Off-Season Effort

I must start on a sad note. As many of you heard, David DeJesus was traded away to Oakland this week for Vin Mazzaro and Justin Marks. While a lot of people will wonder who the winner/loser of this deal is, I think we'll have to wait and see. Dayton is usually hit or miss on these things. He hit on Brian Bannister, trading an inconsistent Ambiorix Burgos (who only pitched 23 innings after being traded) to the Mets for him. Dayton won that trade, as he got a consistent starter in return (though he may be gone to, as he is now a free agent). But he's also missed, missing on Mike Jacobs (now in the Blue Jays AAA) while giving up a good reliever in Leo Nunez (3.76 ERA in 133.2 IP). This trade will be important, but never the less it does give the Royals pitching more depth for when the explosion of talent hits in 2012. But here we are, once again seeing how how being a small market team kills us. DeJesus was never and probably won't ever be great or amazing, but he is a very solid and good player. More importantly, it's a leader in the clubhouse that's going to be missed. Which makes me think about the 2009 off-season.

Remember back to 2009. That was the year that the Royals were supposed to be one of the "surprise" teams to make some noise in the AL, with even some picking them to win the division. Man have times have changed, and so has our roster. Take a look what Opening Day Lineup for that year:

1) CF: Coco Crisp

2) LF: David DeJesus

3) 2B: Mark Teahen

4) RF: Jose Guillen

5) 1B: Mike Jacobs

6) DH: Billy Butler

7) 3B: Alex Gordon

8) C: Miguel Olivo

9) SS: Mike Aviles

      P: Gil Meche

The team that was supposed to bring back hope and prosperity to the Royals. Good defense with promising pitching expected to take the next step (Greinke did with a Cy Young to show for it), and Trey's "small ball" philosophy was supposed to take affect. I can still remember watching Mike Jacobs aim consistently at the party porch. Sadly, Mike Jacobs is now Royal-less (and in the Blue Jays minor leagues/free agent) as are many of the players that started Opening Day 2009. In fact, if we were to start our season tomorrow, the 2011 Royals opening day lineup would maybe look something like this:

1) CF: Gregor Blanco (.348 OBP with 10 SB in 85 Games with KC last year)

2)   C: Jason Kendall (.256 AVG, but only 45 K's, can move runners over)

3) 2B: Mike Aviles (Hit .304 last year, but primarily hit singles, 27 of 129 hits were extra base-hits)

4) DH: Billy Butler (Still managed to hit 45 doubles and .318 in a weak lineup)

5) 3B: Wilson Betemit (Hit .297 last year on a minor league deal, but only .253 in September/October)

6) LF: Alex Gordon (Will be on his last chance after hitting only .215 last year, looked comfortable at OF though)

7) 1B: Kila Ka'aihue (Hit .274 with 6 HR's and 18 RBI's in September/October. Possibly some playing time coming?)

8) SS: Yuniesky Betancourt (Had 16 HR's with 78 RBI's last year. He'll have a job if he continues that)

9) RF: Mitch Maier (Hit .263 last year in 373 AB's playing Center....oh and those 2 innings at 1B in Texas).

    SP: Zack Greinke (Still the Ace with a down year, posting an 4.17 ERA)

See, the one thing that David DeJesus could bring to this team that no-body else on this team could bring is leadership. He's been here on bad teams since 2004, going out everyday and doing his job and doing it well. Now there are veteran's on this team who can provide leadership and have been around the block, such as an Jason Kendall. Other than Kendall, there isn't a true leader on this team, or someone who can hit .318.

Which brings me to the rumors of Jeff Francoeur possibly becoming a Royal. If we had some legitimate power sources, I could understand bringing in a guy like Francoeur. But you don't. So with that said, there are other options that GMDM needs to look at before considering a reunion with another former Atlanta Brave:

• Adam Dunn 1B/OF/DH (.260 AVG, .360 OBP, 36 Doubles, 38 HR's, 103 RBI's with Washington): Now I know he's a top free agent and is looking for a pretty lucrative contract, but lets consider all things:
  - You were paying Jose Guillen a $13 million salary (Dunn made $12 million last year, $8 million the year before that). Why not allocate that money (with a little more length with it) to a guy who has proven he can provide offense
  - Speaking of offense and though he strikes out a lot (199 K's last year) he does hit at the plate
      - At least 38 HR's per year his past 6 years
      - At least 100 RBI's 6 out of his last 7 years (92 RBI's in the one year he didn't)
  - Though he strikes out, he does get on base (Career .381 OBP.)
  
