Royals off-season news

[RoyalShock]

The Jason Vargas signing is pretty old news. Basically, he's a left-handed version of Jeremy Guthrie. Seems like a bit of an overpay for a 4-yr deal ($32 million), but he could put up better numbers in KC with that defense behind him.

Chris Getz is gone, finally. So is George Kottaras.

They brought in a backup catcher who is the son of former manager Tony Pena. Francisco, maybe?

The rumors today are that Carlos Beltran is close to signing with KC for 3yrs, $48 million.

[SB Shock]

Did you see that Twins signed Phil Hughes for 8 million a year for 3 years (5.19 ERA, 1.46 WHIP). Makes Vargas look like a bargain.

[RoyalShock]

Did you see that Twins signed Phil Hughes for 8 million a year for 3 years (5.19 ERA, 1.46 WHIP). Makes Vargas look like a bargain.

Yeah, I saw that. It's crazy to think that an average to below-average player is worth $8 million a year these days.

[RoyalShock]

Royals get RF Nori Aoki from Brewers for LHP Will Smith.

Moore says he's still looking for a middle-of-the-order bat. An OF of Gordon, Cain and Aoki is pretty dang good and since he's a legit leadoff hitter allows Yost to move Gordon down in the order to maximize his production.

Ken Rosenthal says KC is still after Beltran. If they somehow sign Beltran and can convince him to be a primary DH, KC could then has Butler, one or two of Dyson/Maxwell/Lough and one of Davis/Crow/Hochevar to use as trade chips for either another SP or 2B.

Even though it's one year of Aoki for 5-6 years of Smith, Smith is easily replaceable and it's a marked improvement of the 2014 team.

[RoyalShock]

KC has a new 2nd baseman, Omar Infante. 4 years, $30 mil.

They've now addressed RF and 2B. A #2 SP would be nice. People are starting to say teams may back off of Ervin Santana due to losing a draft pick and that could bring KC back into the picture. I'm not optimistic they'll be able to afford to add any more payroll without getting very creative.

As it stand right now, we need bounce-back seasons from Butler, Gordon and Escobar, and for Moose to at least get a little bit better. The starting rotation, outside of Shields, concerns me a little bit, but there is lots of potential there, especially if Duffy and Ventura both take steps forward.

[SB Shock]

KC has a new 2nd baseman, Omar Infante. 4 years, $30 mil.

They've now addressed RF and 2B. A #2 SP would be nice. People are starting to say teams may back off of Ervin Santana due to losing a draft pick and that could bring KC back into the picture. I'm not optimistic they'll be able to afford to add any more payroll without getting very creative.

As it stand right now, we need bounce-back seasons from Butler, Gordon and Escobar, and for Moose to at least get a little bit better. The starting rotation, outside of Shields, concerns me a little bit, but there is lots of potential there, especially if Duffy and Ventura both take steps forward.

infante is nice move - it does look like KC is really trying to make the moves improve areas so they can compete for a playoff chance.

[newshock1234]

Royals trade RF David Lough to Baltimore for INF Danny Valencia

[shocktheheart]

Royals trade RF David Lough to Baltimore for INF Danny Valencia

Good move. They couldn't keep a sixth OF and Maxwell has more power and Dyson has the best speed on the team.

[ShockTalk]

A friendly push to for Moose to get it going?

[newshock1234]

Good move. They couldn't keep a sixth OF and Maxwell has more power and Dyson has the best speed on the team.

yup agreed, also good insurance just in case Moose flops again this year

[RoyalShock]

A friendly push to for Moose to get it going?

A push to, and insurance for.

[shockmonster]

Look for the possibility of Dyson being shopped around maybe with another player or two. With Bonifacio playing the utility role and with his speed skill set similar to
Dyson's, Dyson may not be able to make the team next year anyway. Maxwell hits for power and is a nice athlete so the Royals may want to keep more pitchers in the penrather than a duplicate outfielder.

[RoyalShock]

If Dyson has options left, I expect him to be in Omaha. If not, you're probably right about him getting shopped around, now that we have Aoki, who can man CF if/when Cain gets hurt.

For all the crap Dayton Moore has taken (some of it from me), he's constructed a very good roster with no obvious weak spots. One could argue for another starting pitcher, however.

[Awesome Sauce Malone]

I thnk our biggest flaw going into the season will be the rotation. We have a full year of Duffy who looked good last year. Shields is shields

What to expect from Guthrie? Does Ventura make the club? I have 0 expectations from Vargas and tbh I don't really know much about him. As much as I would have loved to resign Ervin I don't necessarily think it would have been the right move. Honestly, I've always been a fan of his since his Anaheim days. But it is what it is.

Theres still some pitching options out there. We need to look at doing something with Colon and Gio. I like having Bonifacio on this team as utility guy.