Rosenthal on the Royals

[Sure-Oz]

Royals are far from a K.C. masterpiece
Ken Rosenthal / FOXSports.com
Posted: 4 hours ago

Royals general manager Allard Baird is a goner, and deservedly so. But let's see who owner David Glass hires as the team's next GM. Let's see if Glass continues to nickel-and-dime his baseball operation while receiving tens of millions in welfare payments from Major League Baseball.

Oh, Glass will argue that he raised the payroll from $34.9 million last season to $47 million this season, but that money would have been better spent on player development. Overpaying for second-tier free agents is a losing strategy, but Baird had little choice. Glass ordered the payroll increase, and Rafael Furcal wasn't about to come to Kansas City.
Also...

Injuries have contributed heavily to the Royals' 7-21 start; the team opened the season without three-fifths of its starting rotation — Zack Greinke, Mark Redman and Runelvys Hernandez — then lost another starter, Denny Bautista. First baseman Mike Sweeney, center fielder David DeJesus and outfielder Shane Costa also landed on the disabled list. But even if everything broke right for the Royals, what was their upside, 75 wins?

Such is the grim reality for perhaps the worst franchise in American sports. The Royals are headed for their fourth 100-loss season in the past five years, a disgraceful run of ineptitude at a time when other financially challenged clubs — including several in the Royals' division, the AL Central — find ways to contend. Glass' conduct should be Exhibit A when the owners revisit revenue sharing during the upcoming labor negotiations, and wealthy teams like the Yankees howl that their subsidies to low-revenue clubs are going to waste.

The Royals received $64.5 million from MLB last season, according to the New York Times — $30 million in revenue sharing, plus the $34.5 million payment that each team received from national TV, cable, radio, Internet and the sale of merchandise. Yet, Glass pays below or well below the industry norm to his baseball executives, evaluators and instructors, former Royals employees say. He also has skimped on draft-pick bonuses even though developing homegrown talent is the only way for low-revenue teams to compete.

Good luck finding a quality GM.

Glass needs one with the organization-building skills of a Pat Gillick or Gerry Hunsicker, but he wouldn't want to pay an executive of that stature. His other option is to grab an up-and-comer like Braves assistant GM Dayton Moore or Indians assistant GM Chris Antonetti, but why would a rising star want to work for the Royals when he eventually could land with a stronger club?

Baird was a typical Glass hire, a former scout and instructor who rose through the organization to become GM on June 17, 2000. He has done some good things, acquiring right-hander Denny Bautista from the Orioles and first baseman Justin Huber from the Mets in trades, grabbing left-hander Andy Sisco from the Cubs in the Rule V draft. But Baird's financially driven trades of outfielders Johnny Damon, Jermaine Dye and Carlos Beltran failed to yield a single impact player. The Royals also have failed to develop pitching, a fatal defect for a low-revenue club.

Baird talks constantly about maintaining the team's youth-oriented direction, but the Royals' lineup Saturday night did not include a single player under age 28. Rival executives say that the franchise actually lacks direction, sometimes rushing prospects, sometimes promoting one like Huber to sit on the bench. The Royals have gone through three hitting coaches in the past year and eight pitching coaches in the last nine. It's impossible to establish consistency with that kind of turnover.

The Royals' farm system includes two potential offensive stars, third baseman Alex Gordon and outfielder Billy Butler, but few other quality prospects. The Royals could add another top young player with the first selection in the June amateur draft; North Carolina left-hander Andrew Miller is the expected No. 1 choice. The question is whether the Royals would pay Miller the bonus he is seeking, or opt for a less expensive player. They did the right thing by drafting Gordon with the No. 2 overall selection a year ago and giving him $4 million.

This is not a franchise entirely devoid of young talent, but Glass needs to grasp reality — it might be years before the Royals are truly competitive again. They blew their chance to trade Sweeney. Their other veterans have little value. Baird has been trying to acquire a young corner outfielder for more than a year, but he developed a reputation for over-evaluating his players and asking too much in return. When the Tigers wanted Royals left-hander Jeremy Affeldt this spring, according to an executive from a third team, Baird asked for right-hander Justin Verlander, the Tigers' top prospect.

