Royals *** Official 2017 Royals Offseason Repository - Page 118

duncan_idaho · 09:07 PM

The reign is over. Time to begin the quest for the next one.

Interesting offseason opens for the Royals. Will they go all in for one last shot with this crew? Will they re-tool for 2018 and beyond? Will Dayton Moore actually decrease payroll this time?

Trades, free agent signings, rumors, plans, proposals... dump 'em all here, for this is... the offseason repository!

Royals Top Prospects, 2017

This is a list that’s going to seem a little bleak initially, as Raul Mondesi got enough ABs to age out of the prospect rankings (just barely – at 135 ABs, he is not rookie eligible). But that said, I like the talent and feel like this is a system that will actually be underrated by the prospect services.

Spoiler!

KChiefs1 · 02-06-2017, 12:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr. tegu

I like the move. I haven't been able to get too excited about this season, especially after what happened with Ace. But this does give me a little bit of optimism and hope that with a little luck we can compete with Cleveland.

Royals essentially swapped Wade Davis and Dyson for Soler, Karns, Moss, O'Brien and Hammel.

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KChiefs1 · 02-06-2017, 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhawhaWhat

Source: #Royals in agreement with free-agent RHP Jason Hammel on two-year contract with mutual option for a third year, pending physical.— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 6, 2017

https://twitter.com/jazayerli/status/828454706062180352

https://twitter.com/rustindodd/statu...54232210685954

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KChiefs1 · 02-06-2017, 12:40 AM

Royals To Sign Jason Hammel

February 5th, 2017 at 9:37pm CST • By Charlie Wilmoth

The Royals have reached agreement with free agent righty Jason Hammel on a two-year deal with a mutual option for a third year, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. Hammel will receive $16MM guaranteed, Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports tweets. The deal is pending a physical. Hammel is an ACES client.

Related: Updated Kansas City Royals Depth Chart

Hammel’s long offseason began when the Cubs allowed him to decide whether he wanted them to exercise his $12MM 2017 option or give him a $2MM buyout. The Cubs ultimately declined the option, already an unusual decision on a reportedly healthy pitcher coming off a solid 3.83 ERA, 7.8 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 season as a back-end starter, and Hammel hit the open market, only to linger there for almost four months. That long period on the market included a change of agencies, from Octagon to ACES.

The $16MM guarantee Hammel will receive over two years has to qualify as a disappointing outcome for him, at least relative to his likely expectations earlier in the offseason. While this offseason was a slow one for starting pitchers in general, Hammel compares favorably to several starters who received similar or greater amounts, either in total contract value or average annual value, including Charlie Morton (two years, $14MM), Bartolo Colon (one year, $12.5MM) and former Royal Edinson Volquez (two years, $22MM).

A fit with the Royals seemingly emerged following the tragic death of Yordano Ventura in a car wreck in the Dominican two weeks ago. Hammel represented the top available starting pitcher on the free agent market at that point. Now he’ll enter a Kansas City rotation picture that will also feature Danny Duffy, Ian Kennedy, Nate Karns, Jason Vargas and Chris Young.

With the exception of an ugly 2013 season in Baltimore, Hammel has generally posted consistently solid results since leaving Colorado in prior to the 2012 campaign — he’s eaten 771 innings in that time, with a slightly-above-average 3.88 ERA to go with 8.0 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9. Those peripheral numbers slipped a bit last season with Chicago, to 7.9 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9, but he was still generally effective, with a 3.83 ERA. He relies heavily on his very good slider, a pitch he threw more frequently (35.1%) than any other qualified starter last season except Michael Pineda, Chris Archer and Ervin Santana.

Hammel turned 34 in September, so his new deal will cover his age-34 and age-35 seasons, with the mutual option covering his age-36 campaign. A large number of Royals (including Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain, Mike Moustakas, Alcides Escobar and Vargas) are eligible for free agency next winter, so Hammel’s addition will help the club bridge the gap between next season and the immediate future beyond it. As Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star tweets, the Royals’ late deals with Hammel and Brandon Moss have sent their payroll north somewhat, although those increases have been offset in part by the departures of Wade Davis and Jarrod Dyson, as well as Duffy’s extension, which reduced the 2017 salary he would have received through the arbitration process.

