*** Official 2016 Royals Offseason Repository ***

[duncan_idaho]

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!

1. Raul Adalberto Mondesi, SS, BOTH: Tools, tools, tools. RA has tools galore. At his best, he’s an All-Star SS who plays elite D, hits 15-20 HR, swipes 40 bags, and is an ideal 1, 2 or 3 hitter. At his worst, I think he looks a lot like Alcides Escobar. Plate discipline is his biggest challenge at this point, but evaluators are confident that will come with time. Clear No. 1
2. Kyle Zimmer, RHP: He’s pitching again and staying healthy, which is nice. He’s pitcing out of the bullpen to build back his arm strength, which is less nice. But still has that high upside, just a lower floor now. Ideally, the team will use him as a bullpen weapon in September (because he has earned it) and then give him a chance to transition back to starting for 2016.
3. Bubba Starling, CF, RH: Starling has been up and down this year but put himself back on the map by greatly improving his K rate while also improving across the slash line as a hitter. His defense and baserunning are MLB ready; if Starling can work himself into a league average hitter, he can be a solid MLB regular who plays great D in CF while hitting 15 HR and swiping 20 bags.
4. Miguel Almonte, RHP: Still love the body, FB/CH combo. Results aren’t eye popping, but he’s still low enough and early enough in the development to prize those things over performance. Still a solid No. 3 starter upside, and just a year and some change away from potentially being ready to contribute at the MLB level.
5. Jorge Bonifacio, RF, RH: Emilio’s little brother got off to a horrible start in 2015 but has heated up as the season went on. He also is translating BP power to game power for the first time, with 15 HR just past the mid-way point of his season. Despite his disappointing 2014, he has a chance to build his way back into legit prospect status – and still is only 22. Next challenge for him should be Omaha, but that may wait for the start of the 2014 season.
6. Scott Blewett, RHP: Blewett has a nice two –pitch mix already and is off to a strong start. With his size (6-6) and a good fastball/curveball combo, Blewett could eventually turn into a good No. 3 starter, with a MLB-average changeup.
7. Nolan Watson, RHP: The Royals’ 2015 sandwich pick is a polished prep arm who is adding velocity and explosiveness to a good, polished base. Likely to move quickly.
8. Ashe Russell, RHP: The 2015 top pick probably needs more work than Watson, but the upside is really nice. Again, advanced two-pitch mix that will depend on him adding a changeup. Could be a very good NO. 2 if it all adds up.
9. Balbino Fuenmayor, 1B/DH, RH: The Balbino came out of basically nowhere in 2015 to earn a Futures Game spot. Big power and an improved two-strike approach have turned the late bloomer into a legit prospect. He’s blocked at the MLB level currently by Eric Hosmer and Kendrys Morales, but Fuenmayor’s combination of power hitting and good average/strike zone control makes him intriguing.
10. Cheslor Cuthbert, 3B, RH: Cheslor probably is not going to be the star KC was hoping for when signing him out of Nicaragua, but he does look like he can be a solid reserve for an MLB club. Good defense at 3B paired with a solid plate approach and some gap power plays fine off the bench. He becomes a lot more interesting if they think he can stick as a 2B, which they have experimented with.

Spoiler!

11. Chase Vallot, C/DH/1B: I really like Vallot’s power and plate discipline combo. His bat will probably force him from behind the plate, but he’s held his own despite being extremely young for every level he has faced.
12. Alfredo Escalera-Maldonado, OF, RH: Escalera-Maldonado earned a promotion to Wilmington at age 20, which is pretty advanced movement for that age. He’s an athletic outfielder who has shown some plate discipline at an early age, which is encouraging. Doesn’t sound like he can stick in CF long term for KC, but his bat has become one to watch.
13. Pedro Fernandez, RHP: I haven’t seen much of him, but like the reports I’ve heard on his fastball and general makeup. Could become the next Almonte/Mondesi, though he’s more likely to land in the pen than either of them.
14. Elier Hernandez, OF, RH: Elier Hernanez teamed with Escalera-Maldonado in breaking out at Low-A and earning a promotion to Wilmington. It’s still early for this guy – he is just 20 years old – but he doesn’t take walks and hasn’t developed the prodigious power many thought he had the potential for. Still worth watching.
15. Hunter Dozier, 3B, RH: Dozier is reworking his swing mid-season, which generally will cause production to do what his has done: Nose dive. The changes he made entering the season (seemingly geared towards increasing his power production) were a disaster, and now he’s trying to get back to what he used to be. Still looks great and checks most of the scouting boxes, but the performance hasn’t matched, and it almost knocked him out of the list.
16. Christian Binford, RHP: After a breakthrough 2014, Binford struggled mightily at AAA and suffered a demotion. His upside remains similar – a back-end starter who can eat innings – but Binford’s lack of velocity and reliance on command have caught up to him so far.
17. Marten Gasparini, OF, SH: Gasparini is intriguing because of his speed and athleticism. He’s a LOOOOONG ways from the majors and young for his level, but reports on his bat speed, swing, and speed remain positive enough to keep him on the bubble.
18. Eric Skoglund, LHP: Skoglund had a nice year at Wilmington. I'm skeptical because his K rate is lower than I like to see for a guy at A+ - just 7/9, and usually guys lose a strikeout or two/9 as they move up the chain from there - but he has excellent control, walking 1.17 batters/9. 6-7 lefties with great control who get lots of ground balls - like Skoglund - have a chance to overcome bad K rates.
19. Ryan O'Hearn, 1B/LF: A lefty stick with power, O'Hearn was a savings signing as an 8th round pick, but a change in his approach increased his power - while increasing his K rate. After Vallot, probably the best pure power prospect in the Royals system.
20. Josh Staumont, RHP: I was terrified of this guy's control problems, and he walked nearly a batter an inning in his pro debut (32 BB in 40 1/3 IP). Staumont's nasty, nasty stuff (plus-plus fastball, plus slider) could make him a very good late-inning reliever who strikes out more than a batter an inning, if he can develop average or slightly below-average control. If he really masters the control, you're talking about a potential Greg Holland type, but that's a TALL task.

