Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Royals Rumors

Royals Notes: Guthrie, Pitching, Trades

By | at

The Royals took another step towards solidifying their 2013 rotation when they re-signed Jeremy Guthrie today.  Here are some notes about both the Guthrie signing and the club's offseason search for starting pitching…

  • The Royals overpaid for Guthrie, opines Fangraphs' Dave Cameron, and Kansas City hasn't made the most of its limited payroll space by committing $17MM to Guthrie and Ervin Santana next season.  "Guthrie makes the Royals a little bit better, but they didn’t need to get a little bit better this winter," Cameron writes. "They needed to get a lot better, and now they’re running low on ways to make real significant improvements. For $17 million, plus the $20 million in future commitments to Guthrie, they should have been able to do better."
  • Conversely, Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star likes the Guthrie signing since the right-hander can eat innings and he pitched well outside of Coors Field over the last three seasons.  With Guthrie and Santana now in the fold, Mellinger argues that GM Dayton Moore or owner David Glass must be comfortable in trading prospects or raising payroll if it means acquiring even more quality arms to solidify the rotation.
  • The Royals aren't done shopping for pitching and ESPN's Buster Olney says the club's plan is to acquire another veteran by trading prospects.  ESPN's Jayson Stark, however, says that teams who have spoken to the Royals say Kansas City is "now more likely to go young than [for] another vet" in their pitching search (both links are to Twitter).
  • In other Royals news from earlier today, the team agreed to a new contract with catcher Brett Hayes and designated eight players for assignment.

Royals, Hayes Avoid Arbitration

By | at

The Royals announced that they've avoided arbitration with catcher Brett Hayes, agreeing to a one-year deal for 2013. Hayes, a TWC Sports client, will earn $600K in 2013, Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star reports (on Twitter).

The Royals claimed Hayes off of waivers from the Marlins earlier this month. The 28-year-old appeared in 39 games for the Marlins in 2012 and hit .202/.229/.254 in 118 plate appearances. Luke Hochevar, Felipe Paulino and Chris Getz are the Royals' only remaining unsigned arbitration eligible players.

Royals Designate Seven For Assignment

By | at

The Royals announced that they designated seven players for assignment to create 40-man roster space for players who would otherwise have been eligible for the Rule 5 draft. The Royals designated right-handers Vin Mazzaro and Chris Volstad, left-hander Ryan Verdugo, catcher Brayan Pena, infielder Clint Robinson and outfielder Derrick Robinson for assignment.

The Royals, who are also designating catcher Adam Moore for assignment, now have a full 40-man roster. They selected the contracts of left-handers Chris Dwyer, Donnie Joseph, John Lamb, Justin Marks and Mike Montgomery, and right-hander J.C. Gutierrez in related moves.

The move could amount to an early non-tender for two players. Pena was on track for a salary in the $1.1MM range as a third time arbitration eligible player. Meanwhile, Volstad projected to earn $3MM as a second time eligible player.

Royals To Designate Adam Moore For Assignment

By | at

The Royals will designate catcher Adam Moore for assignment, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports (on Twitter). Moore, 28, appeared in four games for the Royals in 2012.

The Royals claimed Moore off of waivers from the Mariners in July and called him up for four games after rosters expanded in September. Moore spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he posted a .259/.326/.413 batting line in 229 plate appearances.

Royals Sign Jeremy Guthrie

By | at

The Royals announced that they signed right-hander Jeremy Guthrie to a three-year contract through 2015. Excel Sports Management represents Guthrie, who hit free agency this offseason after splitting the 2012 season between the Rockies and Royals. Guthrie will earn $25MM over the course of the three-year, Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star reports (on Twitter). He'll earn $5MM in 2013, $11MM in 2014 and $9MM in 2015.

Jeremy Guthrie - Royals (PW)

Guthrie pitched poorly in Colorado (6.35 ERA, 21 home runs allowed in 90 2/3 innings), but pitched closer to his career norms after leaving Coors Field. In 14 starts with the Royals, Guthrie posted a 3.16 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9. He has been durable enough to complete 175 innings or more in each of his six full seasons at the MLB level. However, he has allowed more hits than innings pitched in his career and remains somewhat home run prone with 1.3 home runs allowed per nine innings.

