Royals Rumors

AL Central Notes: Infante, Tigers, Indians

By charliewilmoth | January 9, 2016 at 10:45am CDT

The Royals aren’t yet set on Omar Infante at second base and could consider using Christian Colon in a starting role or as part of some sort of time-share, MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan reports. “I don’t know if Omar, at this point, is going to play 162 games,” says Royals GM Dayton Moore. “I just know we’re going to put the best team out there each and every night, and I know Omar is capable of being that guy. But we like Christian Colon, too.” The first two years of Infante’s contract have been disappointing, and the Royals owe him $17.75MM over the next two. Last summer, Infante’s struggles were a key reason for the team’s acquisition of Ben Zobrist, who received a significant amount of playing time at second base down the stretch. Zobrist, of course, signed with the Cubs this winter. As disappointing as Infante has been, it’s possible the 26-year-old Colon won’t be an answer to the Royals’ second-base problems, either — Colon hit .281 and had a .353 on-base percentage at Triple-A Omaha last season, but with virtually no power. Here’s more from the AL Central.

The Tigers continue to look for outfielders and relievers, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal and Jon Morosi report (via Twitter). They’re likely looking for “complementary pieces” rather than major acquisitions. The Tigers acquired Cameron Maybin and Francisco Rodriguez in November to bolster their outfield and bullpen, respectively; in December, they also added relievers Justin Wilson and Mark Lowe. The Tigers do still appear to be somewhat weak in the outfield and had been connected to Yoenis Cespedes this winter, although GM Al Avila has downplayed the possibility that the Tigers could sign Cespedes, and a report in late December indicated the Tigers had already made their key moves for the winter.
The opportunity to trade both Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher in a single trade was a one-time opportunity that the Indians had to seize, the Plain Dealer’s Paul Hoynes writes. Even though the Indians only acquired infielder Chris Johnson, who was later released, they saved a bit of money and cleared the roster spots of two players who merely would have been very expensive bench options.

Minor MLB Transactions: 1/7/16

By Jeff Todd | January 7, 2016 at 4:32pm CDT

Here are the day’s minor moves:

The Royals have agreed to a minor league deal with righty Chien-Ming Wang, as Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports (Twitter links). The Taiwanese veteran would earn a $1MM base rate if he makes the major league roster, and can achieve up to $1.5MM in incentives in a starting capacity or as much as $250K as a reliever. Wang, who’ll turn 36 just before the season starts, hasn’t cracked the majors since 2013. He spent last year with the Triple-A affiliates of the Braves and Mariners, and also made three starts for the independent Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. In his 130 innings of affiliated ball, Wang posted a 5.88 ERA and registered just 61 strikeouts against 35 walks.

AL Central Notes: Indians, Santana, Twins, Park, Gordon

By Steve Adams | January 7, 2016 at 11:04am CDT

In an excellent piece for Sports on Earth, MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince profiles the Indians’ “dream team” front office from the mid-1990s, which featured eight men that have now occupied (or currently occupy) the title of GM or president of baseball operations. John Hart was the Cleveland GM at the time, but the front office also included assistant GM Dan O’Dowd (who went on to become GM of the Rockies); director of player development Mark Shapiro (former GM and president of the Indians and now president of the Blue Jays); scouting director Josh Byrnes (former GM of the Padres and D-backs); advance scouts Ben Cherington and Paul DePodesta (former GMs of the Red Sox and Dodgers, respectively); assistant director of minor league operations Neal Huntington (current GM of the Pirates); and baseball operations assistant Chris Antonetti, who is of course the current president of baseball ops in Cleveland. Hart and O’Dowd spoke fondly of the group’s explorations of baseball philosophy, and Castrovince explains how O’Dowd and Shapiro wrote a 15-page whitepaper that was pitched to Hart detailing their models of extensions for arbitration-eligible players. While such extensions are commonplace now, the Indians pioneered such extensions in early to mid-90s, allowing them to retain their top talent and emerge as perennial contenders in the American League. Castrovince examines other statistical and technological trends of which the Indians were early adopters and looks at how each now-well-regarded executive got his foot in the door with the Indians.

