Though the Royals reportedly made Eric Hosmer a contract offer that would’ve stood as the largest in franchise history, GM Dayton Moore says that the club’s long time first baseman and fan favorite “took the better offer” in choosing the Padres (via Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star). One big difference between the two offers was that Kansas City never included an opt-out clause; Hosmer’s deal with the Padres contains one after his fifth season with them. Of course, that contract is also believed to guarantee him more years and overall dollars than the offers he reportedly received from the Royals. In addition, the offer from the Royals was apparently more “back-loaded”. Moore adds that he had a “pretty good sense about four days ago” that Hosmer wouldn’t be returning. Though he still held out hope, it was at that point that he began to “develop a mindset” that the club was probably going in a different direction.
More rumblings around the league following last night’s big news…
- Now that Hosmer has officially signed elsewhere, the Royals are saying that they plan to move forward with a rebuild, Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports reports. The club also says that they don’t plan to pursue any more marquee free agents. Rumors in the past 24 hours have connected the Royals with outgoing third baseman Mike Moustakas (at least in theory), but Nightengale’s sources would seem to throw some cold water on the idea of a reunion between the two. A similar report from ESPN’s Buster Olney runs parallel with that of Nightengale.
- Manager Ned Yost texted Hosmer multiple times over the offseason, reports Jeffrey Flannagan of MLB.com. Yost never heard back, and jokingly says that he didn’t get a response even when he was “on [his] death bed.” Dodd reports that Yost (and Moore) really wanted Hosmer back, and believed that his legacy would be “cemented” in Kansas City.
- Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star argues that fans are missing the point by focusing on Hosmer’s departure, when they should be focused on the moments he created during his tenure in Kansas City. Mellinger describes Hosmer as having “something like the perfect Royals career.” He cites myriad memorable moments from Hosmer’s time with the club, including his call up and playoff contributions.
- The Padres are “more than a player away” from being a good baseball team, Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports argues. However, he also makes the case that Hosmer may still be around when the team is able to “get it right”. Eight years is a long time, after all, and the Friars have players like Manuel Margot, Hunter Renfroe and Fernando Tatis Jr. who could be on the cusp of greatness. In addition, they have a strong farm system that can produce yet more great players. Brown makes the case that the signing makes some level of sense because Hosmer is simply a really good baseball player, and adds that this contract is the story Padres fans will be hearing “until the Padres are good again or until it’s clear they won’t be.”
Could have also just written: “Laughter.”
Does Myers move to LF leaving Renfroe in RF?
To my understanding the third outfield spot is going to be taken up by either Renfroe or Jose Pirela, so if it’s Renfroe I would guess LF for Myers, if it’s Pirela Myers would probably slot into right.
Renfroe in right
That cannon and power will beat out perila every day
Green said Myers will be starting in LF with a competition for RF between Renfroe and Pirela. Renfroe put up 30 HR and a .783 OPS in his career so far which I read is one of only 4 RF have ever done that well, so I would think the position is his to lose.
I would think they keep Renfroe in RF and shift Myers to LF. Manuel in CF.
Just in my opinion, Renfroe has the strongest arm out of the three
Pads future looks good but Hunter Renfroe on the” cusp of greatness” made me laugh,
Kyle Downing has a lot of room for growth.
30 HR and a .783 ops for his career, which is 515 PA so far. That is really good. If he plays defense like he did in the 2nd half, he will be fantastic.
He had a 753 OPS batted ~230 and had a 285 OBP last season. He had a great 35 AB stint during his first call up. He isn’t on the “cusp of greatness” coming off that kind of season. The kind of season that saw him get demoted for a month.
You are obviously not a Padres fan. The Padres owner, Fowler, said with no equivocation that Renfroe was sent down to give the Padres an extra year of control contractually. 30 HR, .783 OPS for his career, which as you pointed out is 35 AB more than his 2017 season. Several sources have pointed out that Renfroe put up 11 Outs Above Average on StatCast in the 2nd half after a -14 1st half. He made only one error in the 2nd half. And he hit a franchise record 26 HR for a rookie in 2018. Great power, played great defense in the 2nd half so we know what he is capable of, was the AAA MVP in 2016, cannon for an arm. What more do you want from a rookie? He will be better in 2018 and even a little better is excellent. An .800 OPS for a regular with 30 HR is All Star caliber play.
Also “Hosmer is simply a really good player” made me laugh. What other player who has produced zero or negative WAR in three or the past six seasons would anyone ever say that about?
^this^
The only writers on this site worth a damn are Jeff and Steve. Just look at the garbage that comes out of Jason’s chats.
