Royals, and he regressed back to the norm shortly after... 8 mil per would absolutely hamstring this organization for years with an average, aging player. It's not about simply adding adding adding.. it's about adding intelligently.

Having Infante instead of Getz and Aoki instead of Francour last year to start the season would probably have been enough to make the playoffs.

It would also have had us in a position to make more agressive deadline moves.

[BlackHelicopters]

Originally Posted by Great Expectations

Having Infante instead of Getz and Aoki instead of Francour last year to start the season would probably have been enough to make the playoffs.

It would also have had us in a position to make more agressive deadline moves.

The burning question remains: was Getz's wife non-tendered as well?

[CaliforniaChief]

2nd base seems to be the harder position to get good offense out of. If Infante is going to cost 8-10 million a year, why not give up a prospect and get Kendrick? He would be a real asset to KC.

[CaliforniaChief]

Also, I wonder if the Tigers and Dodgers aren't lining up for a deal involving Scherzer and Matt Kemp. Depending on the peripherals, I would LOVE seeing both Scherzer and Fister gone from Detroit. We'll see.

[Prison Bitch]

Dayton doesn't have to tell people Hoch can be in a rotation, they already know that.

[Reaper16]

Originally Posted by CaliforniaChief

Also, I wonder if the Tigers and Dodgers aren't lining up for a deal involving Scherzer and Matt Kemp. Depending on the peripherals, I would LOVE seeing both Scherzer and Fister gone from Detroit. We'll see.

Geez. Why don't the Dodgers just trade for David Price, too, while they're at it? Get a rotation chock fulla Cy Young winners.

[Fansy the Famous Bard]

Originally Posted by CaliforniaChief

2nd base seems to be the harder position to get good offense out of. If Infante is going to cost 8-10 million a year, why not give up a prospect and get Kendrick? He would be a real asset to KC.

^ This

[CaliforniaChief]

Money is absolutely no issue for the Dodgers. They just want talent. They are worse than the Yankees, which is why I now hate them so much.