Royals' Core Group Heads for Free Agency

Daily Clips

November 7, 2017

LOCAL

Royals' core group heads for free agency

Club's finances will dictate who it will try to bring back

November 6, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com

KC to extend QOs to Hosmer, Moose, Cain

November 6, 2017By Daniel Kramer/MLB.com

Royals’ three top free agents will likely decline qualifying offers. What next?

November 6, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star

MLB.com columnist predicts Royals will sign two of their most coveted free agents

November 6, 2017By Pete Grathoff/KC Star

Royals have a new Hall of Famer: It’s their mascot, Sluggerrr

November 6, 2017By Maria Torres/KC Star

Ian Kennedy did not opt out. Can he be worth $49 million for the next three years?

November 6, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star

Former MLB general manager predicts Royals will re-sign Hosmer, Moustakas

November 6, 2017By Jared Koller/KCTV5.com

Kansas City Royals' Sluggerrr inducted into Mascot Hall of Fame

November 6, 2017By Hailey Godburn/KSHB.com

MINORS

Storm Chasers Nab 10th Straight 'Best of Omaha' Honor

Voters tab club as Omaha's Best Professional Sports Team

November 6, 2017Omaha Storm Chasers

NATIONAL

Finalists for BBWAA awards unveiled

November 6, 2017By John Schlegel/MLB.com

Qualifying offers: Who got one; who didn't?

Deadline to extend 1-year, $17.4M contract has passed

November 6, 2017By David Adler/MLB.com

10 on Hall of Fame's Modern Era ballot

Garvey, John, Mattingly, Miller, Morris, Murphy, Parker, Simmons, Tiant, Trammell to be considered

November 6, 2017By Barry M. Bloom/MLB.com

Longtime executive Bob Bowman to leave MLB after 17 years

November 6, 2017USA Today

MLB TRANSACTIONS
November 7, 2017 •.CBSSports.com

LOCAL

Royals' core group heads for free agency

Club's finances will dictate who it will try to bring back

November 6, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com

It's go time for the Royals now.

The club has been awaiting and planning for the moment a large number of their core group hits free agency, and that moment has arrived.

Royals general manager Dayton Moore has indicated several times that they will "feel out the market" in terms of what free agents they might be able to bring back. But finances will be tight: The Royals based their payroll the past two seasons on deep runs into the postseason. It didn't happen either season, meaning owner David Glass had to subsidize the losses, according to Moore.

Free agents: First baseman Eric Hosmer, shortstop Alcides Escobar, third baseman Mike Moustakas, center fielder Lorenzo Cain, left-hander Jason Vargas, outfielder Melky Cabrera, right-hander Peter Moylan, right-hander Trevor Cahill, left-hander Mike Minor.

Note: Minor, 29, declined a mutual option for 2018, according to a source, and right-hander Ian Kennedy already has indicated he will not opt out of the remaining three years on his deal.

Arbitration-eligible: Right-hander Kelvin Herrera, right-hander Nate Karns, right-hander Brandon Maurer, right-hander Mike Morin.

Biggest potential free-agent loss: Hosmer, without a doubt. The 28-year-old emerged as the unmistakable leader in the clubhouse and on the field. Hosmer had a career year with a .318 average, 25 home runs, 94 RBIs and a whopping .385 on-base percentage. And he is up for his fourth Gold Glove Award. Losing Hosmer would be devastating inside the clubhouse -- he became a mentor to many of the young Royals. It simply is hard to imagine the Royals without him.

Potential free-agent targets: With their payroll limitations, the only logical targets will be their own free agents. Based on the drop-off difference in their possible replacements, it's likely the Royals target Hosmer and Minor (they simply don't have another reliable closer candidate). Durable and effective reliever Moylan also seems a logical choice to bring back. The guess here is there won't be a tremendous market for Escobar -- he's someone the Royals could sign late as insurance if Raul Mondesi can't handle the job.

Wild card scenario: Glass, who became fond of being a World Series participant in 2014 and '15, may decide it's worth the gamble to potentially subsidize the payroll in 2018, and therefore inflate the payroll in 2018 enough to bring back Hosmer, Minor, Moustakas and maybe Vargas. The working theory here would be that young players such as Jorge Bonifacio, Mondesi, Whit Merrifield and Jorge Soler could be part of the next wave of a Royals revival, as long as they have some established veterans assisting. This theory only works if they once again establish a shut-down bullpen, which starts with signing Minor.

KC to extend QOs to Hosmer, Moose, Cain

November 6, 2017By Daniel Kramer/MLB.com

Facing many critical free-agent decisions this offseason, the Royals will make $17.4 million qualifying offers to first baseman Eric Hosmer, third baseman Mike Moustakas and center fielder Lorenzo Cain.