  
• Vladimir Guerrero DH/OF (.300 AVG, 29 HR, 115 RBI with
  Texas): Vlad held an revival last year, and I was really hoping that the Royals would have made a push at Vlad last year while he could of been signed for cheaper than he'll cost this year. Not only that, if Vlad were to put up a good first half for the Royals, then he could have been great trade bait. We'll thankfully the Royals have another chance again to sign Vlad. Yes he's 36 next year, but it's clear that he can still hit and can provide veteran leadership for the Royals that could pay dividends now and down the road, whether its via a trade involving him or him mentoring other players. The fact is this, he's not a long term answer, but he is someone that can provide good protection for Billy Butler in the middle of the order. Would you rather face Butler with Guerrero hitting behind him or with Betemit? I don't think paying him $11 millions would be overpaying Vlad for 2 years.

 There are plenty of others out there, such as an Aubrey Huff, Adam LaRoche, or Nick Johnson that would be better options than Francoeur. He was a talented player early on in Atlanta, but he hasn't been able to regain his stroke since leaving there. He only had 65 RBI's in 503 Plate Appearances last year with Texas and New York. I don't see any of those numbers getting better in Kansas City where there's a lineup that is similar to New York's. The Royals need Power, but not just power. They need power that can either have plate discipline (can get on base via walk's, work the count) or that can also hit for average (be a good contact hitter with 2 strikes, can hit the ball the other way.) Basically the opposite of an Jose Guillen or Mike Jacobs.

I don't expect the Royals to get either Dunn or Vlad, even if they tried. But what I want to see is Dayton try. Make an reasonable offer to one of them, show us that he's committed to improving our team now as well. We know that he's committed to the future, and he's made it clear the minors are the most important. I agree with Moore, that you need to develop from within to be a consistent contender. But at some point you need to address what is the reality, a poor lineup that needs a real tune-up for next year. Make an effort this off-season Dayton. That's all I ask this off-season. Not at an Rick Ankiel, but at a proven, legitimate middle of the order hitter.

Who is Luis Mendoza?

On April 2nd, we saw one of the final bullpen spots get handed out to a young pitcher who has little service time. Luis Mendoza, literally hours before the Royals and the Rangers were about to play the first of 2 final exhibition games in Arlington to close out Spring Training, packed up his things and walked to the visiting team's locker room, suiting up for the Royals that night.

Mendoza, who is out of options, had to make the Royals or be put through waivers before he could be sent to the minors. Basically, he was in Anthony Lerew's situation. Lerew cleared waivers and was sent to AA Northwest Arkansas.


So with the solution set, why did Dayton Moore make this move for Mendoza? Cause he has a arm and good stuff in his pitches. His fastball runs about 94 MPH (Mendoza hit that high Saturday against the Red Sox) and has some movement, as well as a sinker, which when located well induces a good amount ground balls.

With that said, Mendoza doesn't have any other pitch. He worked hard at Rangers camp this spring on adding a curveball to his arsenal, but it is still in development, meaning he lacks a true "out" pitch.

Here are Mendoza's career lines (as of 4/12):

Major's: 4-9 with an 8.38 ERA in 34 Games (14 Starts); 119 Hits, 31 BB, 43 K's, .332 BAA, and a 18.1 WHIP in 82.2 IP.

Minors: 49-51 with a 4.58 ERA in 167 Games (153 Starts); 936 Hits, 263 BB, 454 K's, and a  1.43 WHIP in 835 IP.

Mendoza, originally drafted by the Red Sox, was predominantly a starter in the minors, and was slated to make the Rangers rotation as the 5th starter in 2008. So, the question is raised again, why did Dayton Moore make this move to add Luis Mendoza to his bullpen?

Maybe there is something that Dayton and the rest of the front office sees in Mendoza, but based off the two outings he's had so far, he has potential, but potential that can be worked on in the minors. There are times that trades are made that you just need to trust that the management made the right decision, or a development trade (such as Kyle Davies for Octavio Dotel in 07). Then there are times where management needs to admit they simply made a mistake and were wrong (Mike Jacobs for Leo Nunez). This is one of those times.

