*** Official 2014 AL Champion Royals Off-season Repository ***

[Anyong Bluth]

So, I didn't see a thread started, and all the others are pretty maxed out to the point where a fresh thread would be needed soon either way.

Time to share the run up to ST & and another memorable year in the making!

[kcchiefsus]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

They need to make some moves, no doubt. Thankfully the offseason doesn't stop at the Winter Meetings.

Unless the Tigers get Cueto from the Reds, I don't think they've really improved their team. Just shuffling deck chairs (In fact, they're likely going to lose Max Scherzer and definitely lost Rick Porcello, which makes them worse). Cespedes helps their offense a little. Porcello hurts their rotation a little.

The White Sox have definitely gotten better, and Moss should help Cleveland, too.

Moore still has work to do. We'll see how it shakes out. If they ARE trying to arrange a more complicated deal, it can be hard to get everything done at the Winter Meetings because of how much else is going on. That's one of the reasons the Shields trade happened after the meetings rather than during...

The Tigers don't really need to get better though because until proven otherwise they have our number. They can stand pat and still be a step or two above us.

[penbrook]

The Royals discussed a potential Ross Detwiler trade with the Nationals, but talks didn’t advance, James Wagner of the Washington Post tweets. The Royals saw the lefty reliever and Missouri native as “more of a backup option,” Wagner notes. Detwiler, 28, posted a 4.00 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 63 innings with the Nats last season.

[alnorth]

The Twins are offering Santana roughly 4/50. I'm assuming Santana is waiting, hoping a contending team matches or beats that, because he's got to know the Twins are doing nothing in 2015.

[Strongside]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

They need to make some moves, no doubt. Thankfully the offseason doesn't stop at the Winter Meetings.

Unless the Tigers get Cueto from the Reds, I don't think they've really improved their team. Just shuffling deck chairs (In fact, they're likely going to lose Max Scherzer and definitely lost Rick Porcello, which makes them worse). Cespedes helps their offense a little. Porcello hurts their rotation a little.

The White Sox have definitely gotten better, and Moss should help Cleveland, too.

Moore still has work to do. We'll see how it shakes out. If they ARE trying to arrange a more complicated deal, it can be hard to get everything done at the Winter Meetings because of how much else is going on. That's one of the reasons the Shields trade happened after the meetings rather than during...

Yeah I get the complication aspect, and certainly don't think you should rush into a move just to make a move. It's just a little suspect to me that there are moves happening all around us, and we're only 'rumored' to be 'interested' in a few guys...some of whom we probably want nothing to do with. Other than the Shields trade, which was a big splash, we rarely ever make impact moves at this point in the offseason, or at all really...we've seen this sort of thing to the point that it's now typical. I just don't want to see us end up with another Jose Guillen, Mike Jacobs, Jeff Francoeur type signing because we dragged ass until anyone worth a shit was off the board.

[alnorth]

Oh, and speaking as a Royals fan, I approve of that Cespedes trade.

[Saul Good]

Originally Posted by alnorth

The Twins are offering Santana roughly 4/50. I'm assuming Santana is waiting, hoping a contending team matches or beats that, because he's got to know the Twins are doing nothing in 2015.

Wouldn't 4/54 be a good deal for us?

[RockChalk]

Originally Posted by alnorth

The Twins are offering Santana roughly 4/50. I'm assuming Santana is waiting, hoping a contending team matches or beats that, because he's got to know the Twins are doing nothing in 2015.

Why would we not jump on that? 12.5 per seems pretty fair.

Or do we not want to touch 4 years?

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by kcchiefsus

The Tigers don't really need to get better though because until proven otherwise they have our number. They can stand pat and still be a step or two above us.

They're not standing pat, though. They've fallen back. Even if they somehow find the prospects to land Johnny Cueto in the rumored trade with Cincinnati for a SP, they're falling back.

They're going to lose Max Scherzer. Cueto is good, but he's not as good as Max.

Losing Porcello also hurts their rotation and adding Cespedes helps their offense by about the same measure. Neutral move, really.

Anyone who is freaking out because the Royals have "fallen back" at the moment would also have to say the same thing about the Tigers.

[kcchiefsus]

I'm curious how the team will operate in 2019 and beyond once we get out of the God awful television contract. Just a thought.

[Strongside]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

They're not standing pat, though. They've fallen back. Even if they somehow find the prospects to land Johnny Cueto in the rumored trade with Cincinnati for a SP, they're falling back.

They're going to lose Max Scherzer. Cueto is good, but he's not as good as Max.

Losing Porcello also hurts their rotation and adding Cespedes helps their offense by about the same measure. Neutral move, really.

Anyone who is freaking out because the Royals have "fallen back" at the moment would also have to say the same thing about the Tigers.

Let us also not forget that Detroit has one of the worst bullpens in recent memory.

[Hootie]

I'm not freaking out about the Royals, at all.

Our offense, literally, cannot be worse that it was last year. We won 89 games. We're fine.

World Series swagger alone is going to make up for losing James Shields. I honestly believe that.

[siberian khatru]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

They're not standing pat, though. They've fallen back. Even if they somehow find the prospects to land Johnny Cueto in the rumored trade with Cincinnati for a SP, they're falling back.

They're going to lose Max Scherzer. Cueto is good, but he's not as good as Max.

Losing Porcello also hurts their rotation and adding Cespedes helps their offense by about the same measure. Neutral move, really.

Anyone who is freaking out because the Royals have "fallen back" at the moment would also have to say the same thing about the Tigers.

The Tigers still haven't addressed their bullpen either, IIRC. Unless Rondon comes back strong and seizes control of things.

[Strongside]

Josh Vernier ‏@JoshVernier610 2m2 minutes ago
Duf/Ventura or combo of 1 of HDH & top prospect. RT @StevenCroft2 what do royals have that would be interesting to clubs to acquire a bat?

[Hootie]

I would give Herrera and our top prospect for Upton in a heartbeat.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by alnorth

The Twins are offering Santana roughly 4/50. I'm assuming Santana is waiting, hoping a contending team matches or beats that, because he's got to know the Twins are doing nothing in 2015.

Or holding out for a fifth year?

It sounds like KC is sticking to its guns in not wanting to go 4 years on Santana. That's the only complication I can see if that's where the Santana market is resting.

Very reasonable AAV for a guy of Santana's quality (200 IP, No. 2-type upside).