Teams have until 5 p.m. ET on Monday to make qualifying offers to their own free agents, which is set by the average of the game's top 125 salaries. The Royals trio now has 10 days to accept or decline the one-year deals or hit free agency.

In making the qualifying offers, the Royals are setting themselves up for compensation for each should they depart. Depending on where they land and/or how much they receive from another club, the Royals would receive Draft pick compensation in 2018.

This is a position the Royals had long seen coming, with most of their core hitting free agency this winter, many of whom were significant contributors in reaching the World Series in consecutive years and winning the title in 2015.

General manager Dayton Moore has long said he plans to "feel out the market" when discussing which free agents they will be able to bring back, in large part because of their mid-market financial constraints. Their $143 million Opening Day payroll was a club record, per Cots Baseball Contracts. Also, given their limitations, the Royals are more than likely going to be able to pursue only their own free agents.

Hosmer, 28, is coming off arguably his best season, with a career-best .318/.385/.498 slash line to go with 25 homers and 94 RBIs, and he is also up for his fourth Gold Glove Award. The veteran first baseman is one of the true staples in the clubhouse, having been present for the entire Royals rebuild and serving as a mentor to many of the club's young players. He was drafted with the No. 3 overall pick by Kansas City in 2008.

Moustakas, 29, was taken with the No. 2 overall pick the year prior and is a two-time All-Star, including 2017, which proved to be a major bounceback season after the third baseman tore his ACL early in '16. Moustakas batted 272/.314/.521 with a career-high and franchise-record 38 homers, tied for fifth-most in the American League.

Cain, 31, hit .300/.363/.440 with 15 homers and 49 RBIs and is widely considered one of the best center fielders in baseball.

Royals’ three top free agents will likely decline qualifying offers. What next?

November 6, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star

The Royals confirmed Monday that the club will give qualifying offers to free agents Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Lorenzo Cain, ensuring some level of compensation should those players sign elsewhere this offseason.

All three players have 10 days to accept or decline the qualifying offer, according to the terms of the latest collective-bargaining agreements. All three players are among the top free agents on the market this winter and will almost certainly decline, which will send them to the open market.

The qualifying offer for 2018 is a one-year contract at $17.4 million.

The Star reported the Royals’ desire to hand out three qualifying offers last week. The club had nine players become free agents in the last week, including reliever Mike Minor, who declined his half of a mutual option for 2018.

The Royals are not expected to extend qualifying offers to Minor, starting pitcher Jason Vargas or shortstop Alcides Escobar. Outfielder Melky Cabrera and right-handed pitcher Trevor Cahill are not eligible because they were traded midseason. The other free agent is reliever Peter Moylan.

So if Hosmer, Moustakas and Cain decline the qualifying offer, why is it important? Because it will set the Royals up to gain three additional draft picks in 2018 if all three players leave.

Let’s review the compensation rules: The Royals will receive a compensatory, or additional, draft pick following the first round if a player declines a qualifying offer and signs a contract of more than $50 million. If the player declines the qualifying offer and signs for less than $50 million, the compensation pick will come after Competitive Balance Round B, which follows the second round.

In practice, the Royals could find themselves with three additional draft picks following the 2018 first round if Hosmer, Moustakas and Cain depart and all sign for more than $50 million, one reason among many the Royals were hesitant to sell off their main pieces before the trade deadline in 2017. Hosmer, 28, and Moustakas, 29, are expected to command contracts well beyond $50 million this winter, while Cain, 31, could as well — though it could depend on the length of his contract.

So could the Royals have extended qualifying offers to Vargas and Minor and attempted to gain more draft picks? Well, yes. But the risk would have been sizable. Based on their market values, Vargas and Minor would have likely accepted the offer, pocketed $17.4 million for 2018 and taken their chances at free agency again in 2019. Such maneuvers would blow a hole in the Royals’ budget for 2018.

In addition, Escobar, 30, is expected to sign for considerably less than either Vargas or Minor.

After receiving qualifying offers, Hosmer, Moustakas and Cain can still talk to other teams during the 10-day window. Those conversations could heat up next week when club officials from all 30 teams convene in Orlando for the annual General Managers’ meetings. Yet most major player movement will not take place until the month of December.

MLB.com columnist predicts Royals will sign two of their most coveted free agents

November 6, 2017By Pete Grathoff/KC Star

Well, if Jim Duquette is right, that going-away party in the Royals’ season finale was unnecessary.

Duquette, the former Mets general manager, wrote a column predicting which teams the top 25 free agents in baseball would sign with this offseason.

That list includes four players who were with the Royals in 2017: first baseman Eric Hosmer, center fielder Lorenzo Cain, third baseman Mike Moustakas and pitcher Jason Vargas.