Who knows. Maybe Mendoza comes out and becomes a good pitcher down the line. But the fact remains that when you are traded for straight up cash, chances are that you are not major league ready or worth a spot on the 25-man roster. Also, what does this say about the veteran pitchers that were signed in the off-season that were battling for bullpen jobs, such as Byan Bullington, Brad Thompson or Josh Rupe to name a few? There's Blake Wood and Anthony Lerew (as previously mentioned), as well as the Rule-5 pick Edgar Osuna or Carlos Rosa, who has shown signs of progressing to become a good bullpen pitcher (4.56 ERA with 80 K's in 71 IP in Triple A last year).

You make trades that improve your organization. With that view in mind, I could see how this trade makes sense in helping to improve depth within the organization at pitcher. However, from watching Luis Mendoza pitch this year so far, it's only a matter of time until he is put on waivers in hopes of sending him to the minors, as Mendoza needs to work on throwing to his spots, and more importantly, pitching 1st pitch strikes. Right now, he has only only in 18 AB's made 8 first pitch strikes (44%). Compare that to John Parrish who though has faced less batters (10) has made 7 first pitch strikes to those batters.

Now obviously a good portion of the bullpen is in shambles right now. But when you look at the stats and contracts, it makes the most sense to bring up one of the veterans that were signed this off-season and send Mendoza down to work on control. Mendoza is still 26, so he still has time to become a quality reliever. But he will have a short-lived career at the major-league level if he isn't sent to the minors to work on location and control.

The Non-Tender Market for the Royals

By tomorrow at 11 PM central time, players who are non-tender candidates must be offered a contract by there team or they become a free agent. For those who don't understand how this works, a player is a non-tender candidate when they become arbitration eligible and his club determines he is not worth the salary he might command in arbitration. A player who is non-tendered becomes a free agent and may sign with any of the 30 Major League clubs, including his former team, at any price.

With that said, we could see plenty of quality players become free agents before Saturday night. The Royals have already cut two players who were non-tender candidates: 1B/DH Mike Jacobs and lefty reliever John Bale. Jacobs was a bust this year, hitting .228 with a OBP of .297 with 19 homers and 61 RBI in 478 plate appearances. Bale posted some of the worst stats of his career, posting a 5.72 ERA in 28.1 innings. Hitters also hit .296 off Bale, the second highest average of his career, as well as a .390 OBP. Expect C John Buck to join them on Saturday, a player who has continually not become the power hitter the Royals thought he would. Maybe a change of scenery would do him good.

Both of these players are gone, and by Saturday night, their will be plenty of others added to the free agent pool. The question for the Royals is their anybody worthy of going after if they are non-tendered? Here's a few that could fit in KC.

1. Kevin Correia, SP, San Diego Padres - Correia was a nice surprise for the Padres, posting a 3.91 ERA in 33 starts, pitching 198 innings with 142 K's. It was a nice bounce-back year for Correia, coming over as a free agent last year from the Giants on a minor league deal.

The Padres have already tried giving him a contract for next season, but Correia isn't excepting, meaning that unless the team trades him before tomorrow, he is expected to be non-tendered on Saturday. The Royals need to add depth to their pitching staff, an their is upside to the Royals going after Correia. He's 28 years old and has a little over 5 years of major league experience. He made $1.1 million this year, and though he'll get paid more than $1.1 million, the Royals should take a shot at getting a starter with experience that is fairly inexpensive.

Correia has a low 90's fastball, a good change-up and slider. Though none of his pitches are fearful to hitters, Correia has the makings of a good mid-to-low end starter, and should be on the Royals radar when he gets non-tendered Saturday..

2. Dioner Navarro, C, Tampa Bay Rays - Now we know that the Royals are on the Jason Kendall pursuit, but let's slow down a second. Navarro is coming off an down year, posting an .218 AVG with 8 HR and 32 RBI. The year before, The Rays went to the World Series, and Navarro hit .295 with an .349 OBP, 27 double's, and 54 RB as the primary catcher. In the 2008 postseason, he posted an .293 AVG.

Not only did he hit well that year, but he also posted an 3.90 ERA when he was behind the plate in 08 and a 4.18 ERA in 09. He threw out 38% of base runners in 08 and 27% in 09.

The Royals are looking for an catcher obviously, and since they aren't keeping John Buck or going to re-sign Miguel Olivo, they are need of a catcher, preferably one with major league experience.

Navarro is only 26 years old and has 5 years of service time under his belt. Wherever he is next year, I look for him to bounce back and have a good year, I would prefer the Royals to go after Navarro over a veteran like Kendall or Barajas.