Dumb move by the Pads. They are way too far from contention to be handing out a deal like this. Especially when they already have a comparable player at 1B in Myers. The Padres seemed to have been making all the right moves recently up until this point.
Risky not necessarily dumb. They felt they needed to pay more than KC and this is their Jason Werth deal. If they improve, this will be the deal that got others to look at SD and it’s most likely just a five year deal as barring injury, he will likely opt out.
The Royals offered 7/147. How is 8/144 more?
Because it was backloaded. right now his contract is 5 yrs 105 M. after he can opt out and could get at age 33/34 another 4 yr 60 M or more depending on the market at that time.
How can you say the royals offered more? Even Moore said the Padres deal was better. Nobody has confirmed the dollar amount from the royals
KC fans should be happy. Happy they dodged the Boras bullet. Happy they got a 1st round comp pick. Happy they can sign Logan Morrison for a fraction of the price. Happy they can keep their World Series Hosmer memories instead of their equivalent of Phillies fans watching the last few years of Ryan Howard.
Why would anyone going thru a rebuild sign LoMo? Something tells me Hosmer would age better than Howard, just a hunch.
Why not sign LoMo? He’s from Kansas City and they need a replacement for Hosmer. Teams going through rebuilds still have a few veterans around to help the development of their younger players. The Tigers are going through a rebuild, but they still have Cabrera & V-Mart. They also signed a a vet like Fiers to help fill out their staff. The Phillies have had vets on their roster during their rebuild. Adding a player like LoMo doesn’t mean they aren’t rebuilding. It just gives them some experience in the lineup
I would think the tigers would trade Cabrera and V-mart if anyone wanted them. I agree young teams need some veterans around, but that’s not the example I would give. Matt Holiday on the Yankees last year is a good example of a vet on a young team.
Well someone has to play first and Morrison is going to want to start somewhere. Royals sign him to a one year deal and flip him at the deadline. It would not surprise me if Rizzo’s continued regression puts the Cubs in the market come the end of July. The Royals need a guy at first from April through July 31- if Morrison puts up decent numbers in that time the Royals might be able to flip him for the next Hosmer.
Wait what do you mean by “continued regression” for Rizzo because a quick glance at the stat sheet begs to differ. He’s been remarkably consistent the last 4 seasons.
2014-17 HR: 32, 31, 32, 32 (model of consistency)
RBI: 78, 101, 109, 109 (model of consistency)
BB: 73, 78, 74, 91 (walks up)
K: 116, 105, 108, 90 (strikeouts down)
Slash line ~ ..280/.380/.515 (I mean… come on)
I know I’m just picking out some stats but thats besides the point. Look at his baseball card. His last two seasons have been his two best seasons and that’s not really arguable. Are you a troll?
the second I got to “Rizzos continued market regression” I almost spit out my coffee, oh man this is great.. this is one of the most easily trolled sites I’ve ever seen, the way you guys offer up such sincere, stat laden responses
He’s just trolling to get a rise.
And the congregation said AMEN!
One of the biggest over-pays for a good-not-great player ever. Padres are fools.
Mike Hampton and Jayson Werth agree.
This Hosmer contract will supplement arguments against big free agent contracts. Hosmer is slightly above average at 28 and I don’t think he has much more upside.
Time for pitching needy teams to re-inquire about Danny Duffy. The rebuild is officially in full force.
Thinking hosmer changed the rebuild in anyway was kind of crazy thinking to begin with. Did they go from a 67 to a 70 win team with him?
Hosmer leaving KC did in fact change the rebuild as mentioned in this article by their GM, seems you’ve got your teams backwards. I agree with everyone this is a stupid deal for the Padres, but at least Preller and co. show a willingness to spend the boatloads of money major league teams have to improve the product we pay so much to see.
Not everyone thinks this is a bad deal for the Padres. The Padres don’t. I don’t. Rosenthal said that signing Hosmer was a good thing for the Padres before his surgery. Moore and Sweeney of the Royals both said they thought it was a great deal for the Padres and they know Hosmer better than anyone.
I responded to a comment about the Royals. With Hosmer I suggested they’d win 70 games. I said nothing about the Padres. Thinking the royals coulda just retool with Hosmer is also pretty crazy. They have very little in the minors and Hosmer would’ve counted for a huge chunk of their payroll
Hosmer alone wouldn’t have completely affected the rebuild, but it’s not crazy to think that if they signed Hosmer they may have shifted a bit. Could have looked at it as more of a retooling than a straight out rebuild.
