Royals Weigh Options on Day 2 of Meetings

Daily Clips

December 13, 2017

LOCAL

Royals weigh options on Day 2 of Meetings

Moore planning on discussions with Boras about Hosmer

December 12, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com

Starling may be in Royals' center-field mix

December 12, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com

Life after Lorenzo Cain? Royals could turn to Orlando, Gordon, Burns or Starling

December 12, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star

There is a lot of smoke surrounding Eric Hosmer and the San Diego Padres

December 12, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star

Hey, baseball fans: if you want to know what’s happening, take your eye off the ball

December 12, 2017By Lee Judge/KC Star

NATIONAL

Winter Meetings Day 2: Latest from all 30 clubs

December 13, 2017By Manny Randhawa/MLB.com

Eric Hosmer will get paid even though the numbers may argue against it

December 12, 2017By Jeff Passan/Yahoo! Sports

Bubba Starling to be Inducted into GEHS Athletic Hall of Fame

December 12, 2017Gardner Edge

MLB TRANSACTIONS
December 13, 2017 •.CBSSports.com

LOCAL

Royals weigh options on Day 2 of Meetings

Moore planning on discussions with Boras about Hosmer

December 12, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com

Teams continued to check in on the Royals' available trade candidates on Day 2 of the Winter Meetings on Tuesday.

Reports surfaced that the Yankees and Cubs inquired about left-handers Danny Duffy and Scott Alexander. It is believed the Rockies also may have inquired about reliever Kelvin Herrera as well.

Expect more of the same on Wednesday as teams around baseball now know the Royals are committing to a virtual total rebuild.

Royals general manager Dayton Moore said on Monday he would entertain offers on virtually anyone on the 25-man roster, though he seemed to hesitate when asked about catcher Salvador Perez, saying that it seemed unlikely the return for Perez would ever be acceptable.

Meanwhile, Moore continues to purvey offers on other players including Duffy, Alexander, Herrera and perhaps second baseman Whit Merrifield.

Moore said no deals appeared imminent. But the Royals often view the Winter Meetings as a stepping stone to making deals shortly thereafter, as they did with the Zack Greinke deal in 2010 and the James Shields-Wade Davis trade in '12.

"Just looking at different situations [now]," Moore said.

Moore also said he doesn't have plans to speak to his one targeted free agent, first baseman Eric Hosmer, personally as they wait for the market on Hosmer to take shape.

"I don't know if it's necessary," Moore said. "We've talked in the past.

"We'll continue to have discussions [with Hosmer's agent Scott Boras]. That's how Scott and I have managed it in the past."

But signing Hosmer seemingly remains a long shot. For one thing, there were reports that talks between Hosmer and the Padres were heating up.

And also, Moore remains committed to either containing payroll or trimming it. The Royals have about $115 million in payroll commitments right now.

"We certainly can't go above that," Moore said. "I'd like to scale back as much as we could."

Yet, Moore still believes they could do a Hosmer deal.

"We would have to shave payroll elsewhere if that were to happen," he said. "But it could be done."

Starling may be in Royals' center-field mix

December 12, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com

As the Royals' front office ponders position scenarios for 2018, it knows replacing free-agent outfielder Lorenzo Cain will be a tall order.

"It's an important position, especially in our ballpark," general manager Dayton Moore said on Tuesday at the Winter Meetings. "We always want to build as much depth as we can there. We have Paulo Orlando. We have Billy Burns.

"And Bubba Starling, we believe in his ability to stay positive. He'll start the season in Triple-A. But we wouldn't hesitate [to bring him up] if he got off to a good start. Depending on what's going on, he's an option as well."

Starling, 25, was a first-round pick in the 2011 MLB Draft, but he has struggled mightily offensively in the Minors. He has a career .690 OPS in six seasons. He hit a combined .183 in '16 and then .248 last season at Triple-A Omaha.

But Moore said he still envisions Starling as a future Major Leaguer.

"We do," Moore said. "We're not going to rush this process. We haven't thus far. We will continue to stay patient. We know he can play a terrific center field. We've seen other players like Byron Buxton who came up and took their lumps offensively, but played great defense. We've got our own players who did that.

"He's still a player we see as part of our future."

The Royals also will use Gold Glove left fielder Alex Gordon in center field at times as well, Moore said.

"We'll mix and match," Moore said.

But while Moore said they could sign a bargain free-agent outfielder for depth, it likely won't be former Royal Jarrod Dyson.