Hosmer, Cain and Moustakas were fêted by fans in the final game of 2017, along with shortstop Alcides Escobar.

Duquette’s forecast is for Cain to sign with the Giants and Vargas to land a deal with the Orioles.

But Duquette also sees the Royals signing Moustakas and Hosmer. Not one player. Both.

Here is part of what Duquette wrote about Moustakas: “A lack of demand for third basemen hampered Justin Turner’s earning power to some extent last offseason, but Moustakas should command a sizable contract in the $100 million range over five or six years.”

And this is a portion of what Duquette wrote about Hosmer, who is listed as the No. 5 free agent: “Any team looking for a vocal leader with postseason experience, as well as a middle-of-the-order bat, should have interest in Hosmer. Given his age relative to the rest of the class, he'll likely get a longer deal, possibly seven years at $20 million per season.”

Many Royals fans believe the Royals wouldn’t be able to sign their top free agents. However, Dayton Moore told The Star’s Rustin Dodd that he is not making that assumption.

“Everybody assumes that we are just going to just get blown away in free agency, and we don’t have a chance, Moore said. “They may be right, but I think everybody felt that way about Alex Gordon at the time. That fell back to us. You just never really know.”

Royals have a new Hall of Famer: It’s their mascot, Sluggerrr

November 6, 2017By Maria Torres/KC Star

There’s finally another Royal in the Hall of Fame.

Well, the Mascot Hall of Fame, anyway.

After 22 seasons prowling the grounds at Kauffman Stadium, Royals mascot Sluggerrr received national recognition Monday when the Mascot Hall of Fame announced his induction as part of the Class of 2017. Benny the Bull (Chicago Bulls), Tommy Hawk (Chicago Blackhawks) and Nittany Lion (Penn State) were the other inductees.

According to the Royals, Sluggerrr was in part selected for his work in the Strike Out Bullying campaign.

Sluggerrr is the fourth MLB mascot in the Mascot Hall of Fame, which is located in Whiting, Ind. He joins Phillie Phanatic, Mr. Met and Slider of the Cleveland Indians.

Sluggerrr, who debuted for the Royals on April 5, 1996, took a playful jab at the Phanatic in September when he sat down with The Star for an interview.

“I call them the big, fat, dumb mascots,” said Brad Collins, who has performed as Sluggerrr since 2011. “I love those guys and they’re great performers. But if they were put in the Sluggerrr costume, it’s a completely different character.”

Ian Kennedy did not opt out. Can he be worth $49 million for the next three years?

November 6, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star

Royals starter Ian Kennedy held true to his word, declining to exercise a one-time opt-out in a five-year, $70 million contract signed before the 2016 season. He had little choice.

Kennedy, 32, could have opted out in the days after the World Series and returned to free agency. But in doing so, he would have turned down a guaranteed $49 million on the final three years of the deal. And in doing that, he would have returned to the open market after posting a 5-13 record and 5.38 ERA in 2017, the fifth worst ERA in baseball among starting pitchers with at least 150 innings.

In late August, Kennedy said it “would be pretty stupid” if he opted out of the deal. The statement was blunt by the standards of athletes. It was not inaccurate.

So now Kennedy is back for the final three years of his contract. And the Royals, barring a salary-dumping trade, must hope to receive value in what is, for the moment, still the second-largest contract in club history behind Alex Gordon’s four-year, $72 million deal signed in the same offseason. (That’s a subject for another day.)

Royals starter Ian Kennedy held true to his word, declining to exercise a one-time opt-out in a five-year, $70 million contract signed before the 2016 season. He had little choice.

In late August, Kennedy said it “would be pretty stupid” if he opted out of the deal. The statement was blunt by the standards of athletes. It was not inaccurate.

But let’s start here: In 2016, Kennedy posted a 3.68 ERA while striking out 184 in 195 2/3 innings across 33 starts. He was durable, as he tends to be. But he did give up a ton of homers (33), and he wasn’t particularly impressive, according to advanced metrics. Overall, though, his results were strong. Kennedy was worth four wins above replacement, according to Baseball Reference’s version of WAR.

In 2017, of course, Kennedy regressed, putting up a 5.38 ERA while logging 154 innings and battling leg and shoulder issues. He gave up a ton of homers (34), and he was even less impressive, according to advanced metrics. According to bWAR, he was worth 0.5 wins above replacement.

The obvious answer, of course, would be that Kennedy needs to perform closer to his 2016 version to justify the guaranteed salary. That would give the Royals a solid No. 2 or No. 3 starter to slot behind Danny Duffy. That would be useful.

But there are ways to look at value from a dollar perspective, and even some of the best methods we have offer varying perspectives. So let’s take a look.