Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Royals Rumors

Central Notes: Reds, Indians, Pirates, Royals

By | at

A look at some items out of the Central divisions..

Central Links: Axford, Tigers, Hosmer

By | at

Three years ago today, the Reds traded Jeff Keppinger to the Astros for a player to be named later. That player ended up being Drew Sutton. Here's the latest from baseball's two Central divisions…

  • "I don't care if it does," said John Axford to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy when asked if he minds if extensions talks with the Brewers carry over into the regular season. "I'm open to still talking [during the season], for sure, and it doesn't affect me if we don't talk."
  • "What I'm telling you is that we don't definitely have any trades in place," said Tigers manager Jim Leyland to MLB.com's Jason Beck. Detroit appears to be taking as much time as possible before announcing their final roster moves.
  • With Alex Gordon now signed to an extension, the Royals will try to convince Eric Hosmer to sign a long-term deal according to ESPN's Buster Olney (Insider req'd). I looked at Hosmer as an extension candidate in January, but the first baseman recently said he's not in a rush to sign a new deal.

Royals, Alex Gordon Agree To Extension

By | at

6:10pm: The deal is worth $37.5MM over four years with a player option for 2016 at $12.5MM, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.  Gordon will earn $6MM for 2012, $9MM for 2013, $10MM for 2014, and $12.5MM for 2015, Dutton tweets.

5:40pm: The Royals announced that they have reached a contract extension with leftfielder Alex Gordon.  The contract includes four guaranteed years through the 2015 season with a player option for 2016.  The Excel Sports Management client would have been eligible for free agency after the 2013 season.

Its been a busy spring for General Manager Dayton Moore who signed off on a five-year, $7MM extension for Salvador Perez and a new deal for Alcides Escobar who could earn up to $21.75MM through 2017.  Eric Hosmer could also be an extension candidate but earlier this week the first baseman said that he is in no rush to sign a multi-year deal.

Terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed but Gordon could potentially hold the richest deal in club history.  To date, the largest deal in Kansas City's history has been $55MM, the amount given to both Gil Meche and Mike Sweeney.

Gordon, 28, hit .303/.376/.502 with 23 homers in 690 plate appearances in 2011.  Last season marked Gordon's first as a full-time outfielder.

Quick Hits: Cain, Hosmer, Team Values, Izturis

By | at

Ichiro Suzuki and Yoenis Cespedes are the early stars of this young 2012 season, with the rest of the league waiting until next week to catch up to the Mariners and Athletics.  Here's some news from around the majors…

  • Matt Cain reiterated to reporters (including Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle) that Opening Day is the "cutoff" for contract talks between him and the Giants.  Cain said Giants GM Brian Sabean feels the same way.  Larry Baer, the team's CEO, discussed the Cain negotiations and more in a live chat with fans earlier today.
  • Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer is in no hurry to sign a multiyear contract, he tells Tyler Kepner of the New York Times.  "There’s a long time for that coming,” Hosmer said of a possible contract extension. “For me, I haven’t even experienced an opening day yet….I feel like it wouldn’t even be fair to this team to start thinking about that.”  Last January, MLBTR's Mike Axisa featured Hosmer as an extension candidate.
  • Sports business consultant Marc Ganis tells ESPN New York's Adam Rubin that if the Dodgers are worth $2.15 billion, it greatly raises the ceiling for the prices of baseball's big-market teams.  Ganis estimates the Yankees would be worth $4 billion, the Red Sox $2.5 billion and the Mets roughly $1.5 billion.  Only the biggest markets would have higher price tags, however, since they offer the most lucrative local broadcasting deals.
  • Also from Henry Schulman (Twitter links), Gregor Blanco says he chose the Giants over the Marlins in the offseason since San Francisco hitting coach Hensley Meulens promised Blanco a legitimate chance at a roster spot.  It looks like Blanco made the right choice, as he's poised to start the season in the majors after a big Spring Training.
  • Alexi Amarista's impressive camp has made him a candidate for a utility job with the Angels, but Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times says Amarista is too inexperienced at the big league level to make Maicer Izturis expendable.  Izturis' name has been connected to a few trade rumors this spring as several teams are in the market for infielders.
  • Cesar Izturis (Maicer's older brother) has been told he will make the Brewers' roster, says team media director Mike Vassallo (Twitter link).  Izturis' minor league deal with Milwaukee allowed him to ask for his release if he wasn't on the 40-man roster by March 30, but now his $875K salary for 2012 is guaranteed.
  • MLB.com's Jordan Bastian (via Twitter) predicts the Indians to make a "big roster reduction" on Saturday as the team starts to pare down its roster from its current 41-player state.  Bastian says the Tribe has been "looking at trades" as well, and indeed Cleveland has at least one notable deal reportedly in the works.
  • If the Angels cut Jason Isringhausen, the veteran reliever tells MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez that he'll probably retire, though there's a slight chance he'll keep pitching if he gets the right offer.  "It depends on who's that team that might call, who they'd be," Isringhausen said.