"Not at this point," Moore said.

Life after Lorenzo Cain? Royals could turn to Orlando, Gordon, Burns or Starling

December 12, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star

Lorenzo Cain is still a free agent, available to all 30 teams here at Major League Baseball’s annual winter meetings. The Royals, however, have already planned for his imminent departure.

Facing a sizable hole in center field, Royals general manager Dayton Moore said Tuesday that the club would look internally first, seeking to utilize Paulo Orlando, Billy Burns and possibly Alex Gordon at the position in 2018. Former first-round pick Bubba Starling is positioned to make his major-league debut as well after an inconsistent rise through the system, though he will likely start the season in the minor leagues.

“We really believe in his ability,” Moore said of Starling. “We remain positive in his ability. He’ll start the year (at) Class AAA Omaha, but we wouldn’t hesitate if he gets off to a really good start. He’s an option as well.”

For years, the Royals have viewed center field as one of their most important positions while playing 81 games in spacious Kauffman Stadium. For years, Cain has been arguably their most valuable asset. Yet as they take the first steps in what could be a long rebuilding process, one focused on reloading the minor leagues, the club could pass on searching for center-field upgrades in the free-agent market.

Lorenzo Cain is still a free agent, available to all 30 teams here at Major League Baseball’s annual winter meetings. The Royals, however, have already planned for his imminent departure.

For now, the Royals owe just more than $115 million in guaranteed contracts and potential arbitration cases in 2018. That number does not include pre-arbitration salaries (players making close to the league minimum.) This leaves little room for additions, Moore said, and it could offer opportunity for Orlando and Starling next season.

Orlando, 32, suffered through a disappointing year in 2017, battling ineffectiveness in April before fracturing his shin while fouling a ball off himself at Class AAA Omaha. Still, he batted .302 with a .329 on-base percentage in 128 games in 2016. The breakout performance was aided by some good fortune on balls hit in play, luck that is difficult to duplicate. Orlando, though, also offers some measure of value on defense.

Starling, meanwhile, is 25 now and still seeking traction at the plate six years after the Royals made him the No. 5 overall pick in the 2011 draft. He batted .248 with a .303 on-base percentage and 65 strikeouts in 80 games at Omaha in 2017. But hidden in the numbers was an atrocious start followed by one of the hottest stretches of his career. Then, of course, came a string of oblique injuries.

Moore said the Royals would not rush Starling to the big leagues in 2018, even if there was an opening. Yet on Tuesday, he sought to compare Starling to Minnesota center fielder Byron Buxton, a former top pick and elite defender who struggled mightily at the plate during his first seasons in the major leagues.

Buxton debuted with the Twins when he was 21, so the comparison is not quite apples to apples. The Royals, however, can certainly hope.

“We know he can really play center field,” Moore said. “We’ve seen other players, like Byron Buxton, who have come up and taken their lumps at the major-league level offensively, but have played terrific defense. And we’ve had our own players that have done that. He’s still a player that we see as part of our future.”

If Orlando and Starling flounder, the Royals could also seek to utilize Gordon in center field, a move that would be as much about the makeup of the roster and development as putting the best defense on the field. The club will enter the 2018 season with both Jorge Soler and Jorge Bonifacio needing at-bats. While one is likely to start in right field and the other could serve as the designated hitter, Kansas City could also shift Gordon to center field and allow Soler and Bonifacio to play in the field, Moore said.

Putting Gordon’s offensive issues aside, the defensive alignment would represent one of the Royals’ weakest in years. Moore offered a more subtle analysis.

“It’s not accustomed to what we’re looking at,” he said.

The Royals, of course, could shift course later this winter and find potential value still waiting for a major-league deal. Moore didn’t rule that out. But for now, as Kansas City attempts to adjust to life without Cain, it will rely on bodies already on the roster.

“It’s an important position, especially in our ballpark,” Moore said. “We’re always looking to build as much depth as we can at the center field position.”

There is a lot of smoke surrounding Eric Hosmer and the San Diego Padres

December 12, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star

Here at the winter meetings, buzz can heighten by the minute. Rumors begat conversation which begat more buzz.

On Tuesday morning, the second day at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort, the buzz enveloped free agent Eric Hosmer and the San Diego Padres.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports described the Padres’ talks with Hosmer has having “traction.” Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported that the Padres remain “strongly in (the) mix”. One anonymous Padres official told MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell that the chatter was “very real.”

