The fact that we care about pitching prospects is embarrassing. We move Wil ****ing Myers, yet even give a second thought to moving the likes of 145 lb. Ventura? Yeah...

Get a ****ing legit bat.

This 'baseball team' has more vaginas than the GD Playboy mansion.

I would trade for Stanton with all those guys, some wouldn't. Royals need a guy that will hit 30+ hrs soon. Butler is not a cleanup guy even in his prime season last year. More like a 3

There is just no threat to the other team to not walk Butler.

We've banked on the hope of prospects for 20 + years. And that has gotten us next to jack squat.

I would absolutely do that deal now. Stanton is a proven stud who would add punch to this lineup and put people in the seats.

1. Gordon (LF)
2. Hosmer (1B)
3. Butler (DH)
4. Stanton (RF)
5. Perez (C)
6. Moose (3B)
7. Cain (CF)
8. Giavotella (2B)
9. Escobar (SS)

Pretty sure everyone is working around him constantly and no protection will cause the #'s he has. His OBP is really high atleast i guess

Exactly.

"Pitching prospects" are acquired to trade. Legit position prospects, such as Myers, well...one has to hope that those bear fruit. But, anyway.

We need to make a move for a player like Stanton. If that means our top 4-5 prospects. So what? "Mortgage the farm"? And? What has the farm meant thus far?

We're worried about a couple of "pitching prospects"? A 17-year-old? Please.

I would do it, and not think twice about it. I would probably try to see if I could get away with offering Orlando Calixte and another prospect instead of Mondesi, but that wouldn't be a stopping point.

Thing is, I'm not sure Ventura+Mondesi+Zimmer+Cuthbert would be enough. Stanton's value is, by all accounts, higher than that of Miguel Cabrera when the Marlins traded him, and that is a lesser package than what was given up for Cabrera.

It would leave the Royals pitching depth slim after the 2014 season, but you know what? Acquire Stanton, win some real games, and you might actually have a chance to re-sign James Shields after 2014.

Even without Ventura and Zimmer, the Royals' farm system would not be devoid of pitching talent.

Chris Dwyer
Danny Duffy
Miguel Almonte (who some think is equivalent to Zimmer, anyway)
Kyle Smith
Angel Baez
Bryan Brickhouse
Sean Manaea
John Lamb

And as for positional talent...

Jorge Bonifacio
Orlando Calixte
Hunter Dozier
Bubba Starling

That's probably STILL a top 1/2 farm system. And you don't have many needs at the MLB level until the 2015 season. 1B, LF, CF, RF, 4th OF, C, SS, all have clear options in place, as does DH. YOu're set in the bullpen for quite a while in terms of major pieces. 2B, 3B, and SP are your only potential questions.

Emptying out the farm system for young studs like Stanton with years of control remaining is not a bad thing, at all.

Gordon
Hosmer
Butler
Stanton

would be a pretty strong top 4 and create a LOT of runs. Stanton would make the Royals a legitimate contender in 2014, even if they can't bring back Ervin Santana (they'll have enough cash to bring in a quality SP, though). And if this team starts winning... and filling the ballpark... who knows what happens in terms of payroll?

2015 pitching staff would be the question. You're looking at...

1) VACANT (Unless you can extend Shields for a few seasons)
2) Danny Duffy (you hope)
3) Jeremy Guthrie (you hope he's slotted no higher than here)
4) FILLED BY a Pitching Prospect
5) Filled by a Pitching Prospect

Lot of question marks there. Best-case scenario would be Manaea getting healthy and zooming through the minors, because he has legitimate TOR ability. Almonte also has premium shelf ability, and Lamb did at one time (he has shown signs here and there of getting all the way back but hasn't done it yet). The rest of those guys are more back-end starters.

