Sadly, yes. The 1 team I just won't come to accept if he ended up with them .

+1

Anyone here order the Royals WS blu-ray documentary? If so, any good?

It's okay. Doesn't really cover much of the season. Kind of just jumps into game 1. Granted that's the point of the DVD, but from what I've seen, and from what others have said... usually there's a little bit of build up and background on the winning team. This is the first year in a while they didn't do that. It's a pretty cut and dried recap of the 5 games.

Lame

Agreed on Gordo to the Sox. That would rub me the wrong way.

I'm hoping he stays for a reasonable contract, but if he doesn't go to the NL at least please.

That's some bullshit.

There's two different blu-Ray/DVDs. The collectors edition,which is several discs or the WS film, which I imagine only focuses on the WS. I haven't bought either because all the post season games are still on my DVR, but I've read the collectors edition covers most of the post season. Still not much regular season footage. Bummer. Games like "Paulo Homo" and the division clicher should be commemorated

Yeah, the reviews so far in Amazon say the same. I think fans are usually too critical of these things, but taking the first 10 minutes or so to build up to the World Series would've been nice. Especially since this particular team had such an amazing run and did things no other team has done, and all that coming off a year where they were 90 feet away from game 7. They had a great narrative for a documentary. They don't even get into all the historic comebacks until game 4 of the WS.

From Blu-Ray's review... an unbiased perspective.

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/2015-W...141223/#Review

@jonmorosi: #Royals presently in contact with representatives for Yovani Gallardo, sources confirm. Scott Kazmir is also on their list. @FOXSports

Just get both.

Hard for me to get excited about either of those guys at this point in their careers but maybe Dayton strikes Edinson like gold again in the bargain bin...

I don't think Gallardo would qualify as a "bargain bin" acquisition. Kazmir is in pretty high demand.

I would look at a guy like Lincecum as a true bargain bin opportunity.

It was also hard for us to get really excited about any of our acquisitions last season. We were just hoping that even two of Morales, Rios, Volquez, and Young would figure something out. It's definitely where GMDM and his staff excel.

Does Gallardo have a pick attached?

Yes.

I said it awhile ago, but he's a really odd fit for KC. His stuff isn't what it once was and the Royals can make just about anybody's stuff play up due to the combination of their park and their defense.

Why would you pay big money and give up a pick for a guy that's not going to be demonstrably better than Chris Young would be? I really don't understand the pursuit here.

Yost loves him, and while his K rate has been dropping, he still got the job done at a decent level in Texas.

I imagine they think he plays up a little bit with the spacious confines of the K and the Royals D behind him.

Kazmir makes more sense because he's better and doesn't cost a pick. But Gallardo would be a stabilizing factor in he rotation and good bet to chew innings at better than league average rates.

Not nuts about it but wouldn't be upset with it.

And honestly, I could be made to see the sense in having Gallardo for 3/39 rather than Leake for 5/90. Or Kazmir for 4/60.

Do you really think 3/$39 gets it done for Gallardo? Maybe the pick compensation will serve to keep his AAV down a bit.

I just figured that coming off his age 29 season he'd be holding out for a 4 year deal. Maybe the AAV sticks at 13 but I'd think you'd still need to go a 4th year.

Not sure. Just throwing out figures.

If he and Kazmir are both at four years, I'd prefer Kazmir unless there's a huge gap in AAV.

Market is hard to predict, though.

I don't get the desire for Kazmir. Just go look up his August through October splits the last three seasons. They are not good and represent a pretty consistent trend.

Well ok.....

2013, he was actually better in he second half than the first. It also was is first year back to a starter's workload.

2014, he definitely had a rough August.

2015, he was pitching home games in a park that's a pretty bad fit for him (Mickey Mouse park is pretty awful for lefty flyball pitchers). This tracks with him having the highest HR/FB rate in his career in the second half.

Outside of 3 starts against RH-dominated lineups at MM, he had a 2.61 ERA over the rest of the second half.

