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M-I-Z-Z-O-U
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Kansas City
Casino cash: $-2089692
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*** Official 2016 Royals Offseason Repository ***
![]() Well, folks, it has happened. The Royals stand triumphant, atop the heap of MLB. In this thread, we'll track the action as Dayton Moore continues The Process and attempts to defend the long-awaited title. Before we get to the meet of it, let's take a minute to reflect ... and say "I'm Sorry" to Dayton Moore. We gave you hell. Many of us called for your head. But you were right. You got it done. Congratulations. Mea culpa. Now, let's talk about the offseason: LINK TO 2016-18 PAYROLL INFO COURTESY OF ROYALS REVIEW The Royals will have a few priorities: Corner OF (x2) and 1 SP, IMO. The rest of the core is solid and will need little tweaking. Looking at the increase in ticket sales, merchandising, concessions, parking, etc., I think it's fair to assume the Royals GROSSED $100 million more this season, or close to it. That gives Glass and Dayton Moore much more flexibility on payroll for 2016 (hopefully). First order of business will be gauging the Alex Gordon market. If he can be resigned for 4-5 years at around $75-80 million total, it would be hard for KC to pass on that. He's still an above-average corner OF bat, and the Royals will need to bring in at least one proven guy to play in a corner if Gordon walks... and the whole market looks a lot like Alex - guys in their early 30s looking for huge, final contracts. Second order of business: Make a decision on Zobrist. It sounds like KC will pursue him aggressively. At 34, he's at risk of declining in a big way after a few years. If they could find someone to take on Omar Infante for eating 1/2 of his deal, that would be a great start to things. If they decide not to spend on Zobrist, KC will need to cobble together some sort of plan for 2B/RF that involves some cheaper options like Orlando, Colon, Dyson, etc. I could see them deciding his ability to provide great insurance at either 2B or in RF is worth the risk. Third order of business: Add depth to the rotation with a FA SP. Duffy, Ventura, Volquez and Medlen are locks for 4 spots, it seems. Kyle Zimmer may finally be ready to make a MLB impact, but his innings will be limited. That means KC needs insurance. Will it kill two birds with one stone (and insure against Duffy/Ventura regression) by signing a more top-tier guy? Or does Moore look to Chris Young/someone like him for this depth? Personally, I think Mike Leake would be a great fit with KC's defense and park, and I know Moore has long coveted him. He's still young - just 28 - and has succeeded in bandbox Cincinnati for years. Ian Kennedy, Mat Latos, Marco Estrada, and Justin Masterson are some other names that may pique interest (a little further down the list). Other than that, I don't think KC makes any major moves. Greg Holland will be interesting to observe, as they have one more year of control of him, and he will obviously miss all of that season. I wouldn't be surprised to see a pre-arbitration deal that pays him something like $15 million over the next two seasons, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him turned loose, period. The bullpen will rest upon Wade Davis/Herrera/Hochevar, filling in pieces around them. Bringing Madson back wouldn't be a surprise, but he could get a big deal from another team that is willing to pay him as their top setup guy or even their closer. I think the biggest prospects to watch in Spring Training will be: 1) Kyle Zimmer. The hype has built, died down, built again, etc. If he's healthy, he's filthy and a potential ToR arm. But what does he look like in ST, and how many innings can you reasonably expect from him if he does earn a rotation spot? It seems like 120-130 innings would be his limit unless they really stretch (or unless he has a lot of hidden innings from simulated games/extended spring training, which might push him to 150-160). Having another cheap, home-grown pitcher would be a significant boon for this team as it tries to extend the competitive window (and potentially give KC a strong 1-2 to build its rotation around in Zimmer and Ventura) 2) Bubba Starling. I'm trying to remain skeptical, but I like what I hear about Bubba from this season, and the performance has picked up. If KC does not sign someone to fill the RF slot, I think that's a strong indication KC's front office believes Starling will be ready to contribute in 2016. Dayton Moore has long said that when Starling's light flips on, it will happen quickly and burn brightly. Time will tell. After his STRONG Arizona Fall League Performance, he shot up my prospect chart. 3) Miguel Almonte. His late-season stint out of the KC bullpen went poorly, but Almonte has a plus-plus changeup, a good fastball, and a decent curve ball. He may be the dark horse in the rotation competition, and unlike Zimmer, he's set up to pitch a full 180 inning season. 4) RA Mondesi. The only player to debut in the MLB World Series has incredible tools. He still needs to refine his game, but again... he may be KC's best cheap, plus alternative at a key position (2B). His defense would be a boon from Day 1, but he needs seasoning with the bat before he's asked to hold down 2B full time. And, as always, here are the Prospects: Duncan’s Top 20 for 2016:
Spoiler!