Quick Hits: Royals, Axford, Upton, Dunn

By | at

For two of baseball’s 30 teams, the 2012 season opens in a matter of hours. Here are the latest links from around MLB…

  • The Royals acquired Humberto Quintero last week, but they continue looking for catching depth, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets.
  • ESPN.com’s Buster Olney asked a number of baseball people why the trade market has been slow this spring and came up with a variety of possible answers. "I think teams value their young players more, and they value the older guys less," one GM told Olney. "The lower middle class [of players] has taken a hit this winter."
  • The Brewers have stayed in contact with agent Dan Horwits, the representative for closer John Axford, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets. I previewed a possible extension for Axford earlier in the year.
  • Justin Upton, Eric Hosmer and Bryce Harper have a good shot at being top-ten players five years from now, ESPN.com’s Keith Law writes.
  • Bob Nightengale of USA Today discusses failure and expectations with a number of MLB players who have struggled after signing massive free agent deals. "You cannot have a worse feeling in sports," Adam Dunn told Nightengale. "It's tough, just so tough," Alfonso Soriano said.

Minor Moves: White Sox, Royals, Golson, Cora

By | at

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves right here:

  • The Royals announced via Twitter that they have traded outfielder Greg Golson to the White Sox for cash considerations.  The 26-year-old appeared in nine games for the Yankees last year and hit .263/.330/.385 in 105 games with the team’s Triple-A affiliate.
  • The Cardinals announced that they released infielder Alex Cora and catcher Koyie Hill.  The Cards signed Cora to a minor league deal back in February that would have been worth $800K if he made the big league roster.  Hill, who spent 2011 with the Cubs, hooked on with the Cardinals in January.

Quick Hits: Getz, Utley, Phillies, Giants, Madson

By | at

Sunday afternoon linkage..

Quick Hits: Escalona, Duke, Garza, Soria, Lawrie

By | at

"I think very highly of my client," said Zack Greinke's agent to Brewers management when the two sides opened extension talks according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Greinke, of course, represents himself. The right-hander and his sense of humor will hire an agent at some point, but for now here are some links from around the league…

  • The Astros announced that left-handed reliever Sergio Escalona will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the season. "This probably makes us think about [Zach] Duke’s role if he doesn’t win a spot in the rotation," said GM Jeff Luhnow to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (Twitter link).
  • Cubs GM Jed Hoyer told ESPN's Jim Bowden that he wants to sign Matt Garza long-term and build around the right-hander rather than trade him (Twitter link).
  • "I hope I stay here in Kansas City," said Joakim Soria to MLB.com's Dick Kaegel. Soria will miss the season with Tommy John surgery, and the Royals hold an $8MM club option for his services in 2013. "I love this organization, I feel part of this family and I appreciate what they've done for me."
  • "I needed a fresh start. I needed a new team," said Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie to ESPN's Jayson Stark about his trade from the Brewers. Lawrie feels Milwaukee tried to change his effusive personality, though GM Doug Melvin disagrees.
  • John Grabow and Jamey Wright will earn $800K and $900K, respectively, if they make the Dodgers according to Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter links). Both pitchers have incentives based on appearances, maxing out at $500K (Wright) and $200K (Grabow).

Quick Hits: Nationals, Blue Jays, Soria, Carpenter

By | at

Two weeks from now, the regular season will be underway. In the meantime, here are some links, including injury updates on a trio of pitchers…

  • "We are pretty comfortable with the team that we have right now," said Nationals GM Mike Rizzo to reporters (including MLB.com's Bill Ladson). "If something comes up to improve ourselves, we'll certainly investigate it. We are not selling anybody or shopping anybody or making a lot of phone calls, because we are comfortable where we are at."
  • The Blue Jays have five roster spots up for grabs – left field, fifth starter, utility infielder, two bullpen spots – but there are clear frontrunners for each job according to MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm. The team doesn't want to delay any official moves, but they also want to make sure everyone gets enough playing time to audition for jobs.
  • Royals closer Joakim Soria will undergo Tommy John surgery on April 3rd, Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star reports (Twitter links).
  • Chris Carpenter is out indefinitely with a nerve issue, Cardinals GM John Mozeliak told reporters, including MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch (Twitter link). Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch suggests Carpenter will likely miss two months or more (Twitterlink).
  • Joba Chamberlain dislocated his right ankle and lost a life-threatening amount of blood yesterday, Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News reports. The injury will end Chamberlain's season and could threaten his career.
  • One scout says Mark Reynolds isn't appealing, especially given his $7.5MM salary, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com tweets. The Orioles are shopping Reynolds and teammate Kevin Gregg.
  • Padres owner John Moores could earn a substantial profit when he sells his team, partly because bidders who fail to purchase the Dodgers may view Padres as consolation prize, Jon Paul Morosi writes at FOX Sports.
  • Former All-Star reliever Chad Cordero tells Jonathan Hacohen of MLB Reports that he's getting the itch to play again and will attempt to come back to the Major Leagues in 2013. The 30-year-old reliever took time off to deal with the death of his infant daughter, but he's not ready to give up on baseball yet.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Offseason In Review: Kansas City Royals

By | at

The Royals sat out the trade market for top starting pitchers, instead adding a pair of short-term lefties to their rotation, supplementing their bullpen, and extending a couple of up-the-middle position players.

