*** Official 2018-2019 Royals Offseason Repository ***

[Coach]

As the season comes to a close after an awful season, there is a possibility of some hope since the team played better in late August to the end of the season.

Here are all the important dates you need to know for the 2018-19 MLB offseason. Some of them do involve the Royals, such as:

Oct. 29: As of 9 a.m. ET on Monday, all eligible players are free agents (Escobar - good riddance).

Oct. 31: Most contract option decisions are due on this date (Hammel should be declined, resulting $2 million buyout and Peralta should be accepted, resulting $3 million increase to the payroll, and could be future flip for additional minor leaguers if he performs well).

Spoiler!

10/30/2018 - Hammel's option has been declined.

10/31/2018 - Peralta apparently received new 1 year contract with 2020 option. Contract Details.

10/31/2018 - Nate Karns is a Free Agent.

Nov. 2: Deadline for teams to tender their eligible FA the qualifying offer.

Spoiler!

11/02/2018 - Brandon Maurer elects to FA & Orlando & Torres outrighted to Omaha, will be minor league FA's.

11/02/2018 - Corresponding moves is Cuthburt, Hahn, & Soler reinstated.

Nov. 3: Free agency begins.

Nov. 4: Gold Glove winners announced (Gordon & Perez).

Spoiler!

11/04/2018 - Salvy wins his fifth Gold Glove.

11/04/2018 - Gordon wins his sixth Gold Glove.

Nov. 6-8: General manager meetings in Carlsbad, California.

Nov. 12: Deadline for free agents to accept or reject the qualifying offer.

Nov. 14-15: Owners meetings in Atlanta (possible future CBA discussions).

Nov. 20: Deadline for teams to add eligible minor leaguers to the 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft.

Spoiler!

The Royals announced they've added RHPs Arnaldo Hernandez, Josh Staumont and Scott Blewett to the 40-man roster, protecting them from next month's Rule 5 draft. Blewett appeared to take a big step in the Arizona Fall League. The 40-man roster is full right now.

— Rustin Dodd (@rustindodd) November 20, 2018

Nov. 26-29: MLB Players Association executive board meeting in Dallas (possible future CBA discussions).

Nov. 30: Non-tender deadline.

Dec. 9-13: Winter Meetings in Las Vegas. This is typically when all offseason hell breaks loose.

Dec. 13: Rule 5 Draft (could see the Royals taking a stab here).

Jan. 11: Deadline for teams and arbitration-eligible players to submit 2019 salary figures (I believe KC has some arb-eligible players).

Feb. 1-20: Arbitration hearings. You win some, you lose some.

Mid-Feb. : SPRING TRAINING!

As usual, let's have a good off-season discussion on ways that the Royals can/should/would do to improve. I will try to update the OP as the off-season goes along. And Duncan, you're more than welcome to provide us some information that I can add onto the OP. Just let me know.

To see the 2018 Royals thread, go here.

[dallaschiefsfan]

Originally Posted by Chris Meck

Well, and I'm not disagreeing- we need to move on.

his bat is NOT more important, not in a rebuilding year. It doesn't matter at all if he's not to be counted on as a building block.

Yes...his bat IS more important. He's a hit-first player. His greatest asset is definitely not his defense. On a championship team, a guy like Soler will end up being mostly a DH - our best defensive outfield pieces are in the minors.

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by Chris Meck

Well, and I'm not disagreeing- then we need to move on.

his bat is NOT more important, not in a rebuilding year. It doesn't matter at all if he's not to be counted on as a building block.

We're going to need a few of these guys to bloom if we're going to make a run in '20 or '21. We need to see who.

I expect Merrifield and his club friendly controlled deal get moved in July and we'll see what Lopez is.

It’s worth pointing out that we have Soler until 2023, so we have plenty of time to work with him while we’re rebuilding here.

[Chris Meck]

Originally Posted by dallaschiefsfan

That's short-sighted. There's no extra value to Soler playing RF everyday. It's not like he's an amazing outfielder. There IS value in seeing if they can find a way to keep him healthy and have him contribute to the offensive production of a future Royals team. They're determining the pieces they can count on to contribute when the likes of Pratto, Melendez, Lee, Kower, Lynch etc. arrive.

I don't think it's short-sighted; I'm unconcerned with the 'now' entirely.

I'm just saying I think treating any 'everyday' player with kid gloves on a last place team is pointless. If you have to do that NOW, how is he going to be a dependable cog on a play-off team in a couple of years? I'd rather play him everyday, see if the injury bug was just random bad luck or if he's made of glass. If he is, move on. We have other 'maybe' players we need to look at as well.

[dallaschiefsfan]

Originally Posted by Chris Meck

I don't think it's short-sighted; I'm unconcerned with the 'now' entirely.

I'm just saying I think treating any 'everyday' player with kid gloves on a last place team is pointless. If you have to do that NOW, how is he going to be a dependable cog on a play-off team in a couple of years? I'd rather play him everyday, see if the injury bug was just random bad luck or if he's made of glass. If he is, move on. We have other 'maybe' players we need to look at as well.

He IS going to play everyday. Just not in RF.

[Chris Meck]

Originally Posted by dallaschiefsfan

Yes...his bat IS more important. He's a hit-first player. His greatest asset is definitely not his defense. On a championship team, a guy like Soler will end up being mostly a DH - our best defensive outfield pieces are in the minors.

I get what you're saying. And of course he's a hit first player.

If you project him as a DH, then put him there and quit ****ing around. If you project him as a RF, then put him there, every day, and see if his defense improves.