The Reds' Wayne Krivsky has shown how swiftly a new GM can make an impact, acquiring right-hander Bronson Arroyo from the Red Sox for outfielder Wily Mo Pena and picking up second baseman Brandon Phillips from the Indians in a minor trade. But the Reds were the top-scoring team in the NL before Krivsky arrived. The Royals boast no particular strength.

Since Glass became owner in 1993, the Royals have produced only one winning record, finishing 83-79 in 2003. This isn't Mission Impossible; the Royals only make it seem that way. Glass is receiving plenty of money from his fellow owners. It's time he puts that money to its intended use, and re-invests it in his franchise.

The first step is finding the right GM.

Ken Rosenthal is the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com.

[teedubya]

JOhn Schuerholz, come home baby.

[Bowser]

JOhn Schuerholz, come home baby.

The only way that would happen is if Glass would agree to drop 100 mil+ into payroll, and you know that ain't happening.



Good read, and dead on.

[alanm]

Things won't change until Glass sells the franchise. I'm not holding my breath waiting for that to happen. :deevee:

[Bowser]

Things won't change until Glass sells the franchise. I'm not holding my breath waiting for that to happen. :deevee:

Hell no it won't happen. I'm sure owning a baseball team is at the very least an awesome tax write-off.

[tk13]

I believe the rules Mr. K laid down say Glass can't make any money on selling the team. I don't really have as big of a problem with the amount of money Glass has spent as much as when and how he's spent it. He needs to give the next GM his budget and get the heck out of the way. He's tinkered with Baird too much. Told him not to spend money, then spend money, vetoed a Randa trade, some people believe he was against a Sweeney trade, etc, etc... because of fan reaction. Not that we'd be a success now if Glass didn't do those things... but what if our next GM does try to make some successful moves and gets overruled. I'd rather prevent it now. I'd rather he not listened to the fans and let the GM do his thing and if we fail, we fail. I think we have a better chance of succeeding doing that then letting the two Glass's tinker everytime the fans get upset over something.

[FloridaMan88]

Rosenthal knows his shit.

[ChiefsFire]

I believe the rules Mr. K laid down say Glass can't make any money on selling the team. I don't really have as big of a problem with the amount of money Glass has spent as much as when and how he's spent it. He needs to give the next GM his budget and get the heck out of the way.
I tend to disagree tk,I think Glass needs to be more involved in the everyday operations.Seems to me Glass always appears out of the loop on what is going on in KC.True the GM needs to do his job and Glass cant get in the way,but I just dont see a new GM turning this ship around.The only thing Glass knows is one thing...dollar signs

[tk13]

I tend to disagree tk,I think Glass needs to be more involved in the everyday operations.Seems to me Glass always appears out of the loop on what is going on in KC.True the GM needs to do his job and Glass cant get in the way,but I just dont see a new GM turning this ship around.The only thing Glass knows is one thing...dollar signs
You're right... he is a great businessman. Which is why he needs to stick to that and stay the heck away from the baseball stuff. I appreciate him buying the team and the fact he's one of the few owners who actually pushes for an NFL style salary cap, I think he wants to win, if for nothing else winning would at least put some more butts in the seats. He's not stupid. But other than that he can just sign the checks, break even financially, and be willing add payroll if we're in the hunt like he did in '03. As long as he does those three things I'll be happy. I don't like the idea of him vetoing trades or forcing a GM to spend money on guys like Joe Mays just to increase payroll.