UPDATE - They Royals have signed Jason Kendall to a two year deal....so kiss this idea goodbye.

3. John Maine, SP, NYM - If Maine was able to stay healthy, I don't think theirs a chance he would get non-tendered, and I still think that there's a good chance he would be back. But the Mets have been waiting on Maine to be the quality pitcher he's shown at times he can be. He's had arm issues over the past couple of years and posted a 4.43 ERA in 81.1 innings, starting 15 games and going 7-6. His best seasons were when Maine compiled a 21-15 record with a 3.75 ERA, 251 K's and holding hitters to a .223 AVG during the 2006-07 seasons.

Main will be 29 next year and has upside. If healthy, he has shown that he can be a quality starting pitcher in the major league level, but we will have to see how he comes back from injury. The Royals could use a pitcher like Maine to solidify it's rotation, and they may be able to get a good pitcher at a cheap price in Maine. I don't expect Maine to get more than $3 million at the most on the market, considering he is coming off of injury and made $2..6 million last year. We'll see what happens.

This is a short list, but there is some good options for the Royals to look at in the non-tender market to look at, especially before grabbing a Jason Kendall or a Mark Mulder.

Thanks to MLBtraderumors.com, Baseball-Reference.com, and ESPN.com for info.

Where do we ship you Jose Guillen?

I know that he's come out and said that he wants to play in Kansas City next year and claims he is healthy, but the fact of the matter is this: he is owed $12 million next year, he's 34, he's been bothered by injuries, and he's been a semi-cancer in the clubhouse. Every knows we are trying to trade him, mainly to get his contract off the books, and if I'm Dayton Moore I would be doing the same thing.

The fact is that if were going to trade Jose Guillen, were going to have to give a little up as well. As the old saying goes, "to get a little you have to get a little." So in a week were GM's are up way past their bedtimes making deals with free agents and other teams, I have a couple of ideas for how the Royals could unload Jose. They probably won't ever get discussed, but there just ideas.

1. Derek Lowe (ATL) for Jose Guillen and a minor league prospect (Tim Melville) - Now this deal wouldn't have KC really making cap room available, and I know Derek Lowe is 38, but this trade would give the Royals a solid top 3 of the rotation. Dayton is bud's with the trades, plus the Braves are looking for a OF power bat. This trade would force the Royals to go and sign or trade for an OF, preferably one with power. I've always liked Derek Lowe because he is a workhorse, and this trade would give depth to a pitching staff that desperately needs depth as well as experience. I put Tim Melville in this deal because I'm sure that the Braves would want some prospect in return with taking on Jose, and since the Royals have a lot of young pitching prospects, I could see them trading one of them (not necessarily Melville) in a deal like this, especially since the Braves would need to eat some money to make this deal work.

The Braves have also come out and stated that they aren't asking for a veteran bat for him and will eat money as well, which I'm sure the Royals would ask for, since he is owed $15 million over each of the next three years, and that would be one big reason that this deal more than likely could never happen.

2. Brendan Ryan and Kyle McClellan(STL) for Jose Guillen and Mike Aviles - I know others may still like Mike Aviles, but let's face the facts: the only role that he may have as far as playing time goes may be in Triple-A unless some gets hurt or stumbles. He's 29 years old and is already due to injury in a backup role. I'm not writing off Mike completely, but his best position is 2B and 3B, and that void is filled by 2 people right now in each position right now.

Seeing as St. Louis needs a 3B, Aviles may have a chance to make an run there. This trade could only happen also if the Red Birds don't sign Holliday or Bay, because they don't need a power bat as badly to protect Pujols if they get either one of those OF to come here. It would be a cheap return, a young IF with promise in Ryan, and good young reliever in McClellan, but this trade would give the Royals one much needed thing, that being money to spend.

3. Jeff Francoeur and Angel Pagan or John Maine,(NYM) for Jose Guillen and Alberto Callaspo - There have been rumors over the past couple of weeks of a Guillen for Luis Castillo swap, as well as a Guillen for Pagan swap, and this trade would be a good trade for both teams. For one, it would help out the Mets in giving them a solid hitting 2B in Callaspo, though you would be sacrificing defense by playing him. You also get a corner power bat that is a veteran bat to help balance that lineup out, especially with the losses of Gary Sheffield and Carlos Delgado. Jose could have chance to thrive in the 5 or 6 hole there in NY, as well as Callaspo who has proven he can hit in the 5, 6, and 7 hole by his stats last year.