I posted this earlier, but thank you for bringing it up again in light of his name being discussed again.

Unless the organization has a pretty good idea on how to keep the bottom from falling out on his numbers after the ASB, I fear signing him.

He's exactly the kind of guy who they keep in the rotation and let him "pitch through it."

That gets more and more costly as we inch closer to Fall and down the stretch.

See my post. I think if you dig more deeply, the picture doesn't look quite as described.

As far as lightening his load/keeping him fresh, he did seem to have August slides in 13 and 14. I'd suggest lightening the workload early as a way to keep him fresher there.

The other room for improvement may be in convincing him to throw his slider more frequently to lefties. He has become more FB/change past few years, and lefties have hit him better than they did when he used the slider more.

I think Ned will essentially have a 6 man rotation to work with next season. I don't expect Kazmir, if signed, will have a rough stretch at the end. He also has a curveball and cutter that he rarely worked on, but if signed, the royals would have no problem working on those two pitches exclusively through spring training. No matter how hard he gets hit.

I think the slider is what damn near barbecued him in Tampa Bay.

I believe he's gotten away from it for self-preservation as much as anything. He just never learned to throw it in a way that doesn't put too much torque on the elbow so he appears to use it as a show-me pitch these days.

Can't argue too loudly against that given how close he was to out of baseball not too terribly long ago.

Oh boy.. http://mlb.nbcsports.com/2015/12/23/...o-re-sign-him/

4 years for $50 mil? I don't care if we have no chance to sign him, but don't insult the guy during the process. Jeesh.

I don't trust Jim Bowden. He could be right, but so far he's the only guy reporting that and it's been a couple weeks now. He's not a Buster Olney or Rosenthal.

I just don't see that they'd offer him Zobrist money. Hard to believe.

Yeah, I still don't buy the offer Bowden reported.

I wouldn't want him to use it heavily, but a slider or curve or cutter would seem to help him a bit against lefties.

He actually has started to develop platoon splits the past few years because he has the best separation between fastball and changeup amongst starters in baseball (like 14-15 mph).

That would play well against the RH-dominant teams in KC's division (as long as he isn't pitching in a bad box that turns lazy warning track fly balls in any other park into 4-rows deep HRs to LF).

I'm probably in the minority but as much as I like and have appreciated Gordon's play, I think it would be foolish to give him a 5/80+ contract.

He's had significant injuries the past two seasons and at his age, future injuries are likely.

I don't think we're going to sign him either. I just kind of want to get it over with so it's done.

I think it's all on Dayton... no way he wants to be paying someone $20M per when they're 34, 35, 36. Moore CAN afford him, but he won't want to. It was either Mellinger or McCullough that wrote earlier that Royals scouts think he's already lost a step in the field. They've spent the whole offseason trying to soften the blow because it will be a major PR hit.

That's flat out bullshit. I don't buy that number or this jack off for a second.

And that's okay, because he's not going to fully earn that contract in those extra years.
Bully to Alex if he can get it on the open market and likes the situation. I have little problem with the organization accounting for upcoming spending if that's the case.

Everyone would like him back, but the business side of things don't work out economically. Under a new TV deal, maybe?

Completely agree. If this team ties up that much money in Alex Gordon, we are out of the running when Hosmer, Moose, Cain, Escobar and Davis are all free agents after the 2017 season. We may wind up losing most of those guys anyway, but I'd like to at least have a shot at retaining them.

If Alex Gordon were 5 years younger or if the Royals were a big market team, keeping him would be an easy decision. But neither of those things are true.

Yep, it's too bad the current deal lasts until after the 2019 season.

From what I can tell with Google searches, it looks like Dayton Moore signed this contract in 2007. It's too bad he signed such a long-term contract. That was bad Dayton Moore: the guy who hired Trey Hillman and brought in guys like Yuniesky Betancourt and Jose Guillen.

The Dayton Moore we have now is a genius. The Dayton Moore from 2007? Not so much. I'm glad he figured it out.