Here’s more from the AL Central…

The addition of Mike Napoli to the Indians’ roster almost certainly means that Carlos Santana has gone from catcher to first baseman to DH (with a brief, ill-fated stop at third base along the way), writes Cleveland.com’s Zack Meisel. While there’s the possibility that focusing solely on offense could help Santana build his offense back up to its 2011-14 levels, Meisel also notes that the $12MM club option the team holds over Santana for the 2017 season is a steep amount for a club with an eight-figure payroll to pay a designated hitter. Meisel’s implication, of course, is that Santana’s future with the club is somewhat murky. Considering the raises Cleveland will owe Michael Brantley, Yan Gomes, Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Jason Kipnis on their guaranteed contracts and also the raises that will be owed to Cody Allen, Lonnie Chisenhall, Bryan Shaw, Trevor Bauer and Zach McAllister in arbitration, a crunch does appear to be coming.
Brewers left-hander Will Smith has some fans in the Twins’ front office, says 1500 ESPN’s Darren Wolfson in the first edition of his new podcast (Soundcloud link; Twins talk beginning around 19:30). Nationals right-hander Drew Storen also has some fans among Twins brass, though his projected $8.8MM salary (via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz) could serve to curb the team’s interest. Wolfson also notes that the Twins remain interested in free agent southpaw Antonio Bastardo but still aren’t keen on his three-year, $15-18MM asking price. A Twins official told Wolfson recently that even if the Twins don’t make further moves this winter, they’re happy with what they have, though Wolfson notes that he does expect at least one more move out of the Twins.
Twins manager Paul Molitor tells MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger that he’s hopeful that Korean slugger Byung-ho Park will be ready to be his Opening Day designated hitter next season, though Molitor also recognizes that there will be some adjustment as Park transitions to a new league. Molitor notes that Park’s former KBO teammate, Jung Ho Kang, “looked beatable” when he saw him in Spring Training last season but had made enormous adjustments by the time the Twins played the Pirates in the summer. Molitor and the Twins feel that Park can make a similarly quick adjustment. “I think that our scouts understand bat speed, eye-to-hand coordination, pitch recognition abilities, even if velocities and breaking pitches are not Major League quality,” said Molitor in reference to Park’s impressive work in the KBO.
Alex Gordon’s desire to come back to the Royals “was a 10,” he told reporters at a press conference yesterday (as MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan writes). Gordon spoke about how appreciative he is of both ownership and the front office for bringing him back to the Royals, although GM Dayton Moore explained that Gordon was always the team’s top priority. “When we went around the table and talked to our scouts, they said, ’Get Alex Gordon,'” said Moore to the media. “”I talked to our analytical guys and they said, ’Get Alex Gordon.’ I talked to our coaching staff and it was, ’Get Alex Gordon.’ Talked to his teammates along the way and it was ’Get Gordo back.’ My momma didn’t raise no dummy. We had to get him back.” According to Moore, things began coming together on New Year’s Eve, and the final details were hammered out over the next few days prior to yesterday’s announcement.

Royals Designate Lane Adams For Assignment

By Steve Adams | January 6, 2016 at 6:09pm CDT

The Royals have designated outfielder Lane Adams for assignment in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for the newly re-signed Alex Gordon, tweets Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com.

Adams, who turned 26 in November, was selected by the Royals in the 13th round of the 2009 draft and made a brief Major League debut in 2014, tallying three plate appearances for the Royals. The fleet-footed center fielder reached Triple-A for the first time this past season, struggling through 37 games there on the heels of a strong Double-A campaign. Overall, the Oklahoma native batted a combined .281/.347/.445 with 16 homers and 31 stolen bases — his third consecutive season with 30 or more steals.

Last winter, Baseball America rated him 15th among Royals farmhands, calling him a plus-plus runner and a plus defender with a fringe-average arm and a bit of pull power. Ultimately BA pegged him as a fourth outfielder. Given his strong defensive chops, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a club take a flier on Adams.

