@FlannyMLB: Ned said Escobar is doing much better. Day to day. Xrays negative.

That's great, but doing much better than what, Ned? I say, give it the old jackoff test. I think that is a medically useful test for this situation.

Thank god! He's the lone bright spot on the Royals team right now. I thought I would never of said that after a terrible first 2 and a half months

Team sucks

If Esky is out we probably have the highest upside, because it means Mondesi comes in and plays SS. Hard to imagine Mondesi cannot replicate that OPS and then some. We probably have a better chance if Escobar is out for extended time. It's like a free trade at our worst position.

Still dead last in OPS in all of Major League Baseball.

How do you define "batting"? Because over the past 30 days he's not top 3 in batting average, OPS or wRC.

He has a .358 Batting average the past month. That's in the top 3.

Over the last 30 days? I don't see it: http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.asp...ers=0&sort=7,d

This was before the All Star break.

If you filter for the month of June, he's still not close: http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.asp...ers=0&sort=7,d


So far in July, still doesn't make the cut: http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.asp...ers=0&sort=7,d


So basically, you're arguing for one brief snapshot sometime between July 1-9, his .358 put him top 3. Given the number of averages above that before and after, I'm still highly skeptical. It's pretty much a bullshit stat you invoked. He's not "top 3 over the last month." For possibly one day or two in early July, he was, and I don't even believe that.

Esky has been much better recently, but I don't know that offsets being a pile of hot ass most of the season. Still worst OPS in baseball for everyday regulars.

His defense still brings some value, but even that has taken a step back the last couple years.

I thank him for the 2015 playoffs and some of the highlight reel plays over the years, but won't be sorry to see him leave for FA after this season. Bring on the Mondesi era . . . .

Per Rotoworld

Alcides Escobar finished 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored and two RBI in Sunday's win against the Twins.
Escobar has been swinging a hot twig since the middle of June, going 31-for-83 (.373) with seven doubles, a homer and 10 RBI over the past 21 games to raise his average from .178 to .230. He has recorded multi-hit games in six of his past nine outings.

Where does that say top 3?

It's a 21-game stretch, mid-June to July 2. When you focus on such a short sample, you're going to find lots of averages over .373 -- lots .400s and .390s. (And BTW, after that Minnesota game, he promptly went 4-for-24.)

And now you've invoked a small-sample stat from July 2 in a current context.

Esky has been hot. No need to inflate that to "top 3 in baseball for a month."

He was top 3 in batting average for that period of time

I concede that the Royals might make the playoffs since they are in a weak division. But, they are currently below .500 again. If they do buy before the deadline, I hope they don't give up a lot of the farm. Unless they address Gordon and Moss in the lineup, I don't see how they could go far into the playoffs. They've started the 2nd half losing 3 of 4. Duffy pitched 8 innings and lost 1 - 0. That's pathetic. Are they willing to cut Moss and replace him with a bat before the deadline? Are they willing to bench Gordon and replace him with a LF before the deadline (or pick up a 2nd baseman and move Whit to left). Unless they are willing to make major moves with Gordon and Moss, I don't think they have a chance to go far in the playoffs if they make it.

Moore is going to sit on his ass and watch while our free agents leave and we're left with nothing.

You don't sit Gordon. He still gives you gold glove defense

You are left with comps picks, not nothing.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">If the Dodgers win tonight, they&#39;ll be 30-4 since June 16! I was shocked to discover the last team to run off a 30-4 streak - the &#39;77 Royals</p>&mdash; Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) <a href="https://twitter.com/jaysonst/status/887342929467109376">July 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Dayton Moore on 810 yesterday
<iframe src="https://omny.fm/shows/between-the-lines/btl-dayton-moore-3/embed?style=artwork" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="180"></iframe>

https://omny.fm/shows/between-the-li...dayton-moore-3

That was my favorite team in Royals history before the 2015 team. I enjoyed that season so much up until the 9th inning of game 5 of the ALCS.

That was the best Royals team ever going by pure talent. Fkin Yankees.

I had a 1978 baseball almanac. For some reason I started looking at players with double digit triples. Most teams had 0-1 players. The Royals had 3. Obviously cavernous ballpark but still - that's some hellacious hitting.

About time!! Moss is benched. Boni is the DH. Torres is playing second. Whit is in RF. Torres is hitting ninth which gives you another leadoff hitter basically

Hmm... Dayton Moore suggests that Mondesi could move to the outfield.

More draft picks to piss away with piss poor drafting.

As opposed to? Are you saying our scouts can only scout players playing in the minors but not college or HS?

Jd martinez is gone to arizona.

We need to be sellers let's face it this team won't make the playoffs and we'll be left holding our dicks while the prom queen is getting ****ed when we could just **** the runner up

We're interested in Tehran. He is signed through 2020

For not all that much. Prospects 4, 15, and NR from a mid-tier system.

And that's for the top hitter on the market. No point trying to sell hitters if that's the return level.


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Martinez just returned precisely dick.

If that's a true representation of the market, y'all should just hold and take the picks. Martinez is a better rental than anyone the Royals can offer, IMO.

Mid-tier is kind.

That system looks like shit. All JAGS or guys way too far away to matter.