[Why Not?]

Originally Posted by Why Not?

You went to BRI, literally 5 min from my house, and no heads up? That hurts.

Although, there may be more than one

[Prison Bitch]

BBTN top 10 at each position. We have a 1, 2, 3, and 4 at their positions. Guess who, or see here:


http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/page/...every-position

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

BBTN top 10 at each position. We have a 1, 2, 3, and 4 at their positions. Guess who, or see here:


http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/page/...every-position

1 - Wade Davis
2 - Lorenzo Cain
3 - Alex Gordon
4 - Salvador Perez

[Prison Bitch]

I was expecting Davis too, but he is behind Chapman

[KCUnited]

Originally Posted by Why Not?

You went to BRI, literally 5 min from my house, and no heads up? That hurts.

Why?, I thought I remember you don't drink or else I would have. I'm not trying to burden the responsible with my shenanigans. I'm in Chandler til Tuesday though.

[Why Not?]

Originally Posted by KCUnited

Why?, I thought I remember you don't drink or else I would have. I'm not trying to burden the responsible with my shenanigans. I'm in Chandler til Tuesday though.

Wow! Impressive memory. Seriously. I was just giving you shit. Your more than welcome to come over for the KU game if you want. 2 kids and 2 hyper dogs to contend with, however. I'm packed next week trying to stay ahead of leaving town on Friday to head to KC for the opener!

[KChiefs1]

Ian Kennedy seems like a good dude. Wife is from St Louis so they are moving the family to Leawood to live.

[siberian khatru]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

With the new season coming, how bout a song about our old friend Buck O'Neil? by Bob Walkenhorst of the Rainmakers.

I'm old enough to remember Steve, Bob and Rich.

[Great Expectations]

Gold KC/ opening day hats go on sale in markets outside KC on Thursday.

[Fairplay]

Look at my sig.

[C3HIEF3S]

Originally Posted by Great Expectations

Gold KC/ opening day hats go on sale in markets outside KC on Thursday.

They're on MLB shop now, also.

[tk13]

Good writeup in the New York Post today.

http://nypost.com/2016/03/26/royals-...ing-attention/

Royals are aiming for dynasty - even if no one's paying attention
By Joel Sherman

SURPRISE, Ariz. — Ninety feet.

In the next 10 days, the Royals will raise a championship banner, be presented rings and begin their title defense at Kauffman Stadium against the Mets.

But Ned Yost still is fixated on Alex Gordon standing on third as the tying run as Game 7 and the 2014 World Series against the Giants concluded.

“We were 90 feet away from going for a three-peat this year,” the Royals’ manager said. “Do we still think about it? Yes.”

Yost is explaining how conscious his club is of what is possible. The frustration of being so close to a title fueled the championship run last year, and now the potential to be the best Royals era ever, and perhaps even a dynasty, sits out there if Kansas City can go AL pennant, championship, championship.

“I talk to them and they want to make history,” Yost said. “Last year, we had unfinished business. This year, our thought is, ‘Let’s make history.’ ”

They do this in baseball anonymity. The 24-hour shock of going from the camp of the Cubs — the darlings of 2016 — to the Royals — the, you know, actual champs of 2015 — isn’t the difference between night and day, it is the difference between night and spaghetti. The Cubs are a zoo — they literally had cubs scampering on their backfield Friday. The attention from media and constant spring home sellouts of 15,000 has brought a rock star, party sense about the franchise.