I would generally agree. Re-signing Hos will no doubt be tough... but if you're going to offer a $20+M a year contract... I'd rather give it to Hos. I feel pretty good about Cuthbert, so if Moose walks, he walks. If you could sign Esky, Cain and somehow get Hos... you could fill in the gaps with Mondesi, Cuthbert, maybe Starling or one of the other young OFs. You could still field a competitive team.

Plus waiting to sign any of those guys means you're working under a new TV contract (for part of the deal, at least).

I have no interest in re-signing Escobar, and I doubt the team does, either, unless Mondesi collapses. Extending a speed and defense SS into his 30s seems like a bad prop, especially when you have a cheap internal replacement whose floor is the current guy's ceiling.

As such, I'd swap Moustakas and Escobar in your consideration. I also need to see Cain maintain the XBH power this season before I'm comfortable extending him (because his O is eventually going to have to carry him if you extend beyond current years of control).


I'll give you the "significant injury" in 2015, but his wrist injury in 2014 can't be classified as such, IMO.

If you play a full season through an injury, it's not "significant."

Regardless, your point still has merits. From a financial/long-term perspective, Alex Gordon at $15 million/year for 5 years makes sense. At 90? Not so much.

This. The aging curve for defense is even younger than hitting, peaking at 25 or 26. Escobar derives all his value from his glove and baserinning so at age 30 he will be in severe decline stage, most likely

You have mentioned him before and I liked the idea a lot. If that guys arm isn't wrecked and would come cheap he could be a real gem in the junk heap. I would be all for this if Royals think there is still some life left.

Would you consider signing him to play 2nd base if that was an option? Granted, I know his speed will decline, but even with that, would he still be a viable average to above average 2B with the glove and not have to cover much range, compared to SS?

Plus, they can always have him bat at the 8-9 hole anyways.

No, not really. His value is so tied up in abilities that don't age well, I don't think even moving him to 2B would work unless he becomes a much better hitter all of a sudden.

That's reasonable, and I can agree with that. I just wasn't sure if it would be a cheaper option to go that route instead of finding an Omar Infante (overpaying a 2B with horrific production).

That being said, does KC even have a 2B of the future in the minors somewhere, or someone that can translate well into that position offensively and defensively?

I was thinking 2B too, I certainly wouldn't let him block Mondesi. But, he'll be miles cheaper than Moose. I have no problem signing Moose and letting Escobar walk. I know how much Dayton values defense up the middle of the field though. I don't think Escobar has to be a subpar 2B in his 30's. Lots of guys have done it.

I'd like to see them give Christian Colon a shot.

Lincecum is a Moore kinda signing.

That TV contract is going to haunt them.

Took the words right out of my mouth.

It shouldn't. Glass would be wise to make sure that the club remains competitive, butts are in the seats, and eyes are tuned in. Otherwise, all that leverage is pissed away by the time they get to the negotiating table.

Better to incur more than usual debt leading up to the new deal so it's a hot product. Even still, Gordon is still not a wise investment for extended years. If you overpay, it should not be going to essentially dead money like you currently have to deal with in Omar. Not that I think Alex is ever going to turn in a year like he did at 2B last year.

In fact, his performance was so bad last year and to a lesser degree the year before, I don't know if you could turn in a worse one?

Part of me has this strange premonition he's going to quietly turn in a solid year - nothing glitzy , but under the radar strong?

The other part of me thinks I'm an idiot for that previous paragraph.

5/75 is exactly what I would offer him.

Royals marathon. Moose !!!!!!!

Just aired the AL Central clinching game on FSKC. Still can't believe we held off the Twins.

Did the Twins win today?

Ned went easy on them and the season is slipping away!!!11 We're going to lose in the 1st round.

Game 1 of the World Series is going into extra innings right now. That HR from Gordon still gives me chills even though I know it's coming. So clutch!

This

Chris young really was just awesome. Great performance.

#BringGordo2theSouthSide :)

#DieinaFire

LOL

So did the twins win today?