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tk13 · 02-06-2017, 01:09 AM

The book on Hammel seems to be that he does run out of gas in the 2nd half. His career splits seem to agree.

That said, if you look at his game logs the last couple years, he has plenty of solid starts too. It's just when he was bad, he was really bad, and it blows up his ERA. He did have 19 starts last year with at least 5 IP and 2 ER or less allowed. As we've learned it's important to have guys who can chew up innings in that way, take pressure off the bullpen.

tk13 · 02-06-2017, 01:28 AM

Also, granted they made a couple trades to get salary relief... but for all the talk from Dayton about going cheap... the payroll is likely going to be over $140 million now. There was a day not too long ago where the Royals spending that much money was unimaginable.

duncan_idaho · 02-06-2017, 06:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tk13

Also, granted they made a couple trades to get salary relief... but for all the talk from Dayton about going cheap... the payroll is likely going to be over $140 million now. There was a day not too long ago where the Royals spending that much money was unimaginable.

I think most of us have grown to expect Moore to talk early about lack of payroll flexibility to add guys, then see an increase in payroll by the time ST rolls around.

Considering the tough hand Moore started with, that got tougher with Ventura's tragic death, I think his grade as of right now has to be an A.

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Unsmooth-Moment · 02-06-2017, 07:45 AM

Glad to have Hammel in the rotation as opposed to Chris Young or something like that. Actually a pretty good deal too.

Pitt Gorilla · 02-06-2017, 09:06 AM

Hammel got less than Bert Colon. That's crazy.

Still like to see us make a play for Wood or Hooch.

Codered · 02-06-2017, 09:10 AM

Is the best case scenario rotation now?

Duffy
Kennedy
Vargas
Hammel
Karns (Him winning the spot not by default.)

Chiefspants · 02-06-2017, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Codered

Is the best case scenario rotation now?

Duffy
Kennedy
Vargas
Hammel
Karns (Him winning the spot not by default.)

If we're lucky, the rotation at the end of the year may look something like this.

Duffy
Kennedy
Vargas
Hammel/Karns
Staumont/Zimmer

Having a young stud emerge at the end of the season ala Matz for the Mets would be a massive boost for this team.

**ChiTown** · 02-06-2017, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chiefspants

If we're lucky, the rotation at the end of the year may look something like this.

Duffy
Kennedy
Vargas
Hammel/Karns
Staumont/Zimmer

Having one of a young stud emerge at the end of the season ala Matz for the Mets would be a massive boost for this team.

Yes, please!

Titty Meat · 02-06-2017, 10:09 AM

Does anyone else think Chico Lind would make a great infield coach?

tomahawk kid · 02-06-2017, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pitt Gorilla

Hammel got less than Bert Colon. That's crazy.

Still like to see us make a play for Wood or Hooch.

Agreed.

I like to see one more bullpen arm added just to security purposes.

I'm assuming that's a long shot considering the Hammel deal.

Fansy the Famous Bard · 02-06-2017, 11:19 AM

Joe Blanton is still available. Might be had on a 1 yr- $5 mil deal.

Sergio Romo is still out there... That'd be a nice piece, but much more expensive.

**Dartgod** · 02-06-2017, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigMeatballBillay

Does anyone else think Chico Lind would make a great infield coach?

Will he be wearing pants?