Meanwhile, on a Saturday morning, Kansas City pitching coach Dave Eiland spread his arms to take in the wide expanse at the Royals complex that contained just the two of us and a slight breeze and said: “Look at the media coverage we have here today.”

To raise the pulse rate and focus much around the Royals, a new computer simulation or oddsmaker has to again forecast seventy-something wins. Such is small-city life.

The aspirations, though, are Main Street.

“Do we think we have a chance to continue to win World Series down the road?” Yost said. “We do.”

No club has repeated since the 1998-2000 Yankees did three-peat, and these Royals have commonality with that group. In a baseball age awash with analytics, I hesitate to use an ambiguous term such as “it,” but those Yankees had “it,” and I think these Royals do, too. Let’s see if I can explain.

That Yankees core essentially blossomed as one and stuck together. The Yanks stopped winning titles to some degree when they brought in the Jason Giambis and Alex Rodriguezes and Randy Johnsons. There was such pressure on the big-salary/addition mercenary to succeed that when he didn’t, it deflated the whole group. On the championship clubs, there was this collective belief that if Derek Jeter did not get a hit, Bernie Williams would; and if not him, then Paul O’Neill; and if not him, then Tino Martinez, and so on. By believing the next guy would succeed, the individual pressure shrunk and some of the coin-flip aspects of who wins in October actually became advantage Yankees.

The Royals have gained that edge with a lineup and rotation essentially filled with very good players bonded by trust that the next guy will succeed. This leads to a fearless, bold and loose style that has been their signature the past two postseasons. They believe they will find a way to win, especially close games late because — like those great Yankees — they have a group confidence and a dynamic bullpen.

And regardless of those seventy-something predictions again, Yost thinks this is his best roster yet. Eiland and Dayton Moore agree it is the best pitching staff, with Joakim Soria joining the pen and Ian Kennedy the rotation. Edinson Volquez will start the opener against Matt Harvey — the duo who started last year’s World Series finale — but there is sentiment that Yordano Ventura is better at harnessing his emotions and might yet emerge an ace. The indomitable Wade Davis anchors a pen that will contain Dillon Gee and Chien-Ming Wang — a revelation this spring, back throwing 94 mph sinkers like his vintage Yankee days.

There are questions at second (no one would be surprised if athletic Raul Mondesi Jr. unseated fading Omar Infante this year), and right field, where KC already was seeing if fourth outfielder Jarrod Dyson could be a full-timer before being lost for a few weeks with an oblique injury. But the “it” factor revolves around the contact-oriented, defensively excellent, aggressive-to-the-hilt lineup headed by Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas.

That trio plus Davis are free agents after next season, and the symbols of urgency to maximize this moment showed in trading prospects for Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist last July, and re-signing core piece Alex Gordon as part of getting to a team-record payroll for 2016. You don’t want to squander “it.”

“I don’t like using words like family or brotherhood or goofy clichés,” Eiland said. “But there is something special going on here.”

[Sure-Oz]

Need 2 owners for Chiefs planet fantasy baseball for 730p draft tonight. If you want in $25 buy in...fun group dm Kevb please. Or go to fantasy planet section and post in that thread. Last time I'll post in here go royals!

[KevB]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

BBTN top 10 at each position. We have a 1, 2, 3, and 4 at their positions. Guess who, or see here:


http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/page/...every-position

Hayward above Cain is silly IMO (plus, he's not a CF).

Chapman over Davis is just wrong based on the last 2 seasons --- Davis clearly the best reliever in baseball, and has done it on the biggest stage. Not to mention Chapman suspended 30 games.

Otherwise, pretty fair list as far as Royals are concerned.

That said, if the Yankees or Red Sox had the same success the last two years, they'd be dominating the top 5 at nearly every position. They'd get credit for their post season performance/success.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

BBTN top 10 at each position. We have a 1, 2, 3, and 4 at their positions. Guess who, or see here:


http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/page/...every-position

Originally Posted by KevB

Hayward above Cain is silly IMO (plus, he's not a CF).

Chapman over Davis is just wrong based on the last 2 seasons --- Davis clearly the best reliever in baseball, and has done it on the biggest stage. Not to mention Chapman suspended 30 games.

Otherwise, pretty fair list as far as Royals are concerned.

That said, if the Yankees or Red Sox had the same success the last two years, they'd be dominating the top 5 at nearly every position. They'd get credit for their post season performance/success.

This. I'm not too worried about any of it. But Davis not at 1 is a little