wow. I do not agree with that at all.

Actual Saul's right - it was A-rod. So yeah take it FWIW. Still think Hos has a ton of upside.

He is a very good player and seems like he'll be a star for a while. But a 1B would have to be pretty damned awesome at the plate, like HOF stats for me to say he's the best player in the league to build a team around.

It was him and he called Hos his "friend from Miami" so maybe that's why he said it.


I'd be surprised if Mike Pelfrey isn't a Royal next year.

Right - like Texiera before the Yankee contract.

Hos has 3 straight gold gloves and a proven record of coming through in postseason, great team leader, communicator, etc. You can't just look at raw hitting #s. He just needs to calm down his swing and he'll be dominant imo.

He's awesome, but he's not a 7/$210 type player. Not yet, anyway.

Kimbrell to Red Sox.

JACKSHIT

Seriously. What a dolt.

Well at least Kimbrel wasn't traded to the Tigers, I guess.

mad dash home- is that better for you dickface?

I was going to pick Boston to win that division but now it seems the question will be, by how many games? They are going to get a frontline starter, probably Cueto and their offensive players should regress back to being better than last year. They'll be really tough.

ARod is an ass. At every chance he'd mention how great the Royals were at home & how the Yankees swept them in NYC.

http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/keit...l?sf15299261=1

Typed in "royals rumor" and this pulled up:

http://www.vcpost.com/articles/10632...m-anorexia.htm

Sources: #RedSox doing background work on #Reds’ Chapman. Indicates sincerity of interest, not that a deal is close.

Well that didn't post right from phone.
Rosenthal tweeted looking like Boston is getting serious.

Another team trying to be the royals

Kimbrell & Chapman is serious stuff. Bosox has always kicked our ass's.

Beating Boston in the ALCS will be the sweetest thing ever.

(Am I doing this cocky fan thing right?)

@MaxWildstein: #Royals are considering making a run at signing Gerardo Parra, according to @nickcafardo.

Things not looking great with Gordon according to this link:

Click me!

But the bright side is that the Royals are optimistic about their chances to retain Ben Zobrist's services.

Losing Gordon would suck, but bringing in a Zobrist/Parra combo at not much more than Gordon would cost by himself (Zobrist and Parra can probably be had for $23-25 million total AAV, Gordon likely to be in the 18-20 range) would be a solid consolation prize.

Parra isn't flashy, but he has been basically a league-average bat over the course of his career and has been a standout defender until this year. If kept to a corner OF spot, like LF, I thiink he'd do well in KC. Milwaukee kept trying to use him in CF, which is a stretch.

I'm also intrigued by the South Korean OFs who are about to be posted, Ah-Seop Son and Hyun-Soo Kim. Both are all-around hitters who walk more than they K and play good D in LF. Neither has the profile of Jung-Ho Kang or Byung-Ho Park, who posted for $5 million (4 years, $11 million, for a total commitment of $16 million over 4 years with a sweetheart team option for year 5) and $12.5 million (TBD), respectively.

Royals close to re-signing Zobrist?

http://kingsofkauffman.com/2015/11/1...x-gordon-gone/

Parra seems like a guy with a strong arm, but not necessarily a standout defender. Admittedly, I haven't seen all the metrics.

So what do the Royals do with Infante, assuming Zobrist is re-signed? Trade him along with a prospect to get someone to take on his contract or eat the contract? I doubt they have him sit on the bench making that much money, and reportedly, Z-man really prefers to play second base, although I'm sure he would cover right or left for the Royals for part of the season if they asked him to.

Play him all over the place, would be the answer to what to do with Zobrist, IMO.

He plays some LF (assuming Gordon not resigned). He plays some RF. He plays some 2B. He plays some 3B.

Why? Play him where the biggest hole is: 2B. That creates the most value. Get Outfante out of the lineup, you can find at least some production from an OF

He'd play 2B primarily (unless Infante hits at a good clip). But you'd still be able to use him all over. That's where his value really balloons... his ability to play a bunch of spots and give guys a day off is huge.

Infante would just be an expensive utility guy. Ideally, we could get someone to eat half his salary (unlikely), though.

I'd kill to acquire Josh Reddick to play RF. Great arm, great speed, low K rate, 28 years old, good teammate from reports, and 1 arb year (7-8m?). Unfortunately I doubt we have pieces anymore to do a deal like this. Almonte plus?

Oak, despite being last, had great SABR peripherals and Beane believes in those so he probably thinks they will revert. And prob remembers being burnt on the Donaldson disaster. Still, Reddick is the 1 guy I'd want.

Reddick and Marcell Ozuna are the two guys in the trade market who make a lot of sense for KC.

