Update on the Royals Offseason

Update on the Royals Offseason

The Royals offseason has been quiet. Almost painfully so…

Royals just traded for Peter O’Brien to add another power bat to a system that has lacked power and that was after adding more power in a young bat in Jorge Soler. Other than that nothing is in sight and here is why

For the first time in several years I finally believe the Royals when they say that they are living beyond their means. Kanas City is one of only six teams that haven’t signed a free agent worth more than 3 million dollars. Keep in mind that the average salary for a play in MLB is just over 4 million.

Five other teams are in the same boat so you can’t blame them for being on their own but that means 80 percent of the league has already made a bigger move than them. Jayson Stark pointed out that some of these teams are just waiting out what was a pretty pricey market and looking for back end deals that might come down cheaper. That would make sense for the Royals who appeared to have overpaid just last season but jumping on Soria when the market was booming.

The problem is that I don’t think a deal is coming for the Royals. They might back end a starter for a cheap price and hope to catch the Chris Young lighting in a bottle scenario again but the Indians just gave Encarnacion 20 million dollars a year and their payroll in 2017 is still less than the Royals.

I want them to spend it all this year too. If it was my money I think that is what I would do with pending free agency for almost every single big named player on the Royals but it seems like the plan for KC this year is to run this group back together and hope.

That is running it back with a team that finished 81-81 and had career years from Danny Duffy and Eric Hosmer. They will be doing it without one of the most dominant closers in baseball in Wade Davis and without the bullpen depth this team has been accustomed to. The rotation depth will also suffer without Volquez. I know he had a bad year but he was out there and replacing those innings wont come easy especially in baseball now where getting 180 innings from a pitcher comes at a decreasing number each year.

This offseason is likely forecasting for what is to come but don’t expect much more from the Royals this offseason unless it is a move for a small amount of money. There two biggest moves were for stability in RF for the next 5 years and for a O’Brien a guy that is the opposite of a Dayton Moore player. Big time power….big time strikeouts.

I hope more is to come but it might be quiet leading all the way up to spring training which is sneaking up quick.