11-03-2016, 09:11 PM
duncan_idaho M-I-Z-Z-O-U Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $1480308	* Official 2017 Royals Offseason Repository * The reign is over. Time to begin the quest for the next one. Interesting offseason opens for the Royals. Will they go all in for one last shot with this crew? Will they re-tool for 2018 and beyond? Will Dayton Moore actually decrease payroll this time? Trades, free agent signings, rumors, plans, proposals... dump 'em all here, for this is... the offseason repository! Royals Top Prospects, 2017 This is a list that’s going to seem a little bleak initially, as Raul Mondesi got enough ABs to age out of the prospect rankings (just barely – at 135 ABs, he is not rookie eligible). But that said, I like the talent and feel like this is a system that will actually be underrated by the prospect services. Spoiler! Format: POS/Name/2017 Projected Final Level 1) 3B/OF Hunter Dozier, MLB. Dozier bounced back from a disastrous 2015 campaign that had many wondering, myself included, if he was wrecked. His strong offensive performance in 2016 saw Dozier recapture the mature approach that many liked coming up, while also starting to tap into his above-average raw power for the first time. In addition to his success at the plate, Dozier also proved he could at least HANDLE an OF spot, which could put him in the conversation for 2017 playing time at the major leagues. If the Royals DO end up trading Cheslor Cuthbert, Dozier could find a decent amount of MLB playing time sliding between RF and 3B. With Moustakas recovering from knee surgery, he likely will need more regular breaks from the field. And the streaky Paulo Orlando is just not an intriguing short-side platoon partner for Jarrod Dyson. 2) LHP Matt Strahm, MLB. Strahm just barely skates under the rookie eligibility rules for a pitcher, so he can be included here. Royals fans already got a taste of the lefty’s abilities, as he used his above-average fastball and slurve to dominate out of the pen in 2016. For him to translate that dominance to the rotation, Strahm will need to maintain his velocity (92-94) and continue to improve a changeup that flashed average at times. If the changeup becomes a weapon he can lean on against righties, Strahm could be a very solid mid-rotation starter and fringe ToR/No. 2 type (think Danny Duffy-lite). 3) RHP Josh Staumont, AAA. This one could blow up on me and look really silly by this time next year, but I’m encouraged by what we saw from Staumont late last year. He showed significantly improved control down the stretch for Northwest Arkansas, including some impressive playoff starts, while maintaining the big-time K ability. That trend continued in the Arizona Fall League. If Staumont’s control holds, the Royals have a guy with a plus fastball, plus-plus curve, and average change (with a slider that could develop into a real weapon as he matures). He’ll start next season at AAA and could be an addition to the MLB bullpen or even the rotation before the season ends. 4) RF Jorge Bonifacio, AAA. Boni, like Dozier, had a bounceback season in 2016 with the bat, and also played 15-20 pounds lighter than the year before, which added some nice defensive utility according to reports I’ve gotten. He now looks like a guy could provide solid/average RF production in the major leagues… Average defense paired with potential to put up a .275/.335/.450 line. While that’s not all-star level, it IS playable. Especially at pre-arbitration dollars. He’ll get another year in Omaha to refine his approach, and likely be in the mix of a 2018 mini-youth movement… unless moved for MLB reinforcements. 5) C Meibrys Viloria, Low-A (Lexington). I haven’t seen him in person, but I like the pedigree. You’ve got a lefthanded hitting catcher with the defensive ability to stick behind the plate. He was a big-bonus guy out of Colombia (nearly $500k). And his offensive performance has been highly impressive early, with a good combination of power, plate discipline, and contact skills. He’s forever away from the majors, just now clearing rookie ball, but Viloria is the most exciting prospect KC has had at Idaho Falls since someone on this board was gushing about a 16-year-old SS tearing it up. 6) 1B Ryan O’Hearn, AAA. O’Hearn is a guy who has never gotten a lot of hype from scouts, but he continues to be a strong producer. He’s someone who likely will strikeout about 25 percent of the time at the big-league level, but has the ability to be a .500+ SLG guy. That plays. He also has shown good patience at the plate, posting above-average OBPs at every level. Bold prediction: I won’t be shocked if O’Hearn takes over at 1B for KC in 2018/2019 and provides similar offensive production to Hosmer out of the gate. He’s probably never going to be a consistent plus average (.290+) hitter, but .270 with 25 HR is something within reach for him. He’ll get his first shot at AAA in 2017. 7) RHP AJ Puckett, A+. Puckett is a high floor, low-ceiling guy who performed about as you’d expect in 2016 after being the Royals’ first pick in the 2016 Rule IV Draft. He’s not flashy, but Puckett does profile as a solid potential back-end starter. Good fastball command and an above-average changeup are his calling cards. If Puckett finds a reliable breaking ball to put batters away, this could tick up. Great athlete, very similar to Jake Odorizzi in that regard. 8) RF Khalil Lee, Low-A (Lexington). Lee was a two-way player in HS and many viewed him as a pitcher first as a pro, but the Royals drafted him as an OF and were reward with a strong debut campaign. Lee is not a big guy, but he produced solid power numbers despite that. He’s a dynamic athlete who could contribute with power and speed. 9) C Chase Vallot, High-A (Wilmington). Vallot has an intriguing bat, with plus raw power. Got off to a great start in 16 before being sidelined and then sidetracked by injury. RH bat may be good enough to push him out from behind the plate, where he has good tools but a long way to go. 10) RHP Jake Junis and RHP Alec Mills (AAA). I'm copping out here and including both at No. 10 because they're so similar. Like Puckett, they each project as a serviceable back of rotation starter. Similar stuff and profiles, though Junis has shown a little better strikeout ability and may have a smidge more upside as a result. Others of note: SS/CF Marten Gasparini. Production has been bad for this toolsy player, but Gasparini has speed and pop that jump out at you. At only 19, need to be patient with him... this European signee was even less polished when signing at 16 than the typical Latin America prospect. OF Seuly Matias. Loud, loud tools. Matias profiles as a classic RF... big-time power potential. He's a long ways from the majors but is one of the Royals' biggest bonus babies from LA. RHP Ashe Russell. 2014 1st rounder saw his velocity disappear last year and was quickly shut down. He's intriguing one way or the other, even if he ends up as another notch in the belt of the TINSTAAPP saying. 2B Corey Toups. O'Hearn's HS teammate has been an above-average producer for an up-the-middle player. His small stature hides a surprising amount of pop. Could turn into a Mark Grudzielanek type of offensive second baseman at his peak - solid average, lots of 2Bs. RHP Scott Blewett, LHP Foster Griffin, RHP Nolan Watson - all three have underwhelmed as pros but were drafted in the supplemental round. Stuff and projectability for each is a positive. Wouldn't be surprised to see one of them take a Cody Reed-like step forward this season and crack the 50-75 range on prospect lists. They all have the natural ability. SS/2B Ricky Aracena - Jose Altuve-sized Aracena is a switch hitting middle infielder who can flat out run. Switch hitter with a good approach. RHP Pedro Fernandez - I'm still a believer in his stuff, even if he is destined for the pen. Was having a nice 2016 start until injuries derailed him right after his promotion to AA. Sirs not Appearing in this Prospect List: RHP Kyle Zimmer. Same story, different year. The Royals are hopeful they FINALLY found the cause of Zimmer's achy shoulder. If they really did, and he can stay healthy, the talent/potential is exciting. OF Bubba Starling. Never trust a guy named Derek. Last edited by duncan_idaho; 02-22-2017 at 09:07 PM..
Posts: 21,146