Spoiler!
Last edited by duncan_idaho; 11-17-2015 at 09:49 AM.. |
Posts: 22,436
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#451 |
Rabbi Goldmann
Join Date: Nov 2012
Casino cash: $5450159
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Chris Young just seems like a house of cards. He will be 37, can't go more than 5 IP. The magic has to run out at some point. He's got Bruce Chen written all over him
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Posts: 87,025
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#452 |
Band
Join Date: Sep 2005
Casino cash: $-624547
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I feel the same way about Young. I think we should be focusing on finding the next guy to serve that role rather than pay an inflated price to bring him back.
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#453 |
...
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Kansas City, MO
Casino cash: $-1657705
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Rany, the day of Game 7 last year: "It looks like the game could simply come down to which manager is more aggressive about pulling his starter and turning the game over to his immensely capable relievers."
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Posts: 30,837
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#454 | ||
Quit your bullshit
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Bored of winning
Casino cash: $10052799
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Quote:
Quote:
If we can sign Gordon and Zobrist, I don't think our season is going to be decided by who our fifth starter is. We're going to dominate the division again, and Young can go back to the bullpen in the postseason. We just won the WS after starting the season with Ventura, Volquez, Duffy, Vargas, and Guthrie as our rotation. They combined for 46 wins on the season. |
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Posts: 41,870
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#455 |
...
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Kansas City, MO
Casino cash: $-1657705
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I trust the Royals to do the whatever is best regarding Young. I do view him differently than Chen, though. So much talk about how hard it is for batters to see the ball against him. His style makes age less of a factor. Kind of like a knuckleballer.
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#456 |
...
Join Date: Nov 2001
Casino cash: $-1857500
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The only catch is, and I've seen John Smoltz talk about this... we've been to the World Series two straight years. We've logged a lot of extra miles on Davis and Herrera's arms.
Dayton knows this though, and that's why he talked about getting more innings out of the starters next year. One, it's just smart. Two, I'm guessing Ned will be extra careful about resting our big bullpen guys early next year so we can make another run. We got by this year, but it'll probably be tough to win 2 years in a row getting less innings from the starters. |
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#457 |
Scarlett Johansson's boytoy
Join Date: Nov 2006
Casino cash: $9555998
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I love Young being able to provide some longer relief, even if it's less often. I wouldn't back up the Brinks truck, but he should be affordable.
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#458 |
In Search of a Life
Join Date: Aug 2005
Casino cash: $7327995
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Posts: 43,200
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#459 |
In Search of a Life
Join Date: Aug 2005
Casino cash: $7327995
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Posts: 43,200
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#460 |
The Beast Inside Your Head
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Parts Unknown
Casino cash: $-1760878
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Are we worried Young may lose some velocity?
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Posts: 26,272
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#461 |
I'm with the Banned
Join Date: Feb 2009
Casino cash: $-1123560
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__________________
Hi. |
Posts: 6,461
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#462 |
Stay positive, don't give up
Join Date: Dec 2001
Casino cash: $1679383
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@FlannyMLB: Alex Gordon has rejected the Royals' qualifying offer. #Royals
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Posts: 46,310
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#463 |
Custom User Title
Join Date: Jan 2007
Casino cash: $-1643437
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*** Official 2016 Royals Offseason Repository ***
Well duh. Even the royals knew he would.
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#464 |
Quit your bullshit
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Bored of winning
Casino cash: $10052799
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#465 |
In Search of a Life
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: L.A.
Casino cash: $-755716
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Some executive was on MLB network saying Eric Hosmer would be his #1 choice to build a team around. Might have been qualified by position player, I don't remember.
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