Reddick would be an awesome add, and it would be interesting to see where they hit him, if acquired. I'm not sure how high his value would be, as a one-year rental, but he's certain to turn down a QO at the end of the year, so you'd need to compensate them at least with the equivalent of a sandwich pick of value.

You'd think, anyway. Maybe Beane gets obsessed with a Royals player for no apparent reason (cough, cough, Brett Lawrie) and makes another bad deal.

I'd send them Almonte for Reddick in a heartbeat.

I would not. Almonte is the #1 SP prospect we have atm. If we have any hope of staying competitive past 2017 we really need either him or Zimmer to work out.

With Zimmer and Manaea's injury history, there was a very good reason why Almonte was considered untouchable at the deadline.

The trade would nearly guarantee us another playoff appearance. Worth it every time, IMO.

Can't deplete the farm of any more arms IMO. I'm definitely out on sending Almonte anywhere.

What do they say? TINSTAPP?

I doubt many will claim it now, but there were a fair amount of people who wanted us to flip Ventura for Howie Kendrick in 2013. TINSTAPP and "next Juan Cruz" were the main points of this crowd's argument.

I am all for keeping our 2016-2017 window as wide open as possible, but I'd rather we do it ala re-upping Gordo and Zo than depleting MLB ready arms on our farm.

Slow news day, but...
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Read up on our PDC extension w/ the <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals">@Royals</a>, extending the longest AAA affiliation in <a href="https://twitter.com/MiLB">@MiLB</a>
<a href="https://t.co/CdLHVX0Q3Y">https://t.co/CdLHVX0Q3Y</a> <a href="https://t.co/3BW7531Dx3">pic.twitter.com/3BW7531Dx3</a></p>&mdash; Omaha Storm Chasers (@OMAStormChasers) <a href="https://twitter.com/OMAStormChasers/status/666427565293223936">November 17, 2015</a></blockquote>
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Well, TINSTAPP doesn't mean undervalue your prospects either, the term was coined in response to fans irrationally overvaluing pitching prospects to an extreme. If you don't need to sell off your lottery tickets to improve the team, then you may as well scratch them and see if you won.

Oh, absolutely. My comment was more in reference to those who use TINSTAPP as justification to trade every pitching prospect away.

I think a trade of a long-controlled piece like Almonte would more be more likely for a piece like Marcell Ozuna, who is controlled for 4 more seasons if I remember correctly.

For a one-year rental, I don't think Almonte would be on the table. Especially not for a guy who is a good-but-not-great impact guy.

Something like Cheslor Cuthbert + Jorge Bonifacio, I could buy (though I don't know that Bonifacio fits what the A's want from hitters, Cuthbert's patience at the plate DOES).

I personally would be taken aback a bit if the Royals parted with Cuthbert. I was surprised but Andy listed him as one of the Royals "untouchables" during the deadline.

I'd buy that. I'm a big Cuthbert fan. He just looks like he has "it." When he got a chance to play he looked like he belongs.

I like Almonte too though. He's more of a raw project but his stuff is off the charts good. If we could somehow get him and Zimmer right along with Ventura who is signed long term, we will do some damage. Pair that with Cuthbert/Mondesi/Salvy and hopefully a couple from our current core group, this team will be competitive.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/SSJWHB">@SSJWHB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/nate_bukaty">@nate_bukaty</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TheFakeNed">@TheFakeNed</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TacoSalazarKC">@TacoSalazarKC</a> Moose is at Dancing with the Stars?? <a href="https://t.co/VUwg43YIqi">pic.twitter.com/VUwg43YIqi</a></p>&mdash; greg herman (@ghermang) <a href="https://twitter.com/ghermang/status/666425263929090048">November 17, 2015</a></blockquote>
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Alex won't be doing the Plaza light switch this year. (Will be the chick who wrote "Gone Girl")

A sign?

Wasn't sure what TINSTAAPP was so I had to look it up. First article that came up was something from Dec. 2010 on ESPN. Had a couple of lines I thought were funny--one about Alex Gordon being a bust, and another about the writer being skeptical the Royals could make a run by 2013 or 14.

He mentions the Royals needing three of its talented but young starters to pan out, but I don't know exactly who he is talking about. Could have been Ventura and Duffy and someone, or it could have been someone already on the team. Anyway, just thought it was funny.

Just another TINSTAAPP lesson

12/28/2010
Rob Neyer

We've talked about TINSTAAPP -- TINZ-tap: "There is no such thing as a pitching prospect." -- before, but I find the principle endlessly fascinating, so I was glad to find that some enterprising young fellow has compiled 21 years' worth of Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects lists, from which one might glean all sorts of interesting notions.