Royals Re-Sign Alex Gordon

By Jeff Todd | January 6, 2016 at 4:03pm CDT

4:03pm: ESPN’s Buster Olney tweets that Gordon’s contract comes with “significant” deferrals, pushing the present-day value of the contract south of the surface-level $18MM average annual value.

2:36pm: Not many thought it could be done, but the same could be said of the Royals’ remarkable World Series run. Kansas City officially announced today that it has agreed to a club-record contract with star left fielder Alex Gordon that could keep him in the organization for the rest of his career.

Gordon, a client of Excel Sports Management, reportedly gets a $72MM guarantee over a four-year term. He’ll receive $12MM next year, $16MM in 2017, and then $20MM apiece in the next two seasons. There’s also a mutual option for $23MM, with a $4MM buyout.

While the contract does not contain an opt-out clause or no-trade protection, that $4MM buyout would convert to a trade bonus in the even of a deal, with the option itself being voided. And Gordon will soon achieve ten-and-five rights. With 8.092 years of service entering the season, he would be in line to qualify for full no-trade protection during the 2017 campaign.

The contract figures noted above would appear to suggest that middle ground was found between team and player. It had been suggested that K.C. was only offering around a $12MM to $13MM annual value, with a deal seeming unlikely. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes had credited the veteran with earning power in the five-year, $105MM range entering the winter. Whether or not offers ever materialized at that level, there were by all appearances numerous other teams with serious interest in his services.

It certainly sounds like an appealing price tag for the defending-champion Royals, who will retain a homegrown star and fill a key need in one fell swoop. But it still took a club-record guarantee to get things done. Gordon’s deal now becomes the largest ever to hit the franchise’s books, topping the $55MM promises made previously to Mike Sweeney and Gil Meche.

While Gordon doesn’t have huge power numbers and is entering his age-32 season, he remains quite a nice buy at $18MM annually. That’s all the more true given that Kansas City was only required to commit to a four-year term. All said, the closest comparable (as to contract terms) might be last winter’s pact between the Tigers and Victor Martinez. While he obviously featured a much bigger bat than Gordon, he also was entering his age-36 season and was limited to DH duties.

As was the case with Martinez, the move will effectively cost the Royals a draft choice. Gordon’s decision to decline a qualifying offer meant that the club would’ve added a sandwich-round pick had he signed elsewhere.

The primary value of the veteran left fielder lies in his above-average bat and outstanding glove, though his highly-praised clubhouse presence surely adds to the appeal. Gordon missed some time last year with a groin strain, but has generally been quite durable.

Dating back to 2011, when the former top prospect finally emerged as a major league force, Gordon has been a consistently productive presence in the Kansas City lineup. He owns a composite .281/.359/.450 slash over that span, with about twenty long balls per year. Though he’s probably not a double-digit stolen base threat any longer, but has generally received well-above-average ratings on the basepaths.

That makes for a solid-enough package in its own right, but it’s Gordon’s defense that has made him into a legitimate superstar. Both UZR and DRS rate him as an elite gloveman, with above-average performance in terms of arm, range, and mistake-free handling of chances.

Gordon’s excellent reputation in terms of makeup and work ethic also add to his value as he nears his mid-thirties. He did take a step back last year on the bases and in the field, though it’s certainly possible that the groin injury is largely to blame. While it’s probably not prudent to expect that he’ll continue to perform at up to a six-win clip, Gordon seems a good bet to continue to provide well-above-average production over the duration of his new contract.

MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan first reported the signing and the annual breakdown (Twitter links). Jeff Passan tweeted this morning that a deal could come together quickly between the two sides. Passan (via Twitter), Jon Heyman (all links to Twitter), and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (in a tweet) all contributed financial details.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Royals Have “Strong Interest” In Ian Kennedy

By Jeff Todd | January 6, 2016 at 12:00pm CDT

The Royals are among the teams with “strong interest” in free agent starter Ian Kennedy, according to Jon Heyman (Twitter links). Kansas City is expected to try to “make [a] push” to land the righty now that Alex Gordon is under contract to return, per the report.