[ChiefsFire]

You're right... he is a great businessman. Which is why he needs to stick to that and stay the heck away from the baseball stuff. I appreciate him buying the team and the fact he's one of the few owners who actually pushes for an NFL style salary cap, I think he wants to win, if for nothing else winning would at least put some more butts in the seats. He's not stupid. But other than that he can just sign the checks, break even financially, and be willing add payroll if we're in the hunt like he did in '03. As long as he does those three things I'll be happy. I don't like the idea of him vetoing trades or forcing a GM to spend money on guys like Joe Mays just to increase payroll.
true

maybe on a broader scale it would help the team if he was around alil more i guess...my guess is the only time the players see him around is when the proverbial chit is getting ready to hit the fan...Probably not the best thing for team moral

[banyon]

Hell no it won't happen. I'm sure owning a baseball team is at the very least an awesome tax write-off.

[tk13]

true

maybe on a broader scale it would help the team if he was around alil more i guess...my guess is the only time the players see him around is when the proverbial chit is getting ready to hit the fan...Probably not the best thing for team moral
Who knows, every other opinion I always have about this team is wrong. Maybe they should just do the opposite of what I say. Fire Baird, hire a gorilla that speaks sign language, cut half the team, trade Alex Gordon and Billy Butler to the Mets for Jose Lima, make Greinke a shortstop, and change the team colors to eggplant and periwinkle.

[Sure-Oz]

How soon till baird is gone??

[Reaper16]

How soon till baird is gone??
I've heard tomorrow and I've heard thursday

[Sure-Oz]

I've heard tomorrow and I've heard thursday
Why thursday? I've heard rumors of tomorrow when the royals come back in town or whatever...

[Reaper16]

Why thursday? I've heard rumors of tomorrow when the royals come back in town or whatever...
off day, I guess. Good for press conferences

['Hamas' Jenkins]

The Royals are a hopelessly inept franchise. They need a new everything in order to compete, owner, GM, directors of scouting, minor league managers, hitting/pitching coaches, managers...everything. They need to approach the next five years as though they were an expansion franchise. But Glass makes so much $$ on this team he would never sell it. He sees it as a great investment, and it is, but he is also the worst owner in professional sports from a competitive standpoint.

[beavis]

Who knows, every other opinion I always have about this team is wrong. Maybe they should just do the opposite of what I say. Fire Baird, hire a gorilla that speaks sign language, cut half the team, trade Alex Gordon and Billy Butler to the Mets for Jose Lima, make Greinke a shortstop, and change the team colors to eggplant and periwinkle.
Now that's just silly. Look what adding black to the uni's did. No way anyone would go for you're messed up color scheme.

Everything you've said in this thread is dead on. I think people forget that not all of that $65 million can go into payroll. Unless he can find employees for every other area of the organization to work for free. Nothing has pissed me off more about Glass than hearing how he's vetoed trades that Baird has setup. Granted, it wasn't his idea to sign Jose Lima (twice), Albie Lopez, or trade for Neifi Perez, but it certainly doesn't help anything.

More than anything, I think there is something seriously wrong with our development system. Every player we do bring up through the system is constantly hurt and never lives up to their potential.

[tk13]

Well not just spending on personnel, but also helping to lock up guys we develop.

Of course, whenever we sign one of our own guys, they go to crap. Sweeney, Berroa, even DeJesus now is all banged up. We don't even catch any breaks there either. With our luck we'd re-signed Beltran and he'd probably been hurt and out of the game due to a freak accident in 6 months.

[Moooo]

Well not just spending on personnel, but also helping to lock up guys we develop.

Of course, whenever we sign one of our own guys, they go to crap. Sweeney, Berroa, even DeJesus now is all banged up. We don't even catch any breaks there either. With our luck we'd re-signed Beltran and he'd probably been hurt and out of the game due to a freak accident in 6 months.

Do you think that comes with the pressure of being one of the only quality players on a bad team, and feeling more pressure to be good? I don't know if it does, but its worth a thought...

This was a good article.

Its INSANELY HARD to get to the World Series. It's hard to get into the playoffs. Its challenging to go .500. It isn't hard to NOT lose 100 games in one year. I'm sick of the former CEO of Wal-Mart owning this team. We should have known better than to think someone who's made a career out of buying the cheapest product possible and selling it to the public would actually try to contend.