The Royals, for now, remain in pursuit of Hosmer, even as they signal the need to overhaul their farm system during a lengthy rebuilding process. Yet the Padres, who also remain in rebuild mode, have been among Hosmer’s most active suitors — at least publicly — in a market that could expand to include Boston and St. Louis, among others.

Hosmer visited San Diego last Thursday and met with Padres officials. Yet there remains some skepticism in the industry about San Diego’s ability to land one of the biggest prizes of the offseason.

The Padres, like the Royals, view Hosmer as a potential fit in a more long-term rebuilding process. They have lost 195 games the last two seasons and remain a few years away from contention. They have also never signed a player for more than $100 million. (Hosmer is expected to command offers that approach or exceed $150 million.)

In fact, the Padres’ largest contract in club history is an $83 million extension awarded to former Royals prospect Wil Myers, who has settled in at first base. But San Diego general manager A.J. Preller reiterated this week at the winter meetings that Myers would be open to moving positions if the club acquires a first baseman. Myers has a relationship with Hosmer dating back to their days in the Royals’ minor-league system.

“He’s open to talking about going back to the outfield,” Preller said of Myers, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. “The only thing he’s really told me is, ‘I just want to win. I’d rather win at any position than lose at one locked-in position.’ That’s a credit to him. It’s good when you have a player that that’s the way he sees it.”

Hosmer, 28, remains one of the top available position-player free agents on the market, behind perhaps only outfielder/designated hitter J.D. Martinez. He batted a career-high .318 with a .385 on-base percentage and .882 OPS while hitting 25 homers in 2017. He also won his fourth Gold Glove while earning his first Silver Slugger.

His combination of youth — he’s hitting the open market just months after his 28th birthday — and leadership traits burnish his potential value. Yet questions remain about his offensive capabilities — in seven seasons, he’s posted a career .792 OPS and 111 OPS+, just 11 percent above league average.

Hey, baseball fans: if you want to know what’s happening, take your eye off the ball

December 12, 2017By Lee Judge/KC Star

On Aug. 8, Royals outfielder Melky Cabrera stole a base against the St. Louis Cardinals. That stolen base was memorable because the last time Melky stole a base was almost a year earlier. When Cabrera was still playing for the White Sox, he swiped a bag against the Oakland A’s on Aug. 21, 2016.

After 142 games of not even attempting a steal, why was Cabrera running on Aug. 8? To understand the answer to that question, we have to talk about fake breaks and the importance of taking your eye off the ball.

We’ve all seen a runner on first base make a break for second base and then stop. We might assume the runner wanted to steal the bag, got a bad jump and then shut it down; and in many cases, we’d be right. But sometimes the runner starts and stops — a fake break — to force the defense to react.

When a runner on first base starts to go and then stops, take your eye off the ball and look at second base; if the catcher plans to throw the ball to second, one of the middle infielders will have to cover the bag. And if that happens, now the offense knows which middle infielder has coverage. That’s useful to know on a hit and run; the batter now knows which side of the infield will be open.

Then, after you check out what’s happening at second base, look at home plate.

Immediately after a fake break, the catcher should step out in front of the plate and give a new set of signs even if he doesn’t change who’s covering second base. A new set of signs once again puts coverage of second base in doubt; maybe the defense changed something. Giving a new set of signs takes away the advantage the offense gained with the fake break, but if the catcher doesn’t give new signs the offense knows what the defense plans to do if the runner takes off.

What happens when nobody covers?

Back on Aug. 8, Eric Hosmer was on third base and Jorge Bonifacio was at the plate when Cabrera made that fake break from first base. Because there were two outs and the Cardinals wanted to avoid a double steal that might score Hosmer from third, neither middle infielder moved to cover second base. That told first-base coach Rusty Kuntz that the Cardinals were going to hold the ball and give Cabrera second base; if Melky wanted to steal it, second base was there for the taking.

In the press box I saw that nobody covered second base and assumed Cabrera would go right away, but he didn’t run until the count was 2-2.

After the game I asked Rusty why it took so long for Cabrera to steal second base and Rusty started laughing. Since Cabrera hadn’t stolen a base in 142 games he was nervous about running and it took Rusty several pitches to convince Melky to run. When he finally took off for second base, the Cardinals held the ball and Melky stole it standing up.

If you’re not watching the ball, where should you look?

Fans tend to follow the ball because that’s where the action is, but there are always things happening away from the ball and you can learn a lot by taking a look around. Rusty says once he became a coach, he had to learn to keep his eye off the ball.