Francoeur has been someone that Dayton Moore has wanted to get since the beginning of his tenure, as we even heard rumors of a Francoeur for Greinke swap (thank goodness that didn't happen), so I wouldn't see this as a surprise if we started hearing rumors involving those two in the coming months. The reason I put either Pagan or Maine in their is that the Royals need both pitching and OF help. Though I want him back, the Royals are ways apart in possibly re-signing Coco Crisp, and need an center fielder . Pagan could fill that role. Maine on the other hand would give the Royals a young starter looking to bounce back from injury. Remember, it was only about 3 years ago when the Royals got a quality young starter from the Mets for Ambiorix Burgos, that pitcher being Brain Bannister (a forgotten good move by Dayton).

One thing the Royals would have to do is eat some of Guillen's contract, but not all of it. This would most likely result in the Royals books being the same, as Francoeur and Pagan or Maine would add up to around Guillen's salary when you take in that the Royals may need to eat $6-8 million to make this work. The only other way that a trade like this works is if the Mets would want Castillo in this deal, to help contracts work.

Remember these are only ideas, but we'll most likely see Jose in RF next opening day. My hope is that we do ship Jose out of here and vamp up for the 2010 off-season, but I guess we should get ready for another season of Jose in right field. Get your Jose chants ready.

 

New Faces, New Places: What the future holds for the Royals after trading Mark Teahen

It wasn’t a matter of if, but more when. Some expected this last off-season and most expected it this off-season. Mark Teahen is officially no longer a Royal, now a rival as a part of the White Sox. Some may not be happy Teahen is gone because he was a valuable player, but Teahen’s impact will still be felt in numerous ways.

The Royals got two players in return for Teahen: Josh Fields and Chris Getz. Fields, who will be 28 next year, once was a top prospect in the White Sox farm system and is only two years removed from a 23 HR rookie season. He is listed as a 3B, but has seen time at 1B and LF. Though he has some pop, he’s not the best hitter as far average goes. His career batting average is .229 with an on-base percentage of .302. His defense is average at third, posting a career .952 fielding percentage mark at 3B, with his best year being a .958 at 3B during his rookie year. Maybe a change of scenery will be good for him and he can develop into the player that Chicago thought he would be.

I believe that he isn’t the better part of this deal. Chris Getz, a 25 year old 2B. He was the White Sox’s starting 2B the majority of the year, starting 100 games at 2B and appearing in 107 total. He’s a pure contact hitter with not a lot of power. Though he posted a .261 AVG with a .324 OBP in his first full year in the majors, he did show flashes of improving throughout the year, including a two-month stretch in July and August where he posted a .300 AVG with a .358 OBP.



Getz (right) also is a good baserunner, finishing 15th in the AL in stolen bases with 25 last year. His defense is good, as he had a .958 fielding percentage last year.

So now that that Getz and Fields are Royals, the questions are now is what role will each have on the team and how that will affect the rest of the players in the organization. Getz is an up-and-coming young player with years of control on the Royals left with him. Josh Fields seems more like a utility player backing up at a couple of different positions, but if his bat turns around he may compete for the DH spot. He has a couple of years left of control by the team left as well.

“Our defense in general is our main objective to fix before next season." - Dayton Moore, Royals GM

One of Royal’s GM Dayton Moore’s main goals this off-season is to improve defense. I have to believe that the acquisition of Getz means that he will be the team’s starting 2B come opening day. All in all, this puts into question what might happen to two players next season.

Alberto Callaspo

Alberto Callaspo can hit, there’s no doubt about that. Getting a chance to play every day, Callaspo hit .300 with a .356 OBP, 73 RBI’s, and 41 double’s. Callaspo also has some impressive splits, hitting .361 against lefties last year and .337 at the K.

While Callaspo can produce with the bat, his defense was terrible last year, committing 17 errors last year at 2B. Callaspo’s range isn’t near as good as you would want it to be for a 2B.

Like I said before, I believe that Dayton Moore acquired Chris Getz to be the Royal’s starting 2B next year. Not to say that Callaspo won’t play second next year at all, but I think that there are two likely scenario’s for Callaspo.

1. Trade - Some Royal’s fans may be upset about this, but Callaspo’s bat could bring in some good young players at a time where his value is high. There have been rumors that the Dodgers may be interested in Callaspo (http://www.kansascity.com/sports/royals/story/1557629.html). Dayton Moore will get offers for him this off-season, and if it’s the right offer the Royals might just be willing to take it.

