*** 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!

[WhawhaWhat]

Originally Posted by KChiefs1

Cruz signed with Seattle.

4 years, $57 mil.

[BigCatDaddy]

Originally Posted by WhawhaWhat

4 years, $57 mil.

Damn. Down to Melky.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by KChiefs1

How about Allen Craig? Think the Red Sox would trade him?

It would have to be cheap, if it was Craig. He's still got 3 years and $26.5 million guaranteed left on his deal and might have fallen off the table. He has been a declining player for a few years now (if you look at his SLG, especially). But it's an intriguing option. He's an awful defensive RF, but he could DH and play 1B occasionally.

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

Trumbo had a bad year but was a 2.3 WAR guy last three seasons. He will be 29 and he only made 4.6m so he could be cheap in a trade and salary. He can't field but we don't need fielders. It's a decent gamble

The Diamondbacks gave up Tyler Skaggs, an elite pitching prospect, and Adam Eaton, an-MLB ready everyday player with 6 years of control and the ability to be a plus offensive player at a premium defensive position he plays, to acquire Trumbo... just one year ago.

Trumbo is not going to come cheap, and I don't think he'd be worth his price tag.

Since the 2012 All-Star break, he has not been the same hitter. He's .233/.289/.423 since that point, with a HR every 21 at-bats. That's only marginally better than the player Mike Moustakas was after his return to the majors on June 1 (Moose was .235/.289/.377).

Before that, he was .272/.315/.522, with a HR every 16 at-bats. The OBP is still low, but the slug over .500 makes it play way up.

Basically, the Curse of Billy Butler struck Cano during the HR derby and apparently latched on to Trumbo before he left town. Because he hasn't been the same player - really, not close - since getting picked for the HR derby over Butler.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by BigCatDaddy

Damn. Down to Melky.

Cruz was never an option for KC, so this doesn't change anything, really.

[Great Expectations]

Originally Posted by WhawhaWhat

4 years, $57 mil.

I was expecting him to receive more than that, for some reason I thought he was a 3/60 or 4/75 type guy.

[Hootie]

4 for 57?

We couldn't top that for the one guy this offense TRULY needs?

w
t
f

[Hootie]

I would've given him 4 / 70 no doubt about it

we're a 95 win team with no Shields + Nelson Cruz

he was literally the one guy our offense lacked ... and with him at DH I would have been more than ok with Gordon / Dyson / Cain in the OF and then a trade for like Ian Kennedy and then we would have been set

Insane.

Oh well.

[tk13]

After Texas and Baltimore, he's probably not going to hit 40 homers playing in that park.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Hootie]

Originally Posted by tk13

After Texas and Baltimore, he's probably not going to hit 40 homers playing in that park.
Posted via Mobile Device

Seattle kills hitters almost as much as KC, no doubt. Beltre was abysmal over there.

But ****. We just lost game 7 of the World Series. We have money to spend. Tell me who a better fit in our lineup is than Nelson Cruz at DH who can also occasionally play RF?

Or shit, against lefties, he could be our RF and against righties, our DH and then he fills two spots with 1 contract.

the fact we probably didn't even consider this annoys me

still bargain shopping despite the fact we, without a doubt, could afford a $105M payroll this year

[tk13]

Yeah, but I don't think they were ever interested in Cruz. They just don't want to blow that much money on basically a full time DH. They seem pretty bent on rotating guys through that spot.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Unsmooth-Moment]

That deal does sound pretty cheap for Cruz. Figured he would get a little more.

[Hootie]

Originally Posted by tk13

Yeah, but I don't think they were ever interested in Cruz. They just don't want to blow that much money on basically a full time DH. They seem pretty bent on rotating guys through that spot.
Posted via Mobile Device

The lack of interest, I understand, but I certainly do not get it. He was literally the perfect guy for our team.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by Hootie 2.0

The lack of interest, I understand, but I certainly do not get it. He was literally the perfect guy for our team.

First off, stop saying "literally" every other post. You've turned into a valley girl.

Second, you over value every player. Willingham $8M etc. Cruz will be 35 next year and Steamer proj him as a 1.5 WAR player. If anything he's probably being overpaid for what he will provide

[KChiefs1]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

It would have to be cheap, if it was Craig. He's still got 3 years and $26.5 million guaranteed left on his deal and might have fallen off the table. He has been a declining player for a few years now (if you look at his SLG, especially). But it's an intriguing option. He's an awful defensive RF, but he could DH and play 1B occasionally.

I always liked Craig in StL but his production did fall off last year but I still think he is a good player. Now would be the time to get him if interested.

Thanks for your insight.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by Hootie 2.0

The lack of interest, I understand, but I certainly do not get it. He was literally the perfect guy for our team.

I don't really agree.

I like Cruz's power as much as the next guy, but if you look at his HR tracker, you see a lot of balls that would have been outs at the K (around 10 of them). He's going to be 35 in July next year, he's been tied to PEDS, he's been injury prone in the past, and he's coming off the best year of his career.

Guys with THOSE types of strikes against them typically are the type who end up being "worst deal in baseball" candidates a few years later.

Cruz is going to be 39 before that contact is up, and his value depends heavily on his power. Every trend since baseball's PED problem was popped tells us his power is going to decrease over the next few years. Pair that with going from one of the best power hitter's parks in baseball to one of the worst, and it could get scary, in a hurry.