Not every guy with those tools becomes a star (see Gasparini, Marten), but not many without those tools become stars.

Always bet on talent first. Bet on talent from a pro household second.

Keep. ****ing. DOUBTING.

Compare an infield of... Moose, Esky, Gio & Hos (2012)

with

Whit, Mondesi, Lopez and O'Hearn (2019).

It’s 50/50. Mondesi/Lopez >>>>>>> Escobar/Gio

Merrifield is established ... as valuable as leak Hosmer and Moose. But also older.

O’Hearn is the wildcard. If he can be a power-hitting version of Merrifield (older college guy who didn’t make prospects lists but works his way into an above-average MLB hitter), that’s a much better group.


On que!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Cue*

The biggest question this offseason for me is what they decide to do with Whit. Word of his excellency is starting to get around. If the Royals deal him for the right price, this is going to start feeling an awful lot like 2011 (especially after the 2019 draft).

I'm fine with holding out for a trade offer like what Duncan has suggested (multiple top 100, including a top 25). Merrifield is worth at least that, so don't just give him away.

I'm just afraid that Moore will hold on to Merrifield regardless of the return because of the misguided belief that we can compete in 2020. I don't think I'll be able to handle that if it happens, I might literally have an aneurysm. I imagine some on here would enjoy that happening.

I've said it several times before, and I'm sure I'll say it several times again, but people need to quit taking Moore's public comments at face value.

Before the 2013 season, he said it was unlikely they'd expand payroll. They ended up trading Wil Myers for James Shields and Wade Davis. They also paid $12 million for E. Santana.

They started the 2014 season saying the same thing. As well as the 2016-2017 seasons.

At this moment, KC is in the middle of negotiations to renew a TV contract with Fox Sports. A contract that could accelerate our path back to contention. Of course Moore isn't going to say "Oh yeah, we're gonna suck until maybe 2021, if we're lucky."

I hope you're right, I'm just worried about what pressure from David Glass might do after supposedly losing money the past couple of years.

I suspect somewhere down the road, people will talk about how the Royals blew their chance to trade Merrifield just like they blew their chance to trade Soria (first time around).

Even though, if Merrifield is not traded, it will be for the same reason they didn’t move Soria... that they didn’t get a value that made it worthwhile.

You don't see the possibility of Moore holding on to Merrifield regardless of the potential return?

If anything, I think it'd be more likely Glass asks to move him so he can avoid arb years with Whit.

No. He will move him if the right offer is made. He won’t move him cheap, not this far out.

Padres are in a pickle. They tried to force one of their prospects, Franmil Reyes, into a corner outfield spot. His bat has now caught on fire but there's a catch - he's really not a corner outfielder. He's a first baseman.

The Pads are now talking about trading him since Hosmer is blocking him - and fans are seething.

This really is a huge deal. Right now, we have one of the worst TV contracts in American sports, despite having very good ratings. They need to get as much as they can.