2. DH - This may seem like a weird idea, but one way to nullify the bad defense that Callaspo brings is to put him in a hitting role. Mike Jacobs most likely will not be back next year, leaving a hole open at DH. Though Callaspo doesn’t have much HR power, he did have 41 double’s last year and hit an impressive .313 with runners in scoring position last year. Another interesting stat: When batting 5th in the order, Callaspo put up an .305 AVG with an .367 OBP in 278 plate appearances. I believe that this is a likely scenario if he remains with the club.

I don’t really see the Royals trading for an INF that started everyday last year that they won’t use as a starter, and I do think that Callaspo’s days as a starting 2B in KC are nearing it’s end. But there is another player that might have been pushed back on the depth chart.

Mike Aviles

Mike had a very impressive rookie year with the bat, hitting .325 his rookie year. but with the elbow injury keeping him out most of last year, Aviles is going to be in an uphill battle to win back a starting job.

He is a better fit at second, but with Callaspo and now Getz in front of him, Yuniesky Betancourt in front of him and Alex Gordon getting the opportunity at third, there really isn’t much room to start or even back up. Fields can play 3B and 1B, and Willie Bloomquist can play anywhere but pitcher and catcher. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Aviles either backing up or traded by the time the season starts.

The Royals started off the off-season quick  with a big trade, and it should be exciting to see what the Royals do in the next couple of weeks leading up to the Winter Meetings.

Arizona/Caribbean Fall League Players to Watch:

In the Arizona Fall League (AFL), top prospect 3B Mike Moustakas (left), who had a decent year this year in A-Ball (.250 AVG, 16 HR, 86 RBI in 129 Games) is hitting .268 with 4 HR and 14 RBI, including one 7 RBI game.

SS Jeff Bianchi (.308 AVG, 70 RBI, 22 SB in 128 Games - ‘09 AA & A Ball) is hitting the ball fairly well so far, posting a .278 AVG in 13 games.

Despite Callaspo have a great ’09 season, so far in winter ball, Callaspo is only hitting a sluggish .059 so far in the Venezuelan Fall League (VFL). He’s only played 5 games though, and players go through slumps. I’m confident he turns that around.

One player thriving in the VFL is CF Jose Duarte (.248 AVG, 18 SB in A-Ball) is hitting .305 this fall with 4 SB in 23 games

As far as pitching goes, 1st round pick Aaron Crow in 2 starts has posted a 7.36 ERA with 4 K’s in the AFL. It’s been awhile since he has pitched at a high level, playing independent baseball last year instead of signing after a good career at Missouri. Scouts have said he is regaining form and hitting his spots, and he should knock off more rust as he gets more innings, since he has pitched in only 7.1 innings so far.

Brandon Sisk (2-3, 1.92 ERA, 78 K’s in 45 games in A-ball) is pitching well so far, posting a 2.25 ERA in 8 innings with 7 K’s. Hitters are only hitting .231 on him as well.

Thanks to MLB.com, MLBtraderumors.com, The Kansas City Star, Fangraphs.com, and Baseball-reference.com for stats and information, as well as Google Image Search for pictures.

A Royal Problem: Improving KC For 2010

On May 7th, the Kansas City Royals were 18-11. Zach Grienke was in the beginning stages of a Cy Young winning season (hopefully true in a couple of weeks) and the Royals were in first place. Well, unfortunately injuries happened, and now we find the Royals finishing with Cleveland in the bottom of the AL Central.

I am one to believe that the Royals can compete in 2010. Let's be honest, this team was completely destroyed by its injuries. Lets take a look at the injury list last year. When you lose Coco Crisp, Jose Guillen (who needs to be in a retirement home), Mike Aviles, and Alex Gordon, all who the Royals counted on to be big parts of their team, your bound to have issues (as we saw with the lack of depth they had). Not to mention, Joakim Soria's injury in the middle of the season didn't help either, an injury in May (along with Robinson Tejada's) that completely shifted bullpen roles to people not fit for them (sorry Juan Cruz, your still not a closer).

But that was 2009: Let's start looking to 2010. The Royals can compete in 2010. Yes, I said it. If you look at the division next year, there are plenty of question marks around the division. We know the Indians are rebuilding, the White Sox (while they do have a solid rotation) are aging with their bats and aren't settled on Bobby Jenks as their closer next year, and the Tigers will have to play with what they have for the most part because of the contracts that they have on the books for next year. The Twins look to be balanced offensively next year, but have a spotty rotation (Nick Blackburn led the team in Starters ERA with a 4.02 ERA), not to mention they still may loose Orlando Cabrera to free agency and may need a middle infielder.

