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Yuniesky Betancourt

Royals Slightly Reducing Payroll

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Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star writes that the Royals would like to leave themselves some wiggle room for in-season financial flexibility. As such, they're likely to enter the 2010 season with a payroll in the $66MM-$67MM range, as opposed to last season's $70.5MM payroll. Dutton quotes general manager Dayton Moore:

“I think we can be better positioned to improve our team for 2010 and into the future if we have more flexibility… That may be as simple as being more aggressive in the draft or being more aggressive internationally to build our farm system. And, certainly, it allows us the flexibility to make a deal to take on some money when necessary. I just think it makes more sense right now.”

The Royals currently have $50.4MM allocated to Jose Guillen, Gil Meche, Zack Greinke, David DeJesus, Kyle Farnsworth, Juan Cruz, Joakim Soria, Yuniesky Betancourt, and Willie Bloomquist. They have eight more players eligible for arbitration, although Mike Jacobs, John Buck, and John Bale are all non-tender candidates after disappointing 2009 campaigns. All of this projects to about $63MM before the Royals can even think about making moves.

They'd obviously love to be free of Guillen's $12MM owed in 2010, but much like Farnsworth ($4.5MM) and Cruz ($3.25MM), he'll be tough to move after a poor 2009. Meche could be moved as well – he's owed $24MM over the next two seasons – but his salary and injuries in 2009 will likely mean a poor return in any trade. They'll listen on DeJesus, but the Royals would miss his strong defense and solid bat and would like a replacement in any deal..

Alberto Callaspo may be the club's sole appealing trade chip. Kansas City hopes that Callaspo's strong offensive skills and the fact that he's not even eligible for arbitration will outweigh his defensive woes and yield a catcher or center fielder.

The Royals remain interested in Erik Bedard, Ivan Rodriguez, and Scott Podsednik, but it's tough to imagine them having the cash for those three without making some moves first. Any future GMs out there have some insight as to how Dayton Moore could free up the payroll to make it happen?

Dayton Moore Chats With Fans

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Royals GM Dayton Moore was not terribly revealing in his MLB.com chat with fans today, but let's take a look anyway.  He deserves props for answering a few tough questions, though it would've been nice to have one about Alex Gordon's service time manipulation (Gordon and his agent didn't consider the demotion devious, though).

  • There are "no immediate plans" to try Joakim Soria as a starter, though Moore did not dismiss the idea outright.
  • Yuniesky Betancourt and Mike Aviles will compete for the shortstop job in 2010.
  • Moore wouldn't reveal much regarding his team's catching situation, though he expressed a desire to improve blocking and receiving skills behind the plate.
  • He was also vague about the idea of signing a power hitter in the offseason.
  • Moore expects to sign Aaron Crow, but has nothing new to report.
  • When Moore was asked, "Mr. Moore, why is this team so bad? Plz answer. Thx," he went with injuries as the explanation.
  • Another funny exchange – Moore was asked why he gave up Dan Cortes for Betancourt, when Betancourt probably would've been designated for assignment.  Moore believes it was "highly doubtful" the shortstop would've been DFA'd.
  • Moore spoke in generalities when asked if he'd try to lock up Billy Butler.
  • Moore says he's focused on pitching, speed, and defense, much like the Angels.

Odds And Ends: Macha, Harang, Smoltz

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This round of links is on me…

  • Brewers manager Ken Macha told MLB.com's Adam McCalvy that he manages the same whether others think he has complete job security or not.
  • Erik Manning of FanGraphs says it's hard to tell whether Aaron Harang has enough value to offset his contract going forward, but he suggests it's possible.
  • Via Twitter, Rob Neyer of ESPN.com has some fun and asks if Yuniesky Betancourt is the worst player in baseball history. 
  • Over at MLBTR's Facebook page, we have a discussion about John Smoltz on the go.  

Odds & Ends: Church, Yuniesky, Pirates

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A few links for the afternoon as the All-Star Break approaches:

  • Ryan Church has no animosity or hard feelings towards the Mets organization. He says that he's appreciative of Omar Minaya and everything that he has done for Church over his career. He's also excited to be playing with Chipper Jones. Says Church:
"I grew up in the '90s as a big Braves fan. I'll never tell him, but he was my favorite player," he said. "It's cool now to be playing with him."
  • Joe Posnanski continues to lament the recent acquisition of Yuniesky Betancourt by the Royals, stating that either the numbers are right, or the Royals are right. Posnanski's bet seems to be on the numbers.
  • MLB.com's Jen Langosch has some notes on the Pirates, including an update on Ian Snell who allowed one run on seven hits through six innings in his most recent Triple-A start. That outing lowers Snell's ERA to 0.45 since being demoted. We've heard Snell's names in trade rumors this year, and he appears to be taking some strides toward re-establishing his value. Langosch also mentions the two international signings that Mike wrote about here yesterday, and I feel obligated to give my vote to Dovydas Neverauskas for having the coolest name in baseball.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Church, Francoeur, Betancourt

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Had enough of yesterday's trades yet? Good, because here are some reactions from around the blogosphere…

