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M-I-Z-Z-O-U
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Kansas City
Casino cash: $-2199692
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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: 22,461
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#1396 |
Debunking your bullshit
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: KC area
Casino cash: $3630890
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#1397 |
Rabbi Goldmann
Join Date: Nov 2012
Casino cash: $5450159
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#1398 |
Special Teams ACE!!!
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Where the hell is SNR
Casino cash: $-1604792
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So much for Alex being fine with a hometown discount
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Posts: 93,473
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#1399 |
Mod Team
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Valley of the hot as ****
Casino cash: $-1628100
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No player is going to give up years and money on a contract. A bit of money, maybe yes, but securing a 5 year deal from another team is a no brainer at his age. No way the Royals should offer 5 years to him either.
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Posts: 46,388
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#1400 |
World's Best Boss
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Bronco Country
Casino cash: $3584654
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#1401 |
The Insider
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Lake of the Ozarks
Casino cash: $-1661248
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Posts: 52,201
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#1402 |
Mod Team
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Valley of the hot as ****
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#1403 |
...
Join Date: Nov 2001
Casino cash: $-1967500
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If Heyward really has a $200 million offer out there, you'd think Gordon would get at least $100M, if not more.
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#1404 |
The Insider
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Lake of the Ozarks
Casino cash: $-1661248
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#1405 |
I’m a Mahomo!
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Mid-Missouri
Casino cash: $6771021
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Nationals now are in on Heyward.
OF market is heating up.
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#1406 | |
Like I woke up in Wonderland..
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: KCMO
Casino cash: $806558
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Wasn't his last deal a bit of a hometown discount?
$37.5 million for 4 years seems a bit below what he could have gotten back then, but that may just be hindsight.
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#1407 |
In Search of a Life
Join Date: Aug 2005
Casino cash: $7327995
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Posts: 43,200
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#1408 |
World's Best Boss
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Bronco Country
Casino cash: $3584654
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It was definitely a hometown discount. National writers said he easily could have gotten 4/48-52 from somewhere else. Gordo said he wanted to thank the org for sticking with him when many others would have thrown in the towel.
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#1409 | |
In Search of a Life
Join Date: Aug 2005
Casino cash: $7327995
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Quote:
Pass. ![]() When teams are in desperation mode signing guys to insane contracts-Royals need to be doing the opposite by bringing up players from the minors to fill in around our stars. |
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Posts: 43,200
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#1410 |
Rabbi Goldmann
Join Date: Nov 2012
Casino cash: $5450159
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Oh please. He wasn't even a FA bro, so how would he have gotten these "offers" from other teams? The Royals bought 2 arb years in exchange for 2 extra years. Alex didn't have any other options. All he could do was decline it and play out 2012 + 2013.
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