I won't ask for a salary cap, even though I think it would make baseball more fun for a wider audience (with the exception of about 20 million Yankee fans). I would ask that the money given to the Royals HAVE to be spent on payroll. There should be a league minimum, that's for damn sure. Basically as it is, Glass is spending just enough to not risk getting in trouble by the MLB.

Moooo

[Moooo]

Edited to combine two posts...

[chiefsfan987]

"Since Glass became owner in 1993, the Royals have produced only one winning record, finishing 83-79 in 2003. This isn't Mission Impossible; the Royals only make it seem that way. Glass is receiving plenty of money from his fellow owners. It's time he puts that money to its intended use, and re-invests it in his franchise."

The Royals had winning seasons in 93, 94, and 2003. Additionally, Glass was NOT the owner in 1993 he was just on the board of directors. He wasn't approved as the Royals owner by the Royals and MLB until April 18th, 2000.

[Moooo]

"He wasn't approved as the Royals owner by the Royals and MLB until April 18th, 2000.

A day which will live...in infamy.

I bet if you listened real closely, on that day you could hear a slight thumping sound at the site of Kauffman's grave when he was turning.

Moooo

[|Zach|]

This isn't Mission Impossible; the Royals only make it seem that way.


What a great line.

Well...

Not great. But you know what I mean.

[banyon]

"The Royals had winning seasons in 93, 94, and 2003. Additionally, Glass was NOT the owner in 1993 he was just on the board of directors. He wasn't approved as the Royals owner by the Royals and MLB until April 18th, 2000.

So you're saying we didn't have the 4/5 100 loss seasons (for the worst in ML history if we finish that way this year) until he was established as owner?

That doesn't really help your case.

[Eleazar]

Listening to the radio tonight, Soren Petro was on some god-awful sunday night radio show and echoed the suspicion here that Baird will be canned tomorrow, and that all the noise of Glass making 'big changes' in the past few weeks has been him determining at least the short list, if not who the next GM will be.

I totally agreed with one statement he made - that we need to go outside the organization, find an assistant GM who is with a winning team, or find a former GM who's out there in the scouting community or something, and that Glass is going to have to overpay them.

What he said that I really agree with is that fans have little expectation, there will be some 'name' guys out there who might be able to be had, but all the fans are expecting someone they've never heard of and who won't exactly wow anyone. So there is an 'advantage' of sorts in that any kind of a decent hire will be a step in the right direction.

I just don't want some no-name schmoe who's never been in a relevant role before, and I don't want someone promoted from within. The new guy needs to be a demolitions expert before anything else.

[Sure-Oz]

I guess there is a rumor floating around about Steve Phillips??? I don't know if I could take him that serious considering he did fake GM press conferences on ESPN ROFL

[Sure-Oz]

The only way to succeed if Dan and David Glass let the new guy do his job and not meddle at all, then maybe just maybe we can get a direction going. No vetoeing of trades and other BS from David Glass, and Dan Glass is a joke, that douche should not be allowed to touch the team and just stick with the business side, has that guy ever been interviewed? Oh wait he refuses everytime cause he's a moron and doesn't know shit about the baseball side of things.

[Moooo]

The only way to succeed if Dan and David Glass let the new guy do his job and not meddle at all, then maybe just maybe we can get a direction going. No vetoeing of trades and other BS from David Glass, and Dan Glass is a joke, that douche should not be allowed to touch the team and just stick with the business side, has that guy ever been interviewed? Oh wait he refuses everytime cause he's a moron and doesn't know shit about the baseball side of things.

Kinda like the Mike Brown of football

Moooo

[tk13]

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Aj13rg2OWY_PDTSkycVZ_UwRvLYF?slug=jp-baird050706&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

As time runs out

By Jeff Passan, Yahoo! Sports
May 7, 2006


When Kansas City Royals general manager Allard Baird gets fired this week, he probably will hop a plane to Miami and head to his house in South Beach. His wife, Julie, lives there. They see each other about 30 days a year, and on those special nights, they enjoy nothing more than a good meal.