Of course, it’s not immediately clear whether Kennedy sits atop K.C.’s wish list. The club is also looking at Wei-Yin Chen and Yovani Gallardo, Heyman adds.

All of those pitchers declined qualifying offers at the outset of the offseason. Signing any one of them, then, would require the Royals to part with the club’s first overall selection after already giving up the chance to add an extra pick by bringing back Gordon. Of course, fresh off a World Series victory, the choice will not end up being near the top of the first round.

The Royals may also spend some time exploring the possibility of a re-worked deal with backstop Salvador Perez, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports adds on Twitter. We’ve heard chatter before that this could be considered, but the enormously team-friendly deal that he’s bound by also doesn’t leave much motivation for a deal. The large-framed, heavily-used backstop can already be controlled through 2019 (his age-29 season) via a series of options. That makes it seem unlikely, at least from an outside perspective, that he’ll be able to achieve much more than a few guaranteed years — likely at the price of surrendering yet more options at the back end.

Latest On Alex Gordon, Royals

By Jeff Todd | January 6, 2016 at 8:26am CDT

While it seemed not long ago that the Royals’ pursuit of Alex Gordon would not be fruitful, Gordon himself suggested there was still hope of a reunion. And it appears now there could be renewed vitality in talks between the sides. Here’s the latest:

Among other clubs around the league, there is an “increasingly strong sentiment” that Gordon could be heading back to K.C., Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports on Twitter. In fact, something could come together soon, Passan suggests. There had reportedly been a wide gulf between the sides in terms of years and dollars. If a deal is indeed struck, it will obviously be fascinating to see whether one side budged from its position or whether common ground was struck.
The Royals “still would love” to bring back their homegrown star, Jon Heyman tweeted last night. But Kansas City is still keeping its options open, of course. That includes a variety of other free agents, including Gerardo Parra, Denard Span, Dexter Fowler, and David Murphy, according to the report.

Free Agent Notes: Orioles, Gallardo, Marlins, Pearce

By Steve Adams and Jeff Todd | January 4, 2016 at 6:09pm CDT

The Orioles appear poised to once again do quite a bit of their offseason shopping after the New Year, tweets ESPN’s Buster Olney. According to Olney, the Orioles remain engaged on a number of free agents, which isn’t a surprise given the holes permeating the roster. While the O’s have addressed catcher (perhaps unexpectedly in the form of Matt Wieters accepting the qualifying offer), one corner outfield spot (Hyun-soo Kim) and first base/DH (Mark Trumbo), the team still has needs in the rotation and in right field, to say nothing of a potential reunion with Chris Davis (which would move Trumbo to DH or right field).

Here are a few notes on the market’s remaining free agents…

One of those free agents appears to be Yovani Gallardo, as SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets that the the Orioles, Astros and Royals remain the primary suitors for the right-hander. All three of those teams, of course, have been prominently linked to Gallardo in the past, so this isn’t necessarily a new development in his market. However, it’s been awhile since we’ve heard much on the Gallardo front, and the news that all three remain interested is still noteworthy. Any of the three clubs would have to part with a draft pick to sign Gallardo, which might make Kansas City the best fit, as their current pick, No. 24, is the worst of the three teams said to have interest. Additionally, the Royals will gain a draft pick if Alex Gordon signs elsewhere, as many expect, thus softening the blow of parting with the 24th overall selection. The O’s could conceivably land two picks in the event that Davis and Wei-Yin Chen sign with new clubs, but parting with the No. 14 pick would still sting, even if they could recoup much of that slot value via the potential comp picks.
If and when the Marlins finalize their near-agreement with right-hander Edwin Jackson, the team will continue its search for starting pitching, writes MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro. Among the names that could interest the Marlins are Cliff Lee, Doug Fister, Ian Kennedy and Cuban right-hander Yaisel Sierra, writes Frisaro. However, he notes that the draft pick compensation attached to Kennedy could prevent the Marlins from a strong pursuit of Kennedy. That would seem an odd hold-up for Miami — an organization that has been perfectly willing to trade its Competitive Balance draft selections for seemingly underwhelming returns in past seasons (although their addition of right-hander Bryan Morris in such a trade does now appear to have been a shrewd one). It should also be noted that Kennedy is represented by Scott Boras, with whom Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria and Marlins president David Samson have clashed on numerous occasions over the past year (most notably regarding Boras-represented Marlins players Marcell Ozuna and Jose Fernandez).
Infielder/outfielder Steve Pearce is seeking a two-year deal, Rich Dubroff of CSN Mid-Atlantic tweets. He still looks like an interesting bat, and his market remains an interesting one to watch, but Pearce could be forced to wait for more action at the higher end before things clear up for his own outlook. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes predicted that Pearce would ultimately get a two-year deal with $14MM in guaranteed money.