Major League Signings

Notable Minor League Signings

Extensions

Trades and Claims

Notable Losses

The Royals aren't quite ready to pounce.  In an offseason that included trades of starting pitchers Trevor Cahill, Mat Latos, Gio Gonzalez, and Michael Pineda, Royals GM Dayton Moore settled for stopgaps Jonathan Sanchez and Bruce Chen.

Melky Cabrera wasn't part of Moore's long-term plan, despite an age 26 career year for the Royals in 2011.  Though Lorenzo Cain turns 26 himself in April, he'll be a defensive upgrade over Cabrera in center field and remains under team control for the full six years.  Allowing Cain to take over in center and taking a one-year look at Sanchez in the rotation is a better fit for Kansas City.  The 29-year-old Sanchez tantalizes with big strikeout rates, and is at least useful when he's healthy and keeps his walk rate below five per nine innings.

Icon_11983528

Chen, 34, received the first multiyear deal of his career to return to the Royals' rotation.  A back injury cost him over a month in 2011, limiting him to 25 starts.  Chen (pictured) posted a 3.77 ERA last year, but his peripheral stats suggest his ERA will come in a full run higher.  Rather than jump on Chen for two guaranteed years in November, the Royals would have been better served to go bargain hunting for starting pitchers on one-year deals in late December and January, around when Jason Marquis, Paul Maholm, and Bartolo Colon signed.  The departed Jeff Francis, who was no worse than Chen in the Royals' rotation, signed a minor league deal with the Reds in late January.   

A hunting trip with Ned Yost, Jeff Francoeur, and Jeff Foxworthy on the comedian's property helped secure Broxton on a reasonable one-year deal.  The huge righty is a year removed from relief dominance.  Along with Greg Holland, the Royals have the talent to survive the late innings without closer Joakim Soria if his spring elbow soreness proves serious.  Southpaw Mijares was signed on the cheap for lefty matchups.

The Royals' other minor moves were led by the signing of Betancourt, who started at shortstop for the club for a year and a half before being traded to Milwaukee in last offseason's Zack Greinke trade.  The Royals' press release made sure to stress Betancourt's utility role.  It remains to be seen how Betancourt's poor shortstop defense will carry over to second and third base.  Of the team's minor league signings, Gutierrez is a fairly interesting 2013 play once he recovers from Tommy John surgery.

The Royals extended catcher Salvador Perez with just 50 days of Major League service time, taking a page from the Rays' playbook.  Unlike Evan Longoria and Matt Moore, Perez profiles as more of a solid regular than a star.  With three club options and a guarantee of just $7MM, it'll still be hard for the Royals to lose money here unless Perez completely flames out.  Perez is off to a rough post-contract start, with knee surgery knocking him out for 12 to 14 weeks.  The injury necessitated the acquisition of Quintero.  We'll have to see the player to be named to properly judge that deal.

Escobar isn't similar to Perez, as the shortstop has over two years of Major League service.  Upon locking up Escobar, Moore noted the payroll is "going to get a little sticky for us, it's going to get a little hairy as we get into 2014-15-16."  That doesn't apply much to Escobar, whose fantastic defensive skills wouldn't have been highly-compensated in arbitration in '14 or '15.  Instead, this contract gives the team affordable club options on two free agent years.

The team and left fielder Alex Gordon have mutual interest in an extension, but they've been unable to find common ground.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says Gordon will "almost certainly will want more than $55 million," the current club record.  From the Royals' point of view, I'd be looking to do more of an improved Corey Hart-type deal: $9MM for his final arbitration year (2013) and $22MM for a pair of free agent years (2014-15).  For Gordon to set a team record, the Royals will have to buy out at least four free agent years.  That kind of commitment is a gamble until Gordon proves his 2011 levels of health and performance are sustainable.

The Royals are poised for another step forward at the big league level, especially if players like Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Salvador Perez, Luke Hochevar, and Felipe Paulino expand upon partial seasons of big league success.  The Royals have at least three potential front-rotation starters in the farm system in Mike Montgomery, Jake Odorizzi, and John Lamb, but only Montgomery has a 2012 estimated time of arrival.  GM Dayton Moore seems to have an eye on truly contending in 2014, telling MLB.com's Richard Justice, "We're not there yet.  We won 71 games last year. I do feel we're going to win more games in 2012 and 2013 — and a lot more in 2014."  Perhaps Moore will make a play for an ace starting pitcher prior to the '14 season, after which his own contract will be up. 

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

AJAX Loader
Load More Posts
Show all

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

hide arrows scroll to top