  • Matt Cerrone at MetsBlog says he's not sure the Ryan Church–Jeff Francoeur swap makes total sense, and he's not sure if the move will have an impact for either team.
  • Sam Page at Amazin' Avenue says that he's convinced the trade makes no sense, and all of the "talk about potential, shake-ups and athleticism is just noise."
  • Talking Chops' "gondeee" likes the Church pickup, even if it cost the once-face of the franchise. Admittedly, it's been a while since Francoeur was viewed in that light.
  • Jay Yencich at USS Mariner says the Mariners came out pretty good in the Yuniesky Betancourt deal, even if they had to send some cash Kansas City's way.
  • D.W. at Tangled Up In (Royal) Blue doesn't understand how the move fits into the big picture for the Royals.
  • Keith at The Royals Tower is taking a hiatus from blogging out of frustration caused by the deal.

Odds & Ends: Betancourt, Halladay, Managers

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A few more links for this morning…

  • Joe Posnanski chimes in with his thoughts on the Yuniesky Betancourt deal. As with all of J-Poz's stuff, it's a must read.
  • Phil Rogers of The Chicago Tribune says to keep an eye on the White Sox in the Roy Halladay sweepstakes. He speculates that they could build a package around Gavin Floyd, but Gordon Beckham or Alexei Ramirez would be dealbreakers.
  • Even though it's worked for the Rockies this year, in-season managerial changes rarely work as MLB.com's Thomas Harding points out. 

Odds & Ends: Betancourt, Francoeur, Halladay, Angels

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We managed to find some rumors in between all of the Jonathan Sanchez no-hitter coverage this morning. Congrats to Jonathan, hopefully Juan Uribe will be buying him a very big and expensive steak dinner. Or ten. On to the links…

  • ESPN's Keith Law doesn't like the Yuniesky Betancourt trade for the Royals, saying he might be the worst everyday player in the big leagues.
  • David Lennon of Newsday says that Mets GM Omar Minaya wanted to send a message by acquiring Jeff Francoeur, but it's "more like a gentle poke than a full-blown shake-up."
  • SI's Jon Heyman tweets that he'd include the struggling Joba Chamberlain in a package for Roy Halladay "no problem."
  • ESPN's Jorge Arangure writes that the Angels efforts on the international market stalled this year after the firing of international scouting supervisor Clay Daniels, who is under investigation by Major League Baseball for his part in the bonus-skimming scandal. Arangure also has notes on several other big name international signees, including Cuban shortstop Jose Iglesias, who received $8.2MM from the Red Sox.
  • MLBTR's own Ben Nicholson-Smith will be on 940 ESPN Radio at 10am CST this morning talking rumors. Click the link to give a listen.

Odds And Ends: Chapman, Betancourt, Masset

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Some links in anticipation of the weekend…
  • According to Baseball America, there's no evidence to suggest that Aroldis Chapman is 26 years old and allegations that he's any older than 21 don't pass the logic test.
  • ESPN.com's Jayson Stark has the oddest anecdotes and funniest quotes from the first half of the season. 
  • The AP (via ESPN) reports that this year's All Stars will receive a combined $2.3MM in bonuses for making the team, led by Roy Halladay's $125k. I wonder who pays if Halladay's dealt before Tuesday…
  • As Bradford Doolittle of the Kansas City Star shows, Yuniesky Betancourt does not have much of a glove or bat, so it's puzzling that the Royals wanted him.
  • MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports that the Reds aren't trading Nick Masset away, especially when his $418k salary makes him so affordable.

Royals Acquire Yuniesky Betancourt

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The Royals acquired Yuniesky Betancourt and cash from the Mariners for a pair of minor league pitchers, according to Joe Hamrahi of Baseball Daily Digest. Betancourt makes at least $10MM before his current deal expires, so it'll be interesting to see how much the Mariners are contributing. 

Here's some info on the pitchers, from Ryan Divish of the Tacoma News Tribune. Danny Cortes, 22, will report to AA. He's 6-2 with a 3.12 ERA in his last eleven games after a rough start to the year in the Royals organization. He was the Royals' minor league pitcher of the year last year and Baseball America labelled him the best minor league pitcher in the organization entering this year.

Derrick Saito, 21, has struck out more than a batter per inning in A ball. The 21-year-old lefty will begin his Mariners career in A ball.

Yuniesky Betancourt Rumors

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11:32am: Ryan Divish of the Tacoma News Tribune reports that Betancourt is healthy and was genuinely puzzled after being removed from last night's lineup. As Divish points out, Zduriencik's "no comment" suggests something's up.

9:22am: As MLB.com's Jim Street notes, the Mariners have been pleased with Ronny Cedeno's performance during Yuniesky Betancourt's DL stint, so there's a chance they deal Batancourt within the next week. 

Betancourt was removed from the lineup before a rehab game in Triple A last night, so Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times asked GM Jack Zduriencik whether an injury or a disciplinary issue prompted the move, but Zduriencik declined to comment.

If the Mariners deal Betancourt, who still has at least $10MM coming his way on his current deal, they would presumably be paying some of his contract.
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