Stanton has transformational potential for this team. That's why the cost is so high and that's why so many teams will chase him. But if he were brought in and this was the 2014 lineup:

LF - Alex Gordon
1B - Eric Hosmer
DH - Billy Butler
RF - Mike Stanton
C - Sal Perez
2B - Kelly Johnson/other acquisition
CF - Cain
3B - Moustakas
SS - Escobar

You're talking about a real, legitimate, playoff-caliber lineup. They'd need to find a lefthanded stick at 2B that can legitimately hit 6, which makes Johnson a PERFECT fit. If moustakas doesn't show signs of life this year, you also need a solution there, which Johnson could be (insurance for suck from Moose). If Moustakas did show life, you're probably looking at him in the 6 hole as a beginning-of-year "plan."

Gordon and Stanton controlled through 2016
Hosmer, Cain and Moustakas through 2017
Butler through 2015
Perez and Escobar through 2019

You'd have Bonifacio and Calixte and Dozier probably knocking on the door in 2015.

Ultimately, it probably makes too much sense. ANd the Royals probably don't have enough NEAR-MLB talent to get it done.

There is almost no package of prospects that could be put together that the Royals or virtually any team in baseball should say no to in order to acquire Mike Stanton. I'm a Cardinal homer, obviously, but I think they may be the only team who would be in a position where they should decline if the Rangers come ask for prospects 1-4 (Miller, Tavares, Martinez, Adams).

A healthy Mike Stanton is truly at the level of Harper, Machado and almost Trout in terms of game-changing ability. And people forget that he's still only 23.

He is soooooo damn good. And I really think he's tapped into about 2/3 of his potential at this point. If there's a 60 HR hitter presently in major league baseball, it's him (though I think he's probably a 50 HR hitter).

And ever so slowly, his plate discipline is improving.

If he ever masters that and gets a real lineup around him, he'll be absolutely terrifying.

I think this was the thread where I said the Rangers should probably be willing to give up Profar, Ott and their best pitching prospect for him and I stand by that.

Mike Stanton has amazing potential.

I think that's a bigger block to acquiring him than the Royals being willing to give up the right package.

The Rangers would be smart to ship Olt, Profar, Perez and Grimm out for Stanton, if the Marlins would take it. I know Olt's star has fallen a bit, but those are ALL guys who probably start for the Marlins the day after the trade is made.

KC really can't match that. I don't think ANYONE in MLB can really match what the Rangers can if TExas decides it wants Stanton.

The only team that REALLY could match it is the Cardinals. Adams + Wacha + Martinez + Wong + Freese would probably get it done.

Of course, the Cardinals have a logjam in the OF as is, and at 1B. So it doesn't make as much sense for them as for Texas.

But Taveras and Stanton would be a terrifying combination for the next decade.

He'd be lucky to hit 15 playing half his games in The K./ Dayton Moore

If the Cardinals didn't have Taveras in their system, the Marlins might be willing to make your offer. But with Taveras there, I just can't see the Fish dealing Stanton without insisting he comes back in the deal.

And Jesus, I'd mike your proposed trade 100 times out of 100. I'd hang up and silently weep to myself. Putting Taveras/Stanton at 3-4 in the middle of the order with Carpenter at the top and Craig/Molina/Holliday batting 5-6-7...{JIMP}. Really, you'd probably put Taveras at 2 with Holliday at 3 and Stanton at 4 for the near term, but long-term I don't think it stacks that way as Holliday's bat slows.

St. Louis would likely need Garcia to come up and play 2b at that point with Carpenter moving back to 3b. I could live with that for sure; those are 2 very nice OBP guys ahead of the most terrifying.

Yeah, the Royals biggest problem is timing. Their prospects are just a little too young to battle with the farm systems in Texas and St. Louis, as well as several others. KC needs to hope that Miami holds him for another 2 years and deals him before his walk year. At that point, the kids in the system will have probably established trade value.

Yep. The bold is the key. There is no price too high for Stanton.

This is the same thing as an NFL team attempting to acquire a legit, young, franchise QB. Whatever it takes. No questions, and no problems.

I'm in.
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You bet. When we traded Myers, we went balls deep. Too late now to start asking the bitch if she's got an STD.

At least with the Stanton trade, we'll get a little pleasure before we go sterile.