You can use rebuild or retool interchangeably but it’s going to be completely different KC roster the Next time they’re competitive with or without Hosmer. They have a bottom 5 farm and payroll limitations. They got their WS and fielded a competitive team for years but thinking Hosmer changed their outlook for the next few years doesn’t really work.
Good suggestion. Duffy solid fit for Brewers, and they have the prospects. Better than spending a bundle and sacrificing compensatory pick on lesser quality (now) FA arm Arrieta or Cobb.
Domingo Santana and who else for Duffy?
Not sure what Broxton ‘s trade value is (especially to a rebuilding Royals team), but I’m very confident Phillips would get the deal done.
Santana and Phillips might be an overpay for MIL, but do they really need 5 outfielders? Especially if one of them looks to have quite a bit of growing pains thanks to a 40% K rate (which would hemper their playoff chances a bit)?
If not Phillips, maybe Erceg and Grisham (formerly Clark). Then again, I’m not exactly a Brewers fan so I could be way off.
Sorry, that was a 35% K rate for Phillips last year and a .410 BABIP. And I’m not that confident that Grisham, Erceg, and Santana would get it done but if I were Stearns that’s what I’d try first. I realize that’d leave a glaring hole at 3B on the farm, though. Maybe Hiura could pick up the hot corner?
That is a good call.
Can’t even answer his texts form his old manager? Class act guy
Thinking the same thing.
Feel like this was a highly encouraged move from Boras to strip out emotion and focus on the money.
Actually I think it’s cheesy as hell of Yost (not that Yost doing cheesy stuff is unusual).
Maybe they didnt get along. Its not like he chose him to be manager. Also his agent may have told him not to since Yost may have been after information on behalf of the owners to help in their negotiations
Royals have some decent talent in the lower levels but they will have some serious downtime before they become relevant again. Its a bummer for that team the compensation system changed right before three QO free agents walked. Should have sold at the deadline, but can’t blame a team for wanting “one last shot” I suppose (AKA Giants).
How is it a bummer that the QO rules just changed? They are getting the same picks they would have gotten under the old system for Cain and Hosmer, picks after the first round. The only issue will be if Moustakas signs for less than $50m, then the pick they get for him will be after Balance B. That might not even happen and if it does it’s just one out of three picks being bumped down. And some of the other teams getting comp picks (Cubs, Cards) will be getting lower picks than under prior system so the Royals are actually being compensated better relative to those teams than they would have been under the old format.
I just don’t understand this move from a Padres perspective. So many cheaper first baseman they could’ve signed and used that money on other things like pitching etc. I look forward to several seasons of .271 AVG 12HR and 83RBI in that park.
If it wasn’t a top 10 first baseman we had no need. Hosmer is top 10 without a doubt. As many people have already said there is no difference between Petco and the Royals park in power numbers. Hosmer will hit just the same for the Padres and that is really, really good.
He’ll hit the same for the Padres?
By that, I assume you mean he’ll be replacement level every other year, no?
Hosmer is a prima donna, now he’s getting paid like one. He has never performed like one.
What a steal for the Padres, Boras should be embarrassed
An open letter to David Stearns:
Go get Danny Duffy. Like now. Maybe Whit Merrifield too. Hell we’ll take Kelvin Herrera while we’re at it.
Signed,
Your Favorite Armchair GM
Neither team will more than likely contend for a year or two, so why not take the one offering the most money. Can’t say I blame him. Will be a lot more texes in Cal, but you can’t beat the weather in SD.
The Padres gave him 8/144. The Royals offered 7/147.
Hopefully, Dayton Moore learned a lesson: Don’t become infatuated with your players. They don’t care about you and will take the money every time, especially if Boras is their agent. Should have traded Moustakas, Holland, Hosmer, Cain and Davis much earlier after winning the WS. Could have had a very quick turnaround instead of facing a five year rebuild now.
That’s not the players’ fault. We all know it’s a business on both ends. Not selling last year for a highly unlikely playoff run was dumb from the start.
Never said it was the players fault. DM just sees all his players as friends who will want to stick with him. They’re employees. If you can get something better, do it. There is no loyalty from players and shouldn’t be from the team either. If we’re really rebuilding, trade your big pieces now and get on with it. Duffy and Perez won’t be around when we’re good again. Flip them now while the getting is good.
I wouldn’t say one last playoff push was dumb on Moore’s part. At the trade deadline, they had the second wild card spot. They added a trip of pitchers, plus Melky Cabrera. All but Melky flamed out. If anything was Moore’s fault, it was the inability to add a capable starting pitcher. The pitching was not that great overall.