AL Notes: Hall Of Fame, Infante, Rays

By charliewilmoth | January 2, 2016 at 2:41pm CDT

Baseball writers should stop acting as “moral gatekeepers” for the Hall Of Fame, an indignant Buster Olney of ESPN writes (Insider-only). Specifically, he says, they should stop invoking the character clause, and the many cases of writers switching their votes on players with PED histories suggests that they aren’t applying the character clause consistently anyway. Also, he says, there’s no way to truly know who in the PED era actually used (and to what extent) and who didn’t, and writers shouldn’t act as arbiters of history, keeping top players out of the Hall while playing the role of “traffic cops of history.” Most flagrant is the case of Astros slugger Jeff Bagwell, who some commentators have dismissed due to PED concerns despite a total lack of evidence that he actually used them. Here are more quick notes on the American League.

Royals infielder Omar Infante had surgery on his elbow in November, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports writes. Infante is expected to be healthy for Spring Training. The Royals think the surgery will help Infante with the shoulder troubles that bothered him last season, in which he played in 124 games and hit a horrific .220/.234/.318. (Infante also had back and oblique issues, and suffered a groin strain.) As Morosi notes, Infante will likely get the opportunity to win the Royals’ second-base job again next season.
The Rays incurred relatively heavy losses in the Rule 5 Draft in 2015, Marc Topkin writes for Baseball America. The Phillies took outfielder Tyler Goeddel with the first overall pick, marking the second consectuive year the top player selected in the Rule 5 came from the Rays organization. (The Diamondbacks took catcher Oscar Hernandez with the first pick in 2014.) And the Rays lost another outfielder, Joey Rickard, with the eighth pick. The Rays did protect five players, including top prospect Blake Snell, from the draft. “Their ceilings in our mind weren’t as high as the five guys we protected and that’s what it comes down to,” Rays farm director Mitch Lukevics says of Goeddel and Rickard. “We have 40 spots, and someone is 41, someone is 42, someone is 43.”

Central Notes: Moore, Jaso, White Sox

By Jeff Todd | January 1, 2016 at 11:21am CDT

We took a look in at Kansas City’s potential pitching needs earlier today, and there are a few more notes from the game’s central divisions to share on a quiet New Year’s Day:

There’s a case to be made that Royals GM Dayton Moore qualifies as MLB’s most notable figure in 2015, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick writes. While the publication gave that title to Bryce Harper, but the successful culmination of Moore’s efforts in Kansas City certain made for a notable story — particularly from a hot stove perspective.
New Pirates first baseman John Jaso said yesterday on MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM (Twitter link) that he chose his new team in part due to the opportunity to play in the field. Most of the interest he saw was from American League clubs that would have utilized him as a DH, but he says he’s drawn by the challenge of being a quality defender at a new position.
While the White Sox have had “dialogue” with the top three free agent outfielders — that’d be Justin Upton, Yoenis Cespedes, and Alex Gordon — there’s nothing close at present, Bob Nightengale of USA Today recently tweeted. That’s not particularly surprising to hear, in part because Chicago seems to be set up rather nicely to be an opportunistic buyer rather than focusing on getting a particular player at all costs.

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