02-06-2017, 12:40 AM	#1758
KChiefs1 I’m a Mahomo! Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Mid-Missouri Casino cash: $6771021	Royals To Sign Jason Hammel February 5th, 2017 at 9:37pm CST • By Charlie Wilmoth The Royals have reached agreement with free agent righty Jason Hammel on a two-year deal with a mutual option for a third year, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. Hammel will receive $16MM guaranteed, Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports tweets. The deal is pending a physical. Hammel is an ACES client. Related: Updated Kansas City Royals Depth Chart Hammel’s long offseason began when the Cubs allowed him to decide whether he wanted them to exercise his $12MM 2017 option or give him a $2MM buyout. The Cubs ultimately declined the option, already an unusual decision on a reportedly healthy pitcher coming off a solid 3.83 ERA, 7.8 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 season as a back-end starter, and Hammel hit the open market, only to linger there for almost four months. That long period on the market included a change of agencies, from Octagon to ACES. The $16MM guarantee Hammel will receive over two years has to qualify as a disappointing outcome for him, at least relative to his likely expectations earlier in the offseason. While this offseason was a slow one for starting pitchers in general, Hammel compares favorably to several starters who received similar or greater amounts, either in total contract value or average annual value, including Charlie Morton (two years, $14MM), Bartolo Colon (one year, $12.5MM) and former Royal Edinson Volquez (two years, $22MM). A fit with the Royals seemingly emerged following the tragic death of Yordano Ventura in a car wreck in the Dominican two weeks ago. Hammel represented the top available starting pitcher on the free agent market at that point. Now he’ll enter a Kansas City rotation picture that will also feature Danny Duffy, Ian Kennedy, Nate Karns, Jason Vargas and Chris Young. With the exception of an ugly 2013 season in Baltimore, Hammel has generally posted consistently solid results since leaving Colorado in prior to the 2012 campaign — he’s eaten 771 innings in that time, with a slightly-above-average 3.88 ERA to go with 8.0 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9. Those peripheral numbers slipped a bit last season with Chicago, to 7.9 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9, but he was still generally effective, with a 3.83 ERA. He relies heavily on his very good slider, a pitch he threw more frequently (35.1%) than any other qualified starter last season except Michael Pineda, Chris Archer and Ervin Santana. Hammel turned 34 in September, so his new deal will cover his age-34 and age-35 seasons, with the mutual option covering his age-36 campaign. A large number of Royals (including Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain, Mike Moustakas, Alcides Escobar and Vargas) are eligible for free agency next winter, so Hammel’s addition will help the club bridge the gap between next season and the immediate future beyond it. As Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star tweets, the Royals’ late deals with Hammel and Brandon Moss have sent their payroll north somewhat, although those increases have been offset in part by the departures of Wade Davis and Jarrod Dyson, as well as Duffy’s extension, which reduced the 2017 salary he would have received through the arbitration process. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk __________________
Posts: 54,038