That one long shot chance at maybe getting into the wild card cost us several years of rebuild. Plus, we didn’t have the team to get back to the WS even if we made the wild card. Like you said, our pitching was below average compared to other strong playoff teams.
Thankfully no one suggested to date that perhaps there are pictures of farm animals and team officials as a reason for this signing. $20M per year, could in this year, sign a number of decent players. Actual starting pitchers as an example. Money left over for an OF. Actually this is a worse signing than their likely 2nd choice, reacquiring Matt Kemp and signing Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum.. Fill in the blank: $20M – Hosmer- Padres- .”SDP likely love the Cleveland Browns are the most pathetic organization in the history of pro sports”. I don’t know how old Jerry Turner and Gene Richards are but signing them would not be as moronic as this average or less 1b…It is so bad, the SDP could have promoted Naylor and had better results using $20M than Hosmer.
never knew mark twain dropped acid
Common knowledge that he was high as a kite when he wrote Huckleberry Finn. I mean you’d have to be to come up with such a ridiculous name. Huckleberry? Come on!
Seems like they put the cart before the horse on this one.
Hosmer gives the Padres a good righty/lefty punch with Myers. I don’t know if he was worth that contract to any other team. You would expect to have a threat of 30+ homers out of a 1B. If the average and OBA remain he would be Joey Votto light.
Just a meh player going to a meh team.
Is Boston really going into the season with what they have?
This is a good signing for the Padres. They have one of the best farm systems in baseball with major prospects coming up in the next couple of year. How we is one of baseballs best clubhouse/ leader guys. He also is one of the best in baseball at saving errant throws, leading baseball last year by a wide margin. Entering his prime years as well. Given all that the money is easily well spent.
Like
Most interesting thing here is that Royals will go into a rebuild. Which was sort of obvious, but now that it’s confirmed there should be some Perez rumors.
Guy is 27 and has been an All Star the past five seasons. Should pull Robles et al or some of the Astros top prospects.
Could also see them keeping Moustakas to keep the old thing alive, they might not be able to get post-first round pick for him anyway. Give him 5/$60m or something, keep him and Gordon around.
As long as the Royals are rebuilding, any chance they’d deal Duffy for one of the Brewers first basemen, plus a minor league arm or 2?
Probably a chance they’d deal Duffy now, but no way one of the 1B is a centerpiece. Aguilar doesn’t move the needle enough and Thames wouldn’t draw much interest at all with his bad second half and far less control.
The SD offer had to be a lot higher just to balance out the enormous difference in state income taxes between California and Missouri
Problem with that point of view is that we paid less for him than the royals offered. Both AAV and total dollars. He just saw that he had a better shot to win here and he got an opt out after 5 seasons.
“better shot to win here” LOL! both teams suck
Just so you all are clear, Syndergaarden cop is Yankees Addiction.
People seem to underestimate Hosmer. Perhaps in response to now Padres Camerons hit piece. Perhaps deceived by excessive negative position adjustments of WAR, or imperfect defensive metrics.
Here is my take.
#1 – Hosmer is better than what the Padres had at 1B, 2 or more wins better, and he is better than anything the Padres have in their minor league system. His rings and leadership don’t hurt the youngest team in baseball either.
#2 – Moving Myers to LF improves LF by a couple of wins over the guys that played there last year..
#3 – The team has now gotten better at 1B, 2B, 3B, and LF over what they had on opening day 2017. 2017 was a 71 win team and they got 10 wins better with the upgrades at those positions. Hedges, Margot and Renfroe should improve too.
#4 – I seem to remember the Astros and Cubs being right where the Padres were in 2017 back in 2014 before they each made a couple of signings and a couple of trades and then had breakout seasons in 2015. The Padres are a premier starting pitcher away from contending.
#5 – Headley and Galvis are on one year deals so they are not blocking the Padres two best position player prospects. If Tatis is not ready to take over at SS or 3B as many think is his home next season, Spangenberg LHB and Villanueva RHB is a good platoon at 3B and Urias has proven in AA that he can handle SS.
#6 – There are no top pitching prospects that would be blocked by adding a top starter now. The only pitching prospects with a shot at being top of the rotation starters, Baez, Gore, Morejon and Espinoza are 3 years away. In 2019 Quantrill, Nix, Lauer, Lucchesi and possibly Allen and Diaz will be ready, but by the odds only one will make it as a starter.
