Royals Seeking Offensive Upgrade?
Did you know that the Royals have yet to score more than six runs in a game this season? I didn’t, either, before I came across Bradford Doolittle’s piece in the Kansas City Star. While the team has seen some quality performances from the pitching staff, their offense is in a rut. Lucky for them, there are two guys waiting by the phone right now who could provide instant upgrades: Frank Thomas and Barry Bonds.
Thomas could definitely fit into the picture. Ross Gload is okay, but certainly not a lock as a regular. The only problem here is that if you replace Gload with Thomas, you have to move Billy Butler out to first base. Yeah, there are more disastrous spots for him out there — I recall Baseball Prospectus’s Kevin Goldstein telling a less than flattering story of Butler’s outfield skills. He can’t be much worse than Jason Giambi out there, so it’s worth a shot.
The crazy thing is that Bonds could fit in, too. The only obstacle is Jose Guillen’s contract. The newly-signed right fielder is hitting .173/.205/.307, while having the most at bats on the team. I know the season is young, but this can become a problem. It’s not like Guillen was a superstar coming in. It’s just that there’s no way the Royals can rid themselves of him — that is, even if they wanted to.
But if Dayton Moore slid Mark Teahen back to right and signed Bonds, he might be creating a decent situation. Bonds can’t play left all the time, but when he can’t, you can get Joey Gathright to play out there (with David DeJesus manning CF full-time). Bonds can DH to give Thomas days off. And Gload can fill in for Butler when needed.
No, it’s not an ideal solution. You’d be bringing in one defensive liability in Bonds, and creating another one by signing Thomas. However, if the Royals think they can compete this year, they’re going to need an offensive upgrade. Nabbing Frank Thomas seems like a logical move, then.
Posted by Joe Pawlikowski, who writes for River Ave. Blues, a Yankees blog. You can email me rumors here.
Royals Considerations For No. 3 Pick
Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star has an article discussing the Royals’ third overall pick in the June draft. The Royals are giving the usual line about taking the best available player.
It seems logical that the Rays could take shortstop Tim Beckham first, and then the Pirates would take corner infielder Pedro Alvarez. That’d leave pitchers Aaron Crow and Brian Matusz and first baseman Eric Hosmer as possibilities for KC. Saberscouting did a mock draft today, suggesting Crow and Hosmer as the likely candidates. Additionally, ESPN scouting guru Keith Law dropped me a line suggesting catcher Buster Posey is a definite top three draft candidate.
Juan Castro Designated For Assignment
Tony Jackson of the L.A. Daily News notes that the Reds have designated shortstop Juan Castro for assignment. This should make room for Jerry Hairston Jr. while giving the Reds ten days to shop Castro.
Castro is a 35 year-old all-glove, no-hit type. The Reds owe him $975K this year plus a $100K buyout for ’09. I imagine any interested party will wait the ten days so that the Reds pay the contract.
Heyman’s Latest: Lofton, Owings, Sabathia
SI.com’s Jon Heyman has a new column up.
- Heyman and Buster Olney both believe the Cubs should sign free agent Kenny Lofton to help fill in for Alfonso Soriano. However, Olney noted that the Cubs don’t seem interested.
- Apparently the Yanks pushed hard to get Micah Owings in the Randy Johnson deal a few years ago. Ross Ohlendorf still looks interesting, at least.
- Heyman has heard whispers about C.C. Sabathia having arm problems but admits there’s no real evidence. Sabathia threw 256.3 innings last year (postseason included), an increase of almost 60 IP over 2007.
Questions For Fred Claire?
Former Dodgers GM Fred Claire has agreed to answer some questions from MLBTR readers. I’ll choose the best ones from the comments. Fred was the team’s GM for about a decade, and also served in other capacities in the front office before that.
Fred is keeping busy these days with an MLB.com column, radio show appearances, consulting, and civic involvement.
XM Radio
You may have noticed an XM Radio ad floating around on MLBTR in recent days. We’re glad to have them aboard as an advertiser – I always prefer the advertisements on this site to have legitimate relevance to you.
I like MLBTR the way it is now – it’s my full-time job, and it is not owned by a large company. Hopefully you enjoy it too; I really appreciate your readership. If you have a minute, it’d be great if you clicked on over to check out XM’s Call Stars ’08 campaign. It allows you to send customized phone calls to friends using the voices of Derek Jeter and David Ortiz; I had a good time pranking my wife with it.