Brett Phillips is a plus defender. If you project Soler as the future DH, then put him there, bring up Phillips, and play HIM every day in right and see if his bat improves.

I guess I'm just saying- I don't understand the method sometimes. Moose had to sink or swim; so did Escobar, and Gordon, and most of that team early on. It paid dividends down the road. I don't like all the moving guys around and platooning. Sink or swim, prove you belong or don't.

Find out what pieces you have, put them in place, get them seasoned for the next wave.

[tk13]

We play in the league with the DH. There is zero reason to cut a guy that's under control and has monster power. Plus he's actually shown with both the Cubs and Royals he can hit, he just has to stay healthy. No guarantee he will though.

[Chris Meck]

Originally Posted by tk13

We play in the league with the DH. There is zero reason to cut a guy that's under control and has monster power. Plus he's actually shown with both the Cubs and Royals he can hit, he just has to stay healthy. No guarantee he will though.

If you think he's going to be the DH, then just put him there. Why even put him in right?

we have other 'maybe' guys that play the position, and do so at a higher level defensively than Soler ever will.

We're focusing on one player from a post that was about an overall tendency that I find frustrating.

Put the guys in the place you think they'll play and let them sink or swim.

Put O'Hearn at first every day, and see if he can learn to hit lefties. Put Dozier at 3rd every day and see if his bat gets more consistent. If you think Soler's going to be your DH, then why are you putting him in RF at all when you have Phillips and Goodwin and need to see if either can become legit major league hitters and BOTH are much, much better defenders playing in a big park. Especially if you're afraid he's made of glass. Why risk it?

[tk13]

Originally Posted by Chris Meck

I get what you're saying. And of course he's a hit first player.

If you project him as a DH, then put him there and quit ****ing around. If you project him as a RF, then put him there, every day, and see if his defense improves.

Brett Phillips is a plus defender. If you project Soler as the future DH, then put him there, bring up Phillips, and play HIM every day in right and see if his bat improves.

I guess I'm just saying- I don't understand the method sometimes. Moose had to sink or swim; so did Escobar, and Gordon, and most of that team early on. It paid dividends down the road. I don't like all the moving guys around and platooning. Sink or swim, prove you belong or don't.

Find out what pieces you have, put them in place, get them seasoned for the next wave.

Moose ended up getting sent down to AAA the first year we went to the World Series. People forget that now but he was basically the 9 hitter for that team. Every player is different. Some guys you can throw in there, and some you may have to manage differently to move them along at the right pace. They basically threw Mondesi out there too early and everyone thought he was sunk. He had to go up and down multiple times and now he looks like a star. It isn't always about throwing a guy out there and finding out if he's any good. Sometimes you have to put guys in a place to succeed.

[tk13]

Originally Posted by Chris Meck

If you think he's going to be the DH, then just put him there. Why even put him in right?

we have other 'maybe' guys that play the position, and do so at a higher level defensively than Soler ever will.

Because people get injured. If Goodwin bombs there's a good chance Soler is playing in RF more. If he can play the position you need to give him reps there from time to time. It's also a 162 game season. You aren't playing every one of these guys 162 games at their position.

[Chris Meck]

Originally Posted by tk13

Because people get injured. If Goodwin bombs there's a good chance Soler is playing in RF more. If he can play the position you need to give him reps there from time to time. It's also a 162 game season. You aren't playing every one of these guys 162 games at their position.

If Goodwin bombs, you try Phillips. If Phillips bombs, you have Bonifacio. If Bonifacio bombs, well...your scouting has proved terrible.

Any of those options defensively are better than Soler is anyway. So why bother?

obviously not 162 games. I just don't like all the platooning. Guys need reps, they need at-bats, they need to grind out a full season to see what they are.

I'm not being nearly as extreme as y'all are casting me as.

[Chris Meck]

Originally Posted by tk13

Moose ended up getting sent down to AAA the first year we went to the World Series. People forget that now but he was basically the 9 hitter for that team. Every player is different. Some guys you can throw in there, and some you may have to manage differently to move them along at the right pace. They basically threw Mondesi out there too early and everyone thought he was sunk. He had to go up and down multiple times and now he looks like a star. It isn't always about throwing a guy out there and finding out if he's any good. Sometimes you have to put guys in a place to succeed.

you move guys up and down because they're failing in the MLB and you send them down to play every day.

Bench them means they sit. Sending them down means they play everyday and hopefully improve. All I'm really saying is: You get better by PLAYING not sitting on the bench, or sitting against lefties or whatever. You're not going to get better hitting lefties by NOT facing lefties.

That's all I'm saying. Literally my whole point. You guys are nitpicking little details to argue and missing the headline.

[ChiTown]

Originally Posted by Bowser

Already got hit

I just don't know how we're going to compete with this starting lineup, and I don't know where the run production is going to come from. Hopefully I'm wrong by a magnitude of 30+ games, but I just don't see it.

There isn’t enough talent to save this team from 100 losses, IMO. Not enough pitching, and certainly not enough offense. It’s not being negative. It’s just reality

[tk13]

They finally did it tonight. The Royals got revenge. They tagged Madison Bumgarner for 7 runs and 10 hits in just 2 innings in a Spring Training game.

[tk13]

Also I totally missed we signed Lucas Duda today. I'd say there's a pretty good chance he takes that final position player spot that was up in the air.

[Bowser]

Originally Posted by tk13

Also I totally missed we signed Lucas Duda today. I'd say there's a pretty good chance he takes that final position player spot that was up in the air.

They really REALLY want to thank him for 2015, don't they?