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M-I-Z-Z-O-U
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Kansas City
Casino cash: $-2109692
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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.. |
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#2536 | |
M-I-Z-Z-O-U
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Kansas City
Casino cash: $-2109692
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Quote:
When JA Happ is getting $12 million a year, $14 million for Kennedy seems like a bargain (Id seen some suggest Kennedy would be its high as $17 million/year). He's got more than mediocre upside and a pretty stable floor.
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#2537 |
Perpetual Mediocrity
Join Date: Jan 2006
Casino cash: $1542783
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It's not the salary that surprised me here, but the years. And I think I'd take Happ at 3 years over Kennedy at 5 years. Don't think there's too much difference between them in quality really (other than Happ coming off the much better 2015: 3.61 ERA/3.41 FIP vs. 4.28 ERA/4.51 FIP).
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Posts: 58,005
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#2538 |
Veteran
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: MO
Casino cash: $9390051
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*** Official 2016 Royals Offseason Repository ***
Spending some coin lately. This is our last major move right? Anything else would be spring training invite or something most likely?
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Posts: 1,528
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#2539 | |
Agree to Disagree
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: The State of Euphoria
Casino cash: $10026612
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Quote:
Last edited by KevB; 01-16-2016 at 08:08 AM.. |
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Posts: 14,446
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#2540 |
Agree to Disagree
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: The State of Euphoria
Casino cash: $10026612
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Posts: 14,446
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#2541 |
Stay positive, don't give up
Join Date: Dec 2001
Casino cash: $1669383
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Like the signing as well...pitching def costs
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Posts: 46,311
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#2542 |
Forever Royal
Join Date: Mar 2012
Casino cash: $-1878700
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I am going to need more space on my wall after next season
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Posts: 26,512
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#2543 |
Veteran
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Kansas City
Casino cash: $4422608
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I'd guess we will see a GMDM special here or there. He's known to take a flier on a reclamation project or two after free agency is nearly dead. Value signings.
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You are not your job, you're not how much money you have in the bank. You are not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You are not your ****ing khakis. -Fight Club |
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#2544 |
Stay positive, don't give up
Join Date: Dec 2001
Casino cash: $1669383
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I assume Fister or Lee are not on that flyers board. Who realistically is out there that they would sign. I like the Kennedy signing...our def will help alot
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Posts: 46,311
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#2545 |
MVP
Join Date: Jul 2008
Casino cash: $9849890
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Very nice. I felt like we needed one more solid pitcher. Good offseason.
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Posts: 6,703
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#2546 |
Ultrabanned
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Northland
Casino cash: $-1870644
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You guys cool with making another WS run? Does that sound OK to everyone?
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Posts: 43,921
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#2547 |
Stroking to the SB Champs!
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Flatlands of Kansas
Casino cash: $-511038
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i just love the fact that our Management recognizes that we still have an opportunity to go for it and repeat in 2016. This makes me happy
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#2548 |
Just here for the Royals
Join Date: Jul 2014
Casino cash: $10029260
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2 biggest contracts in franchise history within a week of each other. Is it too soon to start the "repeat" chant?
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Posts: 4,053
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#2549 |
Let's Get Weird
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Austin
Casino cash: $9910098
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Funny that this place has been talking about getting Kennedy for like three years now. I like the signing a lot.
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Posts: 15,232
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#2550 | |
M-I-Z-Z-O-U
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Kansas City
Casino cash: $-2109692
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Quote:
There's perhaps less risk with Happ, but he also is a guy who cashed in on one good half season, the best performance by far of his career. Don't believe he's ever finished a full season with an ERA under 4 over the rest of his career... And isn't he 33? Not a shot at him, just that even guys with warts are getting a lot of years and dollars. Over the past five years, Kennedy has been the better pitcher overall and been more durable and reliable. Combine that with being younger, and that's where separation comes in.
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