Similar to the Royals, then. If they could have pulled Martinez for Esteury Ruiz, Ricky Aracena, and Nicky Lopez, I would have pulled the trigger.


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If we're gonna make a run Moss can't see the field the rest of the season. Torres and Boni split time DH and we need a starting pitcher.

Strained back my ass.

Sounds like our system.

I'll say this. If that's what JD Martinez is going to cost, go get Bruce from the Mets ASAP.


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This

i was gonna say the exact same thing.

Co-sign

Yes

What's the market like for our players Brad?

Do you sell just to sell, even if the return is barely worth it?

Fabulous insight you have posting GIFs and all.

Nobody wants our garbage

The Royals are in Baseball Purgatory.

Sell, and the don't get any Sandwich Picks and no playoffs.

Stay, they don't make the playoffs and get sandwich picks by a guy that hasn't hit on shit in a decade.

How about buy asap and make a run? Id rather give up some mediocre prospects and make a run than sale and get less than what Martinez brought back. Just hurry the hell up and light a fire.

i love MY royals with all of my heart. but man, this has been a hard week to watch.

Could be worse man.

You could be a fan of a NFL team that hasn't done anything for nearly 50 years.

The pitching is their Achilles heel.

I'm not sure how they can overcome that obstacle.

And we are a 7 game winning streak away from 1st place. In most years we'd be 6+ games back with our record.

Heck in the West we'd be like 15 games back. Could be so much worse.

This is where we really miss Ace. At least with him he had the ability any night to go out and pitch a beauty. With too many of our pitchers sans Duffy they are JAG's or worse.

Royals were 58-28 the last 3 years in August.
Royals were 36-43 the last 3 years in July.

Just a friendly PSA.

I agree. We really need 2 more decent starters.

I just don't see that happening.

Yeah, it's just not possible at this point.

So, what to do?

I can see Lance Lynn landing here to take care of the 5 spot. The other guys havent been that bad. Vargas getting it back together would help a ton. Duffy, Kennedy, and Hammel and have been solid as of late.

If that's the return you get on JD Martinez.....I'm not really sure.

Adding one starter would help. Puts Wood back in the pen, where he would be more effective. Karns injury was a kick in the nuts.

Well needing one for sure but you still have to fill that 5th spot and Wood clearly isn't that. And no one else is demonstrating worth there either. Not even for a #5 starter at this point. That's why I think you need 2 SPs after Karns went down to really have a chance.

I'm all for going after Tehran but like I said earlier we need to sell

Sell. This team looks to be cooked.

Duffman
Vargas
Kennedy
Trade for one
Hammel

Hammel as your 5th guy is okay. A solid #3 or #4 guy who be nice to get.

The offense is in a complete slump at the worst time.

What are you trading for your 5th starter? Teams know the Royals need it. You willing to give up Mondesi+ for a year of a 5th starter?

We suck agaaain!

Did you see what JD Martinez pulled? Next to nothing. We could prob get Volquez from the fish just for offering to take on his salary and give em Ashe Russell lol

It wouldn't cost Mondesi at all

To get Tehran maybe since he's signed through 2020 but a Jaime Garcia I wouldn't think would be much

They are setting themselves up for another April at this rate.

They won.

I hope they face Cleveland soon.

Is the return greater than the sandwich picks?

That's a question that I cannot answer.

The return not only has to be better, it has to be better more (more better?) than our slim chance of making the playoffs. Which we all know this team is capable of getting white hot and we know almost to a man they play much better in the postseason. So there's a little more icing on the HOLD cake than the SELL cake.

I have to disagree.

The 2014 was able to get hot and win.

The 2015 owned from start to finish.

2016 was flat.

2017 is flatter yet.

This isn't the same team as 2014, guys.

Moore has sucked ass the past 2 years. Not re signing Morales, trading probably the best closer in the MLB for a guy who can't even make a major league roster. Signing Hammel to a big contract when he's at best a #3. Am I missing anything else?

Two years?

Name the last great 1st rounder he drafted

#WhiteSox have acquired Blake Rutherford, Ian Clarkin, Tito Polo & Tyler Clippard from NYY in exchange for Frazier, Kahnle & Robertson.

Thought Boston would get Frazier.

I'm not usually one for name-calling anymore after doing so too loosely in the past. But you are without a doubt the biggest ****ing idiot on this board.

The Hammel signing was the direct result of Ventura's death, obviously a huge inconvenience for you the big, huge Royals fan I am sure! I'll go ahead and wait for what your master plan for what GMDM should have done instead besides signing one of the better starters left on the market in Hammel, a move that the Royals opened the checkbook to do. With the past years fans bitching at the contrary. Fact: starting pitching is expensive. No one expected Hammel to be a top of the rotation. No one. He was brought in to replace Yordano Ventura's production.

If you're so short-sighted that you are judging a trade that will impact the next three seasons for a guy who has had 102 sporadic PA's at the big league level this year then you're just pushing your floor even lower than it already is.

Where has Alnorth been? This place has a void that needs to be filled.

Hammel wouldn't even be on this team if one of our pitchers hadn't died. What is Moore supposed to do there? You just have to do the best you can. 2 years/16 M is nothing for a starting pitcher this day and age. He was about the only halfway decent starter left out there. If he didn't do it we'd be watching Junis and Skoglund every 5th day.