I'm going to start with something really simple. Here are the top-rated hitters and pitchers from each year, presented chronologically (in a number of cases, the top-rated guy repeated a year later, and they are noted as such) ...

Hitters: Andujar Cedeno, Chipper Jones (2), Cliff Floyd, Alex Rodriguez, Andruw Jones (2), Ben Grieve, J.D. Drew, Pat Burrell, Josh Hamilton, Hank Blalock, Mark Teixeira, Joe Mauer (2), Delmon Young, Alex Gordon, Jay Bruce, Matt Wieters, Jason Heyward.

Pitchers: Todd Van Poppel, Brien Taylor (2), James Baldwin, Armando Benitez, Paul Wilson, Kerry Wood (2), Rick Ankiel (2), Josh Beckett (2), Jesse Foppert, Edwin Jackson, Felix Hernandez, Francisco Liriano, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Joba Chamberlain, David Price, Stephen Strasburg.

I believe that first list accounts for six MVP Awards, and the second for exactly one Cy Young Award.

I believe the first list includes one absolute bust -- arguably Gordon, so far -- while the second includes two absolute busts (Taylor and Foppert) along with a number of pitchers (Van Poppel, Baldwin, Wilson, Wood) who did hang around for a while but never hit the predicted heights.

Ankiel is in a class of his own. The jury is still out on Dice-K and Joba. You really can't say anything negative about Hernandez or Price (except Price is still young and highly susceptible to the same injury woes that have waylaid so many other young pitchers).

None of this means that young pitchers aren't valuable, or shouldn't be considered legitimate prospects. And at least a few teams do seem to have made some real progress toward keeping young pitchers healthy. As Jonah Keri notes in his soon-to-be-published book about the Rays:
The Rays’ new generation of pitchers wasn’t merely good. It was also extraordinarily healthy. From late 2005 to mid-2009, only one pitcher at any level of the organization, left-hander Jacob McGee, underwent Tommy John surgery; no team saw a lower rate during that stretch. From May 2008 to August 2010, only one Rays starter, Scott Kazmir, spent a single day on the disabled list, making Tampa Bay’s the healthiest pitching staff in baseball by a mile. (Niemann and Davis went on the DL in August 2010 with minor injuries; both returned quickly.)

The point is that unless you're a Rays fan, you might want to make at least some small attempt to avoid getting too excited about young pitchers. Frankly, this is what leaves me most skeptical about the Royals and their (now) Mission 2013 (or '14). Especially considering the departure of Zack Greinke, the Royals' youth movement simply won't work unless at least three of their very talented, but very young, starting pitchers pan out. And history suggests that they will not.

Rob Neyer gave up on the Royals around 2009.

He was pretty open that he did it for multiple reasons.

1. self preservation - to keep his sanity

2. he needed to show a bit of impartiality as he moved up the national sportswriter ranks.

I NEED THE UPDATES ON THE ALEX GORDON!

Probably an indication the organizers didn't want to scramble for a backup in case he leaves and doesn't want to do it. Not that I'm holding out hope he stays.

Consider me fully on board the "trade for Marcell Ozuna" train.

I'm not sure what his value is right now, (I've seen him connected with Cleveland, but can't imagine Carrasco or Salazar is on the table) but he's a young (four years of control remaining) player with good power who played a quality CF in 2014, given regular PT.

He and his agent (Scott Boras) feuded with the Marlins last year, which I think affected his performance. But put him in this clubhouse, with Spanish-speaking guys like Salvador Perez and Edinson Volquez to lead him, and I think questions about his focus and dedication to the game can be positively answered.

It sounds like he will be playing 2016 somewhere else. Why not KC?

He'd still be cheap this year, doesn't hit arbitration until 2017, and would be controlled through 2020. If he hits, all of a sudden you've got a cornerstone OF piece around which you can build.

I'm not sure what it would cost/what Miami would want back, but SP is likely to be part of it.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Growing sentiment around Baseball and internally with the <a href="https://twitter.com/Marlins">@marlins</a> is Jose Fernandez will be traded this offseason.</p>&mdash; Craig Mish (@CraigMish) <a href="https://twitter.com/CraigMish/status/666668290358513664">November 17, 2015</a></blockquote>
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...

Don't think the Royals have the ammo to swim in this pool. But it's interesting nonetheless.

My initial guess would be: Boston.

Dombrowski loves to trade prospects, and the Red Sox still have several studs for him to trade away.

Another Boras client. Guess they're really pissed at him.