02-06-2017, 01:09 AM	#1759
tk13 ... Join Date: Nov 2001 Casino cash: $1732500	The book on Hammel seems to be that he does run out of gas in the 2nd half. His career splits seem to agree. That said, if you look at his game logs the last couple years, he has plenty of solid starts too. It's just when he was bad, he was really bad, and it blows up his ERA. He did have 19 starts last year with at least 5 IP and 2 ER or less allowed. As we've learned it's important to have guys who can chew up innings in that way, take pressure off the bullpen.
Posts: 54,991

02-06-2017, 01:28 AM	#1760
tk13 ... Join Date: Nov 2001 Casino cash: $1732500	Also, granted they made a couple trades to get salary relief... but for all the talk from Dayton about going cheap... the payroll is likely going to be over $140 million now. There was a day not too long ago where the Royals spending that much money was unimaginable.
Posts: 54,991

02-06-2017, 07:45 AM	#1762
Unsmooth-Moment Veteran Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: MO Casino cash: $9390051	Glad to have Hammel in the rotation as opposed to Chris Young or something like that. Actually a pretty good deal too.
Posts: 1,528

02-06-2017, 09:06 AM	#1763
Pitt Gorilla Banned! Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: NOT Columbia, MO 65201 Casino cash: $2720194	Hammel got less than Bert Colon. That's crazy. Still like to see us make a play for Wood or Hooch. __________________ Your son is a bench warmer because of your weak genetics not because of the coach Norlin Mommsen is disgusting.
Posts: 46,137

02-06-2017, 09:10 AM	#1764
Codered Starter Join Date: Dec 2003 Casino cash: $8888190	Is the best case scenario rotation now? Duffy Kennedy Vargas Hammel Karns (Him winning the spot not by default.)
Posts: 761

02-06-2017, 10:09 AM	#1767
Titty Meat Inmem 2.0 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: My house Casino cash: $2007558	Does anyone else think Chico Lind would make a great infield coach?
Posts: 75,444

02-06-2017, 11:19 AM	#1769
Fansy the Famous Bard I'm with the Banned Join Date: Feb 2009 Casino cash: $2116440	Joe Blanton is still available. Might be had on a 1 yr- $5 mil deal. Sergio Romo is still out there... That'd be a nice piece, but much more expensive. __________________ Hi.
Posts: 6,051