Knowing Baird, they will talk not about why Royals owner David Glass chose to get rid of him or how 18 years with the organization vanished in an instant. They will ruminate about the future, their future, because running the Royals has trained Baird to look in that direction, and still, after years watching baseball's version of the Washington Generals, Baird is a believer.

"If I felt there was no light at the end of this, I wouldn't do it," Baird said last week. "I have to believe it."

By all indications, Glass' belief in Baird has waned. He talks ominously about change, and since he's not going to fire his son Dan, the team president, and has said he won't fire Buddy Bell, the manager, the blame would seem to fall on Baird, unless, of course, Glass chooses instead to scapegoat the clubhouse attendants, which would be consistent with the way the Royals have been run into the ground, past the plumbing and so deep into a hole they need earthmoving machinery to excavate themselves.

After Sunday's loss to Chicago, the Royals are 7-22, the same record they held a year ago when they lost a franchise-worst 106 games, a record that has them on pace to lose 122 games this season.

The probability of the Royals usurping the 1962 Mets' record of 120 losses is unlikely, and the chance of them ripping off a 19-game losing streak like they did last year is just as slim. Minute, in fact, according to a group of statisticians at UC-Riverside that calculates such things and has adopted the Royals because of their futility.

Sadly, the Royals' ineptitude is the only thing that keeps them relevant.

The failure, in part, is due to Baird's kneecapping decision-making. The only tangible return he got for trading his All-Star outfield of Carlos Beltran, Johnny Damon and Jermaine Dye was shortstop Angel Berroa. And since his Rookie of the Year season in 2004, Berroa has been average at best.

No one knows what Baird could have done if Glass put his money (the Royals received upwards of $60 million in shared money last season) where his mouth is ("We've got to have a winning team to put out there," he told The Kansas City Star). Finances are perhaps the only reason Baird was in California last week watching University of Washington starter Tim Lincecum.

The Royals own the No. 1 pick in this year's draft, and North Carolina left-hander Andrew Miller is, according to officials and scouts, hands down the best player available. Problem is, Miller is expected to seek close to a signing bonus close to the $6.1 million Arizona gave the top choice last year, Justin Upton, even though Miller's upside is far less.

So Baird is out there, looking for the player he probably won't choose.

"I try to consume my time," he said. "I'm out here seeing free agents and preparing for the draft. I preach to everybody, staff included, that you deal with the controllables. If you waste your time and energy dealing with what you can't control, that's counterproductive."

That, too, is why Baird never has complained about payroll limitations that neuter the Royals' chances. He's the loyal soldier. Baird stood by his former manager, Tony Peña, before he quit last season. He stands behind his current manager, Buddy Bell, and a training staff that can't seem to keep anyone healthy and a scouting staff that has produced a threadbare minor-league system and a baseball-operations staff that hasn't groomed consistent major leaguers despite three rebuilding plans during Baird's six-year tenure.

"The way we're doing it now is the only way to do it," Baird said. "That's not whether I'm the general manager here or not. In our market size, our revenue, it's the only way.

"The toughest thing I've had to do is trade Carlos Beltran. That really meant we were in a position where we couldn't sign those types of players we developed."

On Sunday, the Royals trotted out a lineup that included Tony Graffanino (.196) hitting third, Emil Brown (12 RBIs) hitting fourth and three players who were in Triple-A two weeks ago – Aaron Guiel, Kerry Robinson and Justin Huber.

In the fourth inning, Joe Crede hit a fly ball to deep center field. Robinson climbed the wall to grab it. The ball landed – on the warning track.

"Never seen that," Bell said.

Nor has he been in a situation like this. Bell managed rebuilding teams in Detroit and Colorado, but he never managed through a change in GMs. Whether it happens Monday or Tuesday, Bell's job will be the same: manage the team Baird put together.