Agent Boras rips Marlins for demotion of Ozuna

I'd be scared to death to acquire Fernandez. I just can't see him last very long with the arm strain. Would love Ozuna but with 3 cost controlled years i don't want to see the sticker price on trading for him

The Royals don't have enough to get him, anyway. Dombrowski will do what Dombrowski does, and empty his farm system to get him.

I'd not be surprised to see 4 of their top 10 prospects + Henry Owens moved to the Fish. Something like Devers (no. 2), Johnson (No. 3), Benitendi (No. 4) and Kepech (No. 6).

No idea what Ozuna's cost will be. The Marlins have kind of Colby Rasmus-ed him/his value.

But if they're trading Jose Fernandez, too, that probably indicates that team is no longer trying to compete (as this window was built around Fernandez and Stanton), and they might be willing to take more value that's farther away from MLB in return for Ozuna, which would help KC.

Loria might be the worst owner in sports.

There's little doubt he is.

Miami gets tons of revenue sharing money, which is a gigantic joke considering it's a huge market and they have a brand-new stadium Loria tricked Miami taxpayers into funding.

It's his wife's money, though, that made it possible for him to buy the team. Don't think he has much control of the purse strings.

Miami could be a baseball mecca if the right ownership group was in place. First of all its Miami, second the Latin influence, no income tax, beautiful weather, women etc. Free agents should flock there. It's amazing how shitty the owner is to screw up, what should be a model franchise.

Miami has never drawn well for any of their sports.

Heat sell out every night. Dolphins drew well for years.

Warm weather climates where people have a million other options for things to do don't tend to breed rabid sports fans.

More reason to like Ozuna:

All but one of his MLB HR would have cleared the fences at the K. (of course, this doesn't account for wind, etc).

He's a good defender who would be a reasonable bet for 15-20 HR a year, if healthy and motivated. Also doesn't sound like the Marlins would need a ton back for him.

New obsession...

If he's that desirable, why wouldn't they need more in trade?

He had a bad season last year, but mainly because his agent is Scott Boras, and he accused the Marlins of demoting Ozuna to game his service time clock and prevent him from qualifying for arbitration this year (which he did not).

I'm down with Ozuna. I also think Yasiel Puig is available, and feel like he'd do well out of Los Angeles, in a clubhouse with countryman Kendrys Morales. I know the price would be high, but sky's the limit with Puig. That kid can flat out PLAY.

Sweet, bring him in. I assume World Series hitter Colon is enough to get it done, with value to spare.

We need a trade that offloads Infante.

@jaysonst: Other clubs say #Marlins are floating Marcell Ozuna's name but only want to deal him for a No. 2-type starter. Tough sell after last year

From Nov 9th

They'll get Christian Colon and be damned grateful for the opportunity.

That seems like an over-ask. But time will tell...

Ozuna's got 3 cost-controlled below market years, not 1 year @ 14.5m


One key point to remember in any trade ideas is salaries. Teams have to pay players, and they like guys making less all things equal. Oh, and teams have budgets.

Gerardo Parra anyone?

http://www.chatsports.com/kansas-cit...lacement-24101

I'm sure they're targeting Parra. It's just about as obvious as them targeting Rios last year. You'd be shocked if they weren't.

Were we targeting Rios? I thought he was kind of the only guy that didn't get an insane contract, so we grabbed him.

But, yeah. I'd be shocked if we weren't at least in on Parra.

Well really they were after Torii Hunter last year. But Rios is a guy they were always connected to over the years. Not too much different this year, in a perfect world they'd be re-signing Gordon.

Not sure I'd be down with Puig. He might be a clubhouse wrecker.

I'd be more concerned about the cost of getting him than any negative effect he'd have on the clubhouse. I think the culture of the team is pretty established. Morales could be the Puig-whisperer. He doesn't really have anyone in LA to do that right now, honestly.

Wood.

Parra's DRS number is higher than I expected, given his poor defensive numbers last year. I guess that maybe keeping him in a corner OF spot would probably pump up his value.

It certainly would. He played more CF than he's used to. If we put him in left field or right then things would work out well, I do believe.

I'd rather spend a bunch of money on a starter and Zobrist while eating some of Infante's contract and dumping him. Colon would be better at second over a full year than Infante, Dyson better in right over a full year than Rios was. Of course we'd miss Gordon, but the upgrade at 2nd and right coupled with another good starter would help off set that. I'd platoon Zo, Orlando, Eibner, Dyson, and Colon. In the very limited time that I saw Eibner in AZ last spring he had by far the most natural power of our players. His homers where no doubters, while Rios and most others home runs where nice hits they weren't the absolute bombs that Eibner hit. .