They haven't lost in like 2 months.

****ers are getting too close

Welp...it's official. The Twins are now tied atop the standing with the Royals.

http://www.si.com/mlb/standings

If we can keep pace for the next month, we've got a shot.

Anyone watch Mission Accomplished on the MLBN?

Is that the official World Series film?

I don't know, our offense has been a zero over these past couple of months.

@ClintScoles: Nick @nickcafardo - "Gordon is still drawing a lot of interest and prefers to stay in Kansas City, though that dream may be fading."

If he really wants to stay, he can make it happen. 4 years, $60 million.

I'd go 5/75. $15,000,000 5 years from now will likely be below league average for a starting LF.

I understand that you don't want to pay a guy for what he did, but what he will do instead. But, I can't help but feel like our team will always be that super cheap team that never actually signs anybody to a contract.
If Alex Gordon isn't a guy who you will overpay for to keep in a KC uniform and solidify his future as one of the top 5 Royals of all-time, then who will we pay for?

I'm not buying that the team can't afford it. Again, this team made so much ****ing money this year with increased ticket sales, increased prices all around the stadium, and another playoff run. I'm not buying this "small market" bullshit anymore. This team has the money to easily maintain a $150mm payroll. And if we fail to sign Gordon to a reasonable (there may be a team who pays $20mm+) contract, it makes us look really ****ing cheap and I know it will damage our chances of signing any of our players to contract extensions in the future.

i believe it is. recorded it. will watch it after football.

You really don't understand the difference in local television contracts, do you?

They Royals local TV deal with Fox Sports pays them $20 million per year, and it's an ironclad contract that lasts through the 2019 season. The Los Angeles Dodgers get $250 million per year from their TV contract. That's why the Royals have to be very careful about how they spend their money. It's not a matter of being ****ing cheap. When one team has an extra $230 million every ****ing year, they are the ones who will sign the expensive free agents. Alex Gordon is an expensive free agent who is 32 years old.

After 2019 it will be a much more level playing field, because the Royals will get a better local TV deal. It won't come close to what the Dodgers get, but it will hopefully be close to the deal the Cardinals just signed: $1 Billion over 15 years, with $50 million the first year and escalations every year. But Moustakas, Hosmer, Cain, Escobar and Davis aren't going to wait until 2019 to get paid. They all become free agents after the 2017 season.

And even if the Royals get a sweetheart deal that exactly matches the Cardinals' deal, that's still $180 million LESS than what Dodgers get. Every year.

That's why it makes perfect sense for the Royals to refuse to break the bank for a 32 year old Alex Gordon. If they do, they have $100 million LESS to try to retain their younger free agents after 2017. They'll be competing with teams like the Dodgers to sign Hosmer and Moustakas. The Royals will never outbid the Dodgers, but I'd like to see them have enough free money to at least offer them enough money to make them consider staying at a hometown discount.

If Alex Gordon were to give the team a hometown discount and come back for 4 years at $60 million, and the Royals were to manage to make it to a 3rd World Series, THAT would set a helluva precedent.

Yup. I love Gordon but we have to be cheap bastards if we want to stay competitive. If we want to keep winning, it's going to be because Dayton finds some more diamonds in the scrap pile, not because of our ability to resign premium players.

^^^Gordon is 32, not 35.

Zobrist was the 35 year old.

Former Red Sox hero Dave Henderson died today. He hit one of the biggest playoff home runs in my lifetime, off the Angels Donnie Moore (who never recovered from that and ended up committing suicide later).

He also would have been the hero the Red Sox were waiting for in 1986 as he hit the 2 run HR in game 6 of the 1986 WS to put the Red Sox ahead and needing 3 puts to close. (But Buckner happened-and a few singles prior)

Of a heart attack. Damn. I'll never forget that game. Never.

Dave Henderson also finished his career in Kansas City. He was a backup OF on the 1994 team that was making a run for the playoffs when the strike happened.