Baird, on the other hand, will leave the Kansas City hotel he lives in and spend some good time with Julie, eat some good meals. The whole time he'll have an eye on the Royals, the team he believed in – and still does.

"David Glass is a winner," Baird said. "He does not like losing, no different than all of us. This direction, we have to be patient. When you win games, you get patience. If you don't get wins, ultimately you have to change the direction or change the personnel.

"I realize where I'm at right now in this whole thing. I'm the personnel."

[Moooo]

Wha's really bad is I have to go to classes in a building named after this fool (Glass). I actually try and find sections that aren't in there, as a loyal fan.

Moooo

[beavis]

I won't ask for a salary cap, even though I think it would make baseball more fun for a wider audience (with the exception of about 20 million Yankee fans). I would ask that the money given to the Royals HAVE to be spent on payroll. There should be a league minimum, that's for damn sure. Basically as it is, Glass is spending just enough to not risk getting in trouble by the MLB.
I like the idea of a salary floor and ceiling too. That would really out the players for what they are in my mind. If they set it up to where the total percentage of leage revenue that is spent on payroll stayed the same, or even if it went up, and they object to it, what would their defense be? The MLBPA is controlled by about the top 5% of players in the league. As long a they are still raking in 8-figure contracts, nothing is going to change.

[tk13]

I'm all for a salary floor, but Glass should fight to the death to get some kind of salary cap put in with it. Or at least a more harsh luxury tax. Putting in a hard floor gets rough because teams legitimately trying to develop a group of young talent may not always have a ton of payroll at first... and that'll just force them to go out and do what we did, get guys like Joe Mays and Graffanino for a combined 3 million dollars. In baseball terms not real wise but it makes Glass look like he's spending more money.

[kcfanXIII]

Who knows, every other opinion I always have about this team is wrong. Maybe they should just do the opposite of what I say. Fire Baird, hire a gorilla that speaks sign language, cut half the team, trade Alex Gordon and Billy Butler to the Mets for Jose Lima, make Greinke a shortstop, and change the team colors to eggplant and periwinkle.

at least its a plan

[Bob Dole]

"David Glass is a winner," Baird said.

Sure he is.

[Baby Lee]

Who knows, every other opinion I always have about this team is wrong. Maybe they should just do the opposite of what I say. Fire Baird, hire a gorilla that speaks sign language, cut half the team, trade Alex Gordon and Billy Butler to the Mets for Jose Lima, make Greinke a shortstop, and change the team colors to eggplant and periwinkle.
"Chicken salad on rye, untoasted, with a side of potato salad . . . and a cup of tea."

[Skip Towne]

Yeah, Glass is the guy that told Sam Walton his plan for discount stores wouldn't work.

[StcChief]

as mentioned in the Cards/Nationals game yesterday.

Only team worse than the Nationals is the Royals.

[Dr. Johnny Fever]

How would everyone feel about George Brett as GM?

[Demonpenz]

I used to be against brett in any kind of important position, but now I say F it put him in.

[Sure-Oz]

Brett shoudl've owned the team or miles prentice but noooo bud selig wanted his idiot buddy to own the royals!

[Brock]

The Royals received $64.5 million from MLB last season, according to the New York Times — $30 million in revenue sharing, plus the $34.5 million payment that each team received from national TV, cable, radio, Internet and the sale of merchandise. Yet, Glass pays below or well below the industry norm to his baseball executives, evaluators and instructors, former Royals employees say. He also has skimped on draft-pick bonuses even though developing homegrown talent is the only way for low-revenue teams to compete.

So much for the "We're too poor to compete" BS.

[Eleazar]

Brett shoudl've owned the team or miles prentice but noooo bud selig wanted his idiot buddy to own the royals!

I don't think that someone like Miles Prentice who didn't even actually have the money to buy the team would be the answer to our payroll issues.

[58-4ever]

as mentioned in the Cards/Nationals game yesterday.

Only team worse than the Nationals is the Royals.


And that's not even a close comparison. The Nationals are actually a pretty decent team.