Following their World Series victory in 2015, the Royals headed into 2016 with a similar core in place, re-signing Alex Gordon and Chris Young and inking Ian Kennedy and Joakim Soria as their only main additions. After an 81-81 season, GM Dayton Moore acknowledges that the team might have to try something different to prepare for 2017, as Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star writes.
“Last year, we pretty much stood pat,” says Moore. “We didn’t make a lot of changes to our team. And that didn’t work too well for us.”
Making big changes, though, will be tricky, for reasons Dodd points out. A number of key Royals players, including Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar, Wade Davis, Danny Duffy and Jarrod Dyson, will be eligible for free agency after next season, and Moore wants to give the Royals another shot to win a championship with his existing core. And Dodd had previously reported that the Royals expect their payroll to drop in 2017, even though their current obligations for next season (including contracts likely to be tendered to arbitration-eligible players) already approach their 2016 payroll total.
Something has to give, or so it would seem. The team could trade a player to clear salary, such as Cain, Davis or Kennedy. But to do so would solve one problem while creating another, since all of those players are helpful. The team also must look past 2017, possibly offering extensions to some players who will be eligible for free agency.
“We won’t be able to sign them all,” Moore says.
What’s clear is that part of the Royals’ plan for getting back to the postseason will be to depend on key players returning to their previous levels of performance. That list could perhaps include Gordon, who hit just .220/.312/.380 in the first year of his new contract; Moustakas, who missed most of the year with a torn ACL; and Hosmer.
“We have a lot of All-Star caliber players that we think can get back to their accustomed level,” says Moore. “We’ll count on that. But we also recognize the need to maybe mix it up a little bit.”
Trade Moustakas and Davis.
I’m sticking to my original prediction. Next offseason, the Royals will pull off the biggest fire sale since the Marlins after they won the World Series in ’97.
trading hosmer , Cain , Davis , and Moustakas?
They’ll all be free agents next year. You can’t trade free agents.
honestly that might be best, think about all the prospects they would get for everyone
All of those prospects for one year rentals? Isn’t Hosmer and Moustakas boras clients?
I hope they don’t do a fire sale and I’m not a Royals fan either! You gotta remember just cause you do a huge fire sale doesn’t me all your prospect are gonna be studs! You might scratch your head at some Billy Beans moves but it’s seems like every 2 or 3 years they are right in the mix but they just a lil unlucky! So with that said they can hold a decent size pay role so I hope they trade few just a few guys and build that way I think they will be contenders soon! And remember be happy you royals fans you guys got championship out of those guys!!!! :)
I’m so tired of all these teams saying they need to cut payroll or can’t spend more, what a bunch of crap these owners are all greedy!
Fight the power
I think you’ll see a bigger payroll after the Royals are off their Gawd-Awful television contract(’19). They have the one of the worst deals in baseball and seeing that they have one of the largest viewership, it could increase substantially.
Don’t forget the fact that here is much more to just a payroll in baseball cost.
– Gordon LF
– Moustakas 3B
– Hosmer 1B
– Beltran DH
– Cain CF
– Cuthbert RF
– Perez C
– Merrifield SS
– Mondesi 2B
trade Escobar, Dozier, Soria this season for pitching , lock up Hosmer and see whatever happens this year, maybe sign Hellickson
If you gonna sign Hellickson, might as well keep Volquez.
might as well get both, Gettin tired of the royals actin like they dont have talent on the field , or money…after one bad year. Im worried they are gonna make a really dumb move
Odds are pretty low that they trade Dozier since he doesn’t play for them.
Hunter Dozier, bro. Do you baseball?
Why would Mondesi be playing 2b if you trade Escobar
They’d be smart to let hosmer walk. He’s going to want over 100 million and he is exactly league average
You know, Jarrod Dyson was their most valuable position player according to both Fangraphs and BRef. And with much less playing time. However, nobody seems to notice. Wouldn´t that be a part of the problem?
I’d trade Moustakas for rotation help. Cuthbert can handle 3rd base
RF/SP upgrade and Trade any Prospect been blocked.
Go for it again think the hitters that KC should consider is Puig, Sorgard, Morrison and Garin Checcinan