(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?

[Nightfyre]

Quite so good chap.

[cabletech94]

Originally Posted by Nightfyre

Quite so good chap.

[Great Expectations]

What are the chances that Santana accepts the qualifying offer? There aren't many teams who can afford him and some of those that can don't need another starter and others like the Yankees aren't a good fit due to their ball park.

2 dominant years with the Royals would also up his value after next year.

[C3HIEF3S]

Originally Posted by Great Expectations

What are the chances that Santana accepts the qualifying offer? There aren't many teams who can afford him and some of those that can don't need another starter and others like the Yankees aren't a good fit due to their ball park.

2 dominant years with the Royals would also up his value after next year.

He already denied the qualifying offer. In fact every player who received a qualifying offer this year denied it. I believe there were 13 total.

[BlackHelicopters]

Originally Posted by Great Expectations

What are the chances that Santana accepts the qualifying offer? There aren't many teams who can afford him and some of those that can don't need another starter and others like the Yankees aren't a good fit due to their ball park.

2 dominant years with the Royals would also up his value after next year.

Santana already said no. He is moving on. Unfortunately.

[Sure-Oz]

Quick updates from MLBtraderumors.com on Beltran, Hughes, and Mark Ellis?

The Royals are very interested in Carlos Beltran, but the Yankees remain the favorites to sign him, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports. "I think at this point it would be an upset if he didn’t end up there," one executive tells Sherman. The Yankees have thus far been unwilling to give Beltran a three-year deal, but they could eventually land him by giving him three years or by paying heavily for two. Regardless of the Yankees' current issues, the perception of the Yanks as a winning organization matters to Beltran, even though they won fewer games than Kansas City did last year. Here are more notes from around the Majors.

The Twins aren't the only suitors for Hughes, tweets Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The Royals are also making "a strong push" for the former Yankees righty. Hughes is expected to receive a two-year deal, with the Mariners and Angels potentially being involved along with the Royals and Twins. Berardino also points out that Hughes' agent, Nez Balelo of CAA Sports, also represents Jason Vargas, who recently signed a four-year deal with Kansas City.

The Royals need a second baseman, and a team official recently told the Kansas City Star's Bob Dutton that the Royals think Mark Ellis "has something left" (via Twitter). Ellis, 36, hit just .270/.323/.351 last season with the Dodgers, but he's a consistently-above-average defensive player.

[Sure-Oz]

http://www.kansascity.com/2013/11/30...rs-to-top.html

Carlos Beltran appears to top Royals’ revised off-season wish list
By BOB DUTTON
The Kansas City Star

Whenever and wherever the hard bargaining starts for free-agent outfielder Carlos Beltran, the Royals want at a seat at the table. How long they stay there depends on how rich the bidding becomes.

“We’d love to have him in,” one Royals official said. “One thing about Carlos Beltran is he’s a money player. He’s an RBI guy. He produces.”

The Royals know that better than anyone.

Beltran, now 36, began his 16-year playing career with the Royals and had four 100-run, 100-RBI seasons in a five-year span before the 2004 trade that sent him to Houston. He batted .296 last season for St. Louis with 24 homers and 84 RBIs in 145 games.

Club officials say they hope to meet in the near future with Beltran, who previously indicated a willingness to return to the Royals.

Competition figures to be fierce and could quickly escalate in the coming days before all clubs gather Dec. 9-12 in Orlando, Fla., for the industry’s annual Winter Meetings.

The Yankees, Tigers, Red Sox, Rangers, Orioles and Mariners have shown interest in Beltran — and all appear to have far deeper pockets than the Royals, who are already bumping against their projected payroll limit after signing pitcher Jason Vargas.

“The big thing for us,” general manager Dayton Moore said, “was going out and making sure we signed, or traded for, a starting pitcher. And we feel Jason Vargas is the perfect guy for that.”

Even so, the Royals insist they will pursue Beltran and appear willing, unlike some suitors, to meet his preference for a three-year deal. Club officials believe they can make the dollars work, through subsequent moves, if the bidding doesn’t get too high.

If talks flounder, the Royals will shift sites to other targets.

“We’re still looking to, hopefully, find a bat,” confirmed Moore, who received a two-year contract extension Friday through the 2016 season.

“But when you look at the landscape, I’m not sure there are many clubs out there that are willing to trade impact bats. There just are not that many, and a lot of people are looking for the same thing.”

That keeps leading the Royals back to Beltran.

But not just Beltran.

Moore said the Royals also hope to acquire another starting pitcher despite their recent four-year deal with Vargas for $32 million. Such an addition seems likely to be a low-cost option — either a retread veteran or someone coming off a disappointing season.

“We’ll see what else unfolds in the Winter Meetings and beyond with maybe another pitcher,” Moore said. “We’ll see what’s available. There are still opportunities to make a trade or two with some of our current group.”

The likelihood of a trade, or multiple trades, figures to increase if the Royals land Beltran because of the resulting need to shed payroll. The top possibilities could be designated hitter Billy Butler, several relievers or some of the club’s top prospects.

“We’re still looking at things,” Moore said. “I think there will be some trade possibilities at the Winter Meetings. We’ll be aggressive with our farm system with deals that make sense. We do feel like we’ve got some excess in some areas.”

[Sure-Oz]

I just don't get the trade Billy shit if we sign Beltran

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Great Expectations

What are the chances that Santana accepts the qualifying offer? There aren't many teams who can afford him and some of those that can don't need another starter and others like the Yankees aren't a good fit due to their ball park.

2 dominant years with the Royals would also up his value after next year.

The deadline to accept the QO has long past.

[cabletech94]

Originally Posted by Sure-Oz

I just don't get the trade Billy shit if we sign Beltran

i don't either.

and don't tell me addition by subtraction. you add beltran, you keep butler, you've got a true battery that would (imho) rival that of detroit now. taking butler away, really is just a salary dump. and getting beltran makes it a wash. you have both? to the 'ship!

[Sure-Oz]

Damnit.

From MLBTRADERUMORS.COM

Twins To Sign Phil Hughes
By Aaron Steen [November 30 at 9:53pm CST]

The Twins have agreed to a three-year, $24MM deal with Phil Hughes, LaVelle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune reports, citing an anonymous source.

A source with knowledge of the talks tells Neal that the Twins are expected to announce the deal this week, with Hughes expected to undergo a physical as early as this weekend.

[mr. tegu]

Dang we could have afforded that.

[C3HIEF3S]

Originally Posted by Sure-Oz

Damnit.

From MLBTRADERUMORS.COM

Twins To Sign Phil Hughes
By Aaron Steen [November 30 at 9:53pm CST]

The Twins have agreed to a three-year, $24MM deal with Phil Hughes, LaVelle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune reports, citing an anonymous source.

A source with knowledge of the talks tells Neal that the Twins are expected to announce the deal this week, with Hughes expected to undergo a physical as early as this weekend.

Wtf

[Shogun]

Royals were too busy celebrating DM contract extension

[confused]

Hughes for 3 years and 24 million, Vargas for 4 years and 32 million. Buy us dinner next time before you **** us so hard Dayton.