#7 – The pitching staff has a good core locked in through 2022. Perdomo is a very talented starter and people need to remember that he was a rule 5 in 2016 and is 2 years removed from Low A ball. By all rights 2018 should be his rookie season and he already has 2 seasons in the majors under his belt. Look for a big improvement from him.. Lamet started 2016 in A+ ball and has a half season in the majors under his belt. When he was on he was electric, downright un-hittable. A little time to built up endurance and he is a TOR starter. Those two a fantastic foundation that is here now. Mitchell, Strahm, Rea, Erlin, and Lockett are talented, but if they are blocked by a better pitcher picked up in FA or in a trade or both that is not a huge loss. Any of them can be sent to the pen and 4 of the 5 can go to El Paso for a year.
#8 – Last but not least this signing and the prospects that are ready in 2018 have made at least 6 talented players with MLB experience trade bait. Jankowski, Dickerson, Asuaje, Cordoba, Pirela, and Szczur. These expendable guys can be packaged with prospects to bring in better pitching for this season and beyond.
This is a good team, a .500 team with no additions, and with a couple of starters they are a Wild Card team. Make it happen Preller.
Myers has better defensive numbers, UZR and DRD than Hosmer, by far. This was pointed out to me today and I was surprised. In addition, Myers in the OF had horrible numbers too.
2016 he should have won the gold glove… he got the shaft
2017 he was a nightmare
Defensive metrics for 1B. are not even remotely close to a real representation of what 1B do. None of them include throws to 1B, only balls hit in his direction and none take into account holding men on base or defensive placement. 1B is different than other positions, but the defensive metrics do not take that into account. Hosmer is the best at catching the ball and getting the out. It is not close.
Myers was league average in RF and LF combined. He was terrible in CF. don’t lump them together since he will not be playing CF now, he will be playing LF.
I love your optimism, it’s refreshing on a site full of cynical opinions. The Padres at some point will catch everyone napping. Preller has this team stocked up for the future, if they play their cards right they can be a sustainable force. I like the Hosmer fit. He’s extremely polarizing on this site. It seems the stat heads hate him and the people who watched him daily love what he brings to the table. Call me old fashioned but I’ll take the latter.
Padres are a perfect spot for Hosmer. Tons of young talent on a team starving for veteran leadership and consistency. Plus, this will improve Wil Myers “value”…as he will be much better out of the spotlight and not forced into a leadership role (a role for which he is not wired). Padres tending UP!
Absoloutelly right!
Nah, you just don’t know what you’re talking about, and are likely a Padre fan and are just happy with them making a big deal, even if it’s a bad one.
Dfa szuzer or gale is my guess
Calling Duda to the Royals now that Hosmer is off the board.
Terrible deal, period. Padres are a joke.
Is there a way to block trash like yankeeaddiction?
If you find out let me know so I can block your garbage comments. Thanks.
Haha what angry garbage you are
Great signing Padres- At least you’re trying to keep up in the West. I’m guessing all the haters are fans of teams that are doing anything. It so hard for small market teams to stay competitive for long durations.
Well said PadreFather great read, I really enjoyed.
Snydergarden Cop -If you don’t have anything intelligent to say,stay off the feed. You’re lacking the intelligence to carry on an intellectual conversation! Your 1st grade education and cross breeding enables you to you to do is say harsh and derogatory comments to everyone. We all understand and forgive you.
You’re a joke!!!
Well said!
friendofboassss and yankeeaddiction are one and the same troll loser
You are both of them.
Fun game from MLB Network….since the start of 2014…
Player A: .289 77 HR .799 OPS 7.5 WAR
Player B .282 85 HR .835 OPS 7.1 WAR
Any guesses? One is Hosmer, obviously.
A is Hosmer. He got $144 million.
B is Corey Dickerson. He got DFA’ed.
Hosmer can forget about ever winning a Gold Glove again with now playing in the same league as Rizzo, goldy, Votto, Freeman and Belinger
Didn’t you read Yankeesaddictions comments? Rizzo is replacement level at best. /s
All this Hosmer reaction is laughable. What people don’t realize is that San Diego needs a player like him to be the face of the franchise. It’s obvious Myers couldn’t be that guy. This is the Padres’ chance to seize the moment now that the Chargers are gone. They are San Diego’s team now and if they can move up the timeline for winning, then it’s time to do it. We weren’t going to be players in free agency next year. We don’t have anyone coming up in the minors that is going to be the 1b of the future. And don’t say Naylor cuz he’s a fat piece of goo. This move was done not only for the upgrade at 1b but also for the city and what the Padres can mean for San Diego.