Odds and Ends: Klesko, Street, Davis
I’ve got a slew of links for you.
- Saberscouting has a mock June draft up.
- Ryan Klesko officially retired. Chipper Jones let the cat out of the bag in February.
- Voros McCracken sees the Evan Longoria contract as a low-risk proposition for the Rays.
- The A’s are still discussing an extension with Huston Street, though nothing appears imminent.
- The Giants DFA’d Rajai Davis. Anyone need an outfield burner?
- Sam Mellinger explains how the Hideo Nomo signing was the type of move the Royals need to make.
- Our Brian Bannister Q&A continues to get mileage, this time snagging a mention in the Seattle Times. I’m trying to line up some more player Q&As, by the way.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Furcal, Tejada
Ken Rosenthal did an Inside Pitch video yesterday; let’s discuss.
- Rosenthal says Rafael Furcal and the Dodgers are open to discussing an extension during the season. Furcal makes $13MM this year and would be a hot commodity on the free agent market. If the Dodgers re-sign him, shortstop Chin-Lung Hu becomes valuable trade bait.
- Rosenthal notes that the biggest downside to Miguel Tejada‘s age revelation is his reduced trade value. It’s possible the ‘Stros could look to clean house in July or after the season.
Frank Thomas Suitors
The Blue Jays are on the hook for the rest of Frank Thomas‘ salary this year, making him a fine bargain for a team looking for a DH. It seems that the signing team will not be liable for his 2009 vesting option. As an injury-prone DH with clubhouse concerns, Thomas has similarities to Barry Bonds. The Big Hurt will come more cheaply, offering less production but no steroid baggage. As far as suitors:
- Mariners GM Bill Bavasi will talk to his scouts about Thomas. Question for Mariners fans: does Thomas offer more at DH than Jeff Clement, who is raking at Triple A?
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels didn’t rule Thomas out but seems to be leaning away from it. The Rangers have plenty of DHs on hand already.
- The A’s will at least have an internal discussion about Thomas, but they aren’t tipping their hand.
- Rays manager Joe Maddon was noncommital when asked about Thomas. They did just add Dan Johnson.
- Could the Mets follow suit and release Carlos Delgado?
Free Agent Stock Watch: Adam Dunn
Adam Dunn will be a free agent after this season. So it’s a safe bet that Dunn is going to have a career year and will cash in this winter, right? Not so fast.
Dunn, who has hit exactly 40 home runs in each of the past three seasons, has only two so far. But that’s not what makes Dunn’s 2008 start so interesting.
This season, Dunn’s OBP is a robust .418, but his batting average is an anemic .191. How do we account for this dichotomy? Quite simply, Dunn has walked more than usual. So far, he’s walked 19 times in 47 at bats. He’s on pace to walk 211 times, assuming he gets as many at bats as last season (522).
Amazingly, that wouldn’t break the record for most walks in a season, which was set by Barry Bonds in 2004. But it would still be a remarkable feat, especially considering 120 of Bonds’ walks were intentional, and Dunn has yet to be intentionally walked this month.
Of course, we’re getting ahead of ourselves. This is a very small sample size we’re talking about. More than likely, Dunn’s walk rate will taper off.
But what if Dunn keeps walking at this rate? Here’s how The Hardball Times describes Bill James’ theory that an increased walk rate signals decreased hitting, via Fox Sports:
In his 1986 Baseball Abstract, Bill James postulated that when a player experienced a sudden spike in walk rate one year, it would often be followed by a substantial drop in batting average the following year. According to James, taking a base on balls is a "veteran player skill" because it involves an older ballplayer compensating for slower reflexes and bat speed. But, James reasoned, the increase in walks will result in a decrease in batting average because the pitchers will adjust and will begin to make the hitters hit good pitches.
Could Dunn be nearing the twilight of his career? He seems a little young to be winding down already. On the other hand, Andruw Jones‘ batting average fell off a cliff when he turned 29, and Dunn turns 29 in November. So never say never.
If Dunn keeps on walking, how will it affect his contract negotiations? Your guess is as good as mine. But count on Dunn making at least as much as Pat Burrell, who is also a below average outfielder with high OBP and 30 HR power. Tim recently speculated that Burrell should land a contract in the neighborhood of $60 million over four years. Both Burrell and Dunn could benefit from a move to the AL, where they could DH.
Coley Ward writes for Umpbump.com. You can reach him here.