That said, the Royals still need to improve in order have a real chance of competing. Luckily, I'm full of idea's and I have an a couple of ideas that I think the Royals should look at.

1. Sign a starting pitcher - Assuming that Gill Meche, Zack Greinke, and Brian Bannister are the top 3 (not necessarily in that order), you have two spots left for Luke Hochevar, Kyle Davies, Robinson Tejada, and others to battle for. If I'm Dayton Moore, I would look at signing a starting pitcher. Personally, I would say Randy Wolf is your man, but he'll be to much to afford now for the Royal's, assuming they keep to the same payroll. You want a low-risk/high-reward, I would take a chance on Ben Sheets. He didn't pitch in 09 due to injury, but he did the smart thing and took the year off. Granted it may take him all of Spring Training to fully be back in the baseball groove, but look at his 08 line (3.09 ERA, 198.1 IP, 1.15 WHIP,
.241 BAA, 158 K's). He has a career ERA of 3.73, and when healthy, is a very very good starting pitcher. Offering him a one year deal with a club option for a 2nd year with a higher number on the salary would be a good idea for the Royals in my opinion. Not only does this make the starting pitching depth better, but you could also put Tejada, Davies, Hochevar (whomever loses out on a starting job) in the bullpen. Another pitcher that I feel the Royals should go after that is similar to Sheets are Rich Harden. When Harden is healthy, he has some of the best stuff in the game.

2. This may sound like a crazy idea to some (because he is a beast with the bat) but the Royals need look at offers for Alberto Callaspo. Yes he was a beast with the stick (.300 BA, 73 RBI's) and is young, but lets be honest: Callaspo is a DH. His defense is, well awful. I'm not saying trade him, I'm just saying look at offers.

3. Bring Back Coco Crisp: Yes the man was a disappointment last year, but he was playing hurt most of his games here in KC and lets be honest. Although Mitch Maier did improve as the year went on, he is a better corner outfielder/4th OF than he is a full-time CF and Josh Anderson still needs a little more time in the minors to improve his hitting. It's a interesting debate in some ways, but I think that Coco, when healthy, can provide both a solid lead-off hitter and an CF with outstanding range. Not picking up his option and resigning him to a incentive laced deal would be ideal for KC.

4. Look at offers for Mark Teahen. I love Mark Teahen, and in a perfect world, I wouldn't trade a guy who is both a great utility player and has great character. However, the Royals aren't perfect, and he has a ton of value being a utility player. He can play the corner OF, 3B, 1B, is willing to move somewhere if he has too (the '09 2B experiment). Teams are always looking for utility players, and I would be shopping him if I am Dayton Moore.

5. Sign Orlando Hudson. I'm still in shock that he was benched as much as he was in the playoffs, but this guy can do two things, play defense and hit. If a trade for Callaspo happens, I would be all over Hudson (.283 BA, .357 OBP 62 RBI's hitting for the Dodgers: .293 BA, .377 OBP in 229 AB's when batting 2nd in order). He'll be 32, looking for a starting gig, and can both hit and play defense, which is one of the major issues for the Royals last year.

6. Sign Brett Myers. This guy was a solid starter only a couple of years ago, but it seems Philly has turned against him. Myers is looking for a starting job and a change of scenery is something that may do Myers good. He's had a rough past couple of years in Philly, and with Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Pedro Martinez, and Joe Blanton locked into that rotation for next year, Myers, a free agent, is more than likely looking for a new home. Another guy similar to this is Brad Penny, who flourished with the Giants after his release from the Red Sox (5.61 ERA in Boston, 2.59 ERA in San Francisco).


If you couldn't notice, I really think the Royals need to add a veteran starter. The more depth you have at starter the better chance you have a winning games and withstanding injuries. Plus you get the benefit of putting some of those pitchers in your bullpen, which is a even better benefit. Hopefully the Royals go that direction, but since they are looking at building heavily through the minors (which is good), I don't see much of this happening, but if the Royals want to compete, I suggest they look at some of these players.



Thanks to ESPN, MLB.Com, Baseball-Reference.com (www.baseball-reference.com), and Fan Graphs (www.fangraphs.com) for stats/info.