A look at the Royals players who will be eligible for arbitration after the season…
- First time: Luke Hochevar, Billy Butler, Brayan Pena, Josh Fields, Brian Anderson
- Second time: Alex Gordon, Robinson Tejeda
- Third time: Brian Bannister, Kyle Davies
- Fourth time: Wilson Betemit
Pena, Fields, Bannister, and Davies are non-tender candidates by virtue of poor performance, injury, or both. Before the non-tender deadline in December, the Royals could shop them around. Still, the Royals could just retain any or all of them at fairly reasonable prices if they think 2011 will bring improvement.
Hochevar and Gordon have yet to live up to their draft pedigrees, but neither is worth cutting loose. Butler, Tejeda, and Betemit will also be tendered contracts. Butler hasn't racked up counting stats in his career, but he's still done enough to earn the $3.1MM James Loney did. Betemit's huge half-year presents something of a conundrum in the opinon of FanGraphs' Dave Cameron, but I think he'll be retained. Anderson signed a $700K minor league deal as an outfielder in December but later converted to pitching. He may have impressed enough in 17.3 innings to be tendered a contract.
Bannister and Davies need to be shopped, I don’t know what or how much the team can get in return. The team needs to at least see what’s out there for them.
I wouldn’t mind Pena coming back for one more year, but the likelihood of that happening with May in the minors (no matter how bad he might be defensively, he’s probably going to get a shot for at least the backup job next year. But another year in the minors to work on defense might not be a bad idea anyway).
Fields probably won’t get a huge raise, just due to being out all year practically, so it’s probably not a bad idea to see what he can do next season, as long as the price looks alright.
Betemit’s case is going to be interesting, (which that FanGraphs article lays out quite well I might add), maybe they can work out a deal beforehand, that should work for everybody. Best case scenario, he comes back, plays half a season at 3B until Moustakas is ready, and either becomes a supersub of sorts, or gets traded to a contending team.
Pena and Bannister will be non tendered. Davies will be offered a contract to be the third starter even though his sporadic performances garner 5th man status. He’s still only 26, but has enough service time to accurately chart his future. Gordon will finally put together a “solid” season as the pressure to be the next George Brett has finally worn off. He’ll still struggle against the low and away offerings and will have huge splits against lefties. Fields will be tendered just because GMDM doesn’t want to look like more of an idiot for the Teahen trade. Hoch is a no brainer tender. Tejada has, and will again, anchor the relief corps. Butler will get 4 million. Betemit will become the Royals utility player for the foreseeable future. I imagine GMDM will lock him up for two more years as a show of faith, and a job well done. Betemit did come into his own this year and is deserved of a two year extension.
I think Fields will get tendered, but I don’t think Moore would look stupid even if he non-tendered him. Teahen wasn’t worth what he was getting paid anymore. Getting anything for him was a positive.