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?

[siberian khatru]

Tim Hudson just suffered a serious leg injury. What can the Braves offer for Santana?

[DeezNutz]

And I'm probably going to have to pass on Rios.

[KevB]

Stupidity isn't isolated to the Royals org

Giants manager Bruce Bochy indicated Wednesday that Jeff Francoeur will be his regular left fielder going forward.
Francoeur is making his third straight start in left Wednesday, and two of those have come against right-handers. "(He's) a proven major league hitter, and this offense needs help," Bochy said of Francoeur. Frenchy has put up a hideous .228/.277/.362 batting line since the beginning of last season

[KevB]

Originally Posted by siberian khatru

Tim Hudson just suffered a serious leg injury. What can the Braves offer for Santana?

They were already on the verge of putting Medlen in the pen because they had too many starters. They'll just bring up Beachy and roll with the guys they have.

[ChiefsCountry]

Good to see the Royals going after Rios. We still have holes on this team for 2014 that needs to be filled.

[CoMoChief]

Originally Posted by siberian khatru

Tim Hudson just suffered a serious leg injury. What can the Braves offer for Santana?

****ING HEWARD

[GloryDayz]

OK you all know this team pisses me off but I gotta admit, that was sweet!

[DeezNutz]

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

Good to see the Royals going after Rios. We still have holes on this team for 2014 that needs to be filled.

And Rios would help fill exactly none of them, while costing a shit ton. From Rany:

"Trading for Alexis Rios is comical on many levels. Starting with the fact it's far from clear he's better going forward than David Lough."

Let's hope that DM doesn't make a very costly mistake.

[-King-]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

----^ This.

I like Santana a lot, and he seems to genuinely like KC. But his jekyll-hyde nature makes him too big a risk for KC.

Who knows, though. They resigned Guthrie after last season because they were trying to compete. Maybe the same thing happens with Santana. I'd rather see them sell high with him at the trade deadline, but we'll see.

Bob Dutton was on 610 today saying that the trade market is really soft for a starting pitcher and the Royals wouldn't get that much in return for him. Said we'd be better off keeping him for the rest of the year and then seeing if we can sign him to a 3-4 year deal than trading him right now.

[Nightfyre]

Originally Posted by -King-

Bob Dutton was on 610 today saying that the trade market is really soft for a starting pitcher and the Royals wouldn't get that much in return for him. Said we'd be better off keeping him for the rest of the year and then seeing if we can sign him to a 3-4 year deal than trading him right now.

That market must have been really soft given how much the Rangers paid for Garza.

[Sure-Oz]

Originally Posted by -King-

Bob Dutton was on 610 today saying that the trade market is really soft for a starting pitcher and the Royals wouldn't get that much in return for him. Said we'd be better off keeping him for the rest of the year and then seeing if we can sign him to a 3-4 year deal than trading him right now.

This is likely bullshit....Royals would be stupid to re-sign him

He will have value come deadline time

[Sure-Oz]

Originally Posted by DeezNutz

And Rios would help fill exactly none of them, while costing a shit ton. From Rany:

"Trading for Alexis Rios is comical on many levels. Starting with the fact it's far from clear he's better going forward than David Lough."

Let's hope that DM doesn't make a very costly mistake.

Agreed...

That is why this will happen.

Not a fan of Rios since he has not done that great year in and year out

[-King-]

Originally Posted by Nightfyre

That market must have been really soft given how much the Rangers paid for Garza.

He said what the Rangers traded for Garza is overvalued and that the Rangers were one of the only teams calling around looking for a SP.

[DeezNutz]

Originally Posted by -King-

Bob Dutton was on 610 today saying that the trade market is really soft for a starting pitcher and the Royals wouldn't get that much in return for him. Said we'd be better off keeping him for the rest of the year and then seeing if we can sign him to a 3-4 year deal than trading him right now.

Dutton was likely trying to defend showing his ass on twitter the other day when he started freaking out about possibly trading Holland.

[Nightfyre]

Originally Posted by -King-

He said what the Rangers traded for Garza is overvalued and that the Rangers were one of the only teams calling around looking for a SP.

Why would the Rangers overpay if they didn't have competing offers for Garza? Garza was going to be traded either way. It sounds to me like Dutton is speculating and trying to pass it off as fact.