Guthrie joins Ervin Santana, Bruce Chen, Luke Hochevar and Luis Mendoza in the Royals' projected 2013 rotation. Danny Duffy, Felipe Paulino, Chris Volstad and Nathan Adcock could also be considerations for the rotation.

Tim Dierkes ranked Guthrie 48th on MLBTR’s list of the year’s top 50 free agents, predicting a deal with the Pirates. I mis-read the market for Guthrie in September, anticipating a one-year deal in the $6MM range. Credit Excel for finding a three-year guarantee for a mid-rotation starter.

One reader has correctly predicted the destinations of every top 50 free agent who has signed to this point in the offseason. Be sure to see where you rank in MLBTR's free agent prediction contest.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

Royals Notes: Guthrie, Minor Leaguers

By | at

The Royals have already made headlines this offseason by acquiring Ervin Santana from the Angels, but general manager Dayton Moore will have quite a bit more on his plate over the course of the winter. Here's the latest news pertaining to Kansas City…

Silverman’s Latest: Greinke, Royals, Rays, Blue Jays

By | at

Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told Michael Silverman of The Boston Herald that he was unsure if he'd be able to acquire Miguel Cabrera (and Dontrelle Willis) in 2007. “A lot of clubs were involved and I didn’t think it was going to work for us for where we were financially,” said Dombrowski. “Once we sat down with the Marlins, it took us just a day to work out that deal. It happened very fast.”

Here are Silverman's rumors…

Minor Moves: Igarashi, Brewers, Royals

By | at

Here are some minor transactions from both MLB and Japan, with the most recent items at the top of the page…

Minor Moves: Wagner, Angels, Rhymes, Wood

By | at

Some minor league deals from around the baseball world…

  • The Blue Jays have signed right-hander Neil Wagner to a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training, MLBTR has learned.  Wagner has a 3.77 ERA, 2.95 K:BB ratio and 10.2 K/9 rate in 312 career minor league relief appearances in the Padres, A's, and Indians' systems, plus pitched five Major League innings with Oakland in 2011.
  • The Angels signed Billy Buckner, Luke Carlin, Brendan Harris, Trent Oeltjen, Jo-Jo Reyes and J.B. Shuck to minor league contracts with invites to the Major League Spring Training camp, reports MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez.
  • The Nationals have signed infielder Will Rhymes to a minor league contract with a Spring Training invite, reports the Beverly Hills Sports Council's Twitter page.  (Rhymes is represented by the BHSC.)  Rhymes was designated for assignment by Tampa Bay in September and has a .266/.328/.343 line in 449 career plate appearances over three seasons with the Tigers and Rays.
  • Matt Eddy of Baseball America recaps the week's minor league transactions, including news of Brandon Wood signing a minor league deal with the Royals.  Wood, the former Angels third baseman who was once considered one of the top prospects in the game, last appeared in the Majors with the Pirates in 2011 and posted a .722 OPS for the Rockies' Triple-A team in 2012.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Royals, Butler, Myers, Rays, Astros

By | at

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that Royals GM Dayton Moore is "feeling the heat," in the sense that many want the team to use their prospect base to acquire veterans who can help them win now like the Blue Jays did with their recent blockbuster. Here's more from Rosenthal on Kansas City…

  • Even after acquiring Ervin Santana, the Royals can still fit a free agent like Jeremy Guthrie into their payroll on a back-loaded, multiyear contract.
  • The Mariners covet Billy Butler and would conceivably part with young, high-end pitching to acquire him. Butler is under contract through 2014 with a club option for 2015, though the Royals are unsure if they have enough offense to move him right now.
  • The Rays like top prospect Wil Myers, though the Royals are conflicted about moving him even for a pitcher like Jeremy Hellickson or Matt Moore.
  • The Astros could be another trade partner for Kansas City since the price to acquire Bud Norris or Lucas Harrell would be lower than it would be for Hellickson or Moore. The impact would be less too, however.
  • Moore is under contract through 2014 and does not appear to be in danger of losing his job, says Rosenthal.
Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrows scroll to top