2016 Kansas City Royals discussion

[ShockerPrez]

Great game!

[WuDrWu]

Great game!

Saw Frankamp and Shamet on the pregame show, Royals show some guts, big time, and win with an unbelievable 9th. I'll bet the team was scared 3G was going to chew their ass, sparking the 9th inning rally.

[Steeleshocker]

Cain with what will be the most unappreciated play of the game hustling to avoid the double play.

[ShockerPrez]

Cain with what will be the most unappreciated play of the game hustling to avoid the double play.

Agreed.

I was lucky enough to be there today. Took the kids, they were pretty bored for 8.5 innings, thought the cherry on the terd was Salvy getting hurt, then pure elation!

Thought that Eibner was actually going to walk in the winning run. But man, what a intro to the big leagues for that guy.

[RoyalShock]

My son and I were there, as well. There was a group of douchey CWS fans sitting 3 rows in front of us in the upper deck. One of them yelled "you suck" as Salvy was being helped off the field. The game changed at that point and they got real quiet during the bottom of the 9th.

[DUShock]

That was one of baseball's all time best ninth inning comebacks and I saw it live!

[ShockerDropOut]

EPIC!!!

[ShockerGorilla]

Yordano....you got to go!

[DUShock]

Yordano....you got to go!

I hate to say it but it is time for a new home for Yordano.

[ShockdaWorld]

I agree about Yordano. Enough is enough already. The trouble is that he's not the only one that needs to be replaced, even if for different reasons.

[SB Shock]

I hate to say it but it is time for a new home for Yordano.

I saw a update that said the Royals were shopping him around.

[ShockTalk]

Given that the Royal fans on here (myself included although they are my 2nd team) have not posted here in almost 2 months, I think it's safe to say we can stick a fork in them for this year. I think we are all surprised that they are not even in the hunt for a playoff spot.

The big question is where do they go after this year. Remember, I don't follow the Royals as closely as others on this board, but here is my: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

The Good: Salvy - They have him locked up for 5 more years and given the tight catcher market, I don't see them using him as trade bait.
Kennedy - A solid upper half of a staff pitcher, they have him under contract for 4 more years at what appears to be a reasonable price.
Cain - He's under contract for 1 more year, so they can work on Hosmer and others now and Lorenzo later.
Moose - Same as Cain, except he's got a lot farther to go to get a quality contract IMO.
Escobar - Club option for 2017 of $6.5 with $500,000 buy-out. No brainer at that price, but I wish they'd leave him in the 8/9 lineup slot.
Davis - Assuming he's healthy, Royals have a club option for next year.
Cuthbert, Colon, and Orlando - None are arbitration eligible yet.

The Bad: Ventura - His contract is for 5 more years (last 2 with a club option). This is a very reasonably priced contract, so if he gets it all figured out, it could turn out to be a good.
Long List of Contract Decisions This Year - Arbitration Year: 1) Hosmer: If you want him, better tie him up now. 2) Herrera: Same as Hosmer. 3) Duffy: Same as the first two. Club Option Year (Keep or Let Go): 4) Volquez - $10 mill, $3 mill buy-out (not a bad price to take a chance on) 5) Morales - $11 mill (mutual option), $1.5 mill buy-out 6) Medlen - $10 mill, $1 mill buy-out (gone). 7) Hochevar - $7 mill, $500,000 buy-out (restructure or gone).

The Ugly: Soria - Royals suck for another 2 years.
Gordon - I'm gonna take flack for this one, but, at the time the Royals signed him, I did not like a 4 year (5th year mutual option) $68-$91 mill contract for a 32 year old who has had only 2 real quality offensive years (2011 and 2012), is a .265 lifetime hitter who generally hits less than 20 HR. I know he's a fan favorite and is great in the outfield, but this money could have been put to better use. This year is even worse than I could have imagined. As a note, the Royals are 11-21 since his return and he did not play in one of those wins.

Comments anyone?

[ShockerFever]

I think the silence is deafening, ST.

I'm just curious to see how quick the bandwagon empties out. I'm thinking there's enough out there to still keep attendance numbers up through the end of the season. Some of those new t-shirts haven't even been through the washer yet.

[RoyalShock]

I was uneasy about the Gordon signing, too, for the same reasons. Yes, his defense is stellar, but his declining offense can't be ignored.

Cuthbert has shown pretty well, but a productive Moustakas gives KC that "it" factor they've been lacking most of the season.

Starting pitching has been the biggest problem and will continue to be. That's where they are going to fall short again next summer, IMO. I hear the FA market for SPs is weak.

What I'd like to see for next year:

- Get Moose back at 3rd, move Cuthbert to 2nd, Mondesi to SS and trade Escobar.
- Hope Vargas and Zimmer can hold up the back of the rotation.
- Anyone can DH. Resign Morales, bring up Dozier, whatever.
- I would love to see Davis flipped for an ML-ready OF'er, but I think the OF is set with Gordon, Cain and Burns.

Here is a mix of what I hope and think we'll see:

1 - Burns
2 - Moose
3 - Cain
4 - Hoz
5 - DH
6 - Salvy
7 - Gordon
8 - Cuthbert
9 - Mondesi

SP
Kennedy
Duffy
Ventura
Zimmer (if he's ready to start the year)
Vargas

Bullpen:
Herrera
Davis
[Fill in the blanks]

I would be fine with trading almost any of the above, as long as Moore gets value in return.

[MoValley John]

How are the Cubs doing?