You guys are all worrying over nothing. Ned pointed out that we've been a 2nd half team the last two seasons, so he's certain we will be again in 2014. Nothing needs to be added. Ned knows baseball and it's been guaranteed by a higher power that we'll tear MLB up the next few months.

Hope is not business plan

Well that's the kind of BS that he gives media (us) every single interview.

Giving the media BS is a manager's/head coach's job. The GM gives him the players.

Salvador Perez has been announced as the starting catcher for tomorrow's all-star game (replacing the injured Wieters). Salvy will bat 9th.

So ridiculous he got in.

in for the pick off of Puig

Adam Dunn is one of the worst players in baseball since he's joined the American League.

He can still crush from time to time, but his BA has been utter shit, and that's not to mention how often he K's.

That said, at this point right now it would be a legit debate as to who would help a team trying to contend more between him and Butler.

I'm going to go against the Chiefsplanet norm and show a little optimism for the Royals. Before winning 3 our of 4 from the Royals, the Tigers went 3 for 3 against the A's which have the best record in baseball. They also went 2 for 2 against the Dodgers which have the best record in the National League. The Tigers are playing very well. They are bound to cool off a bit.

Also, the Royals have 12 games left in July against four teams. None of those four teams have winning records.

Also, the Royals play many games against Cleveland, Minnesota, and Chicago to finish the year. The sad part is, so do the Tigers. If the Royals can keep pace with the Tigers, they play six games head-to-head in September. I'd rather the Tigers beat the Royals in May, June, July and have the Royals win the games in September.

As PB detests, I still have faith.

Just keep winning series.

PS Also go pick up Alex Rios.

I also have faith. What will give me more faith is adding a bat or two to this putrid lineup.

If they don't bring in another bat, they should get rid of Ibanez. He's pretty much a guaranteed out every time he bats. I'd platoon Dyson and Aoki (Dyson batting over .300 against RHP, Aoki batting over .350 against LHP). I'd bring back Colon. He showed some spunk. It might be my imagination but I think Colon's presence and great rookie game seemed to light a fire under Infinte. Colon also gives the Royals a legitimate backup at SS and 2nd.

I think he's a huge upgrade over Butler and can give Hosmer a day off or a day to DH without losing too much. 2 of those 3 outcomes aren't too shabby. He hit's HR's and gets on base. I also don't think you have to trade Butler. Just use him to PH or release his fat ass. He's affordable in $ and in prospects.

When was the last time we had a player start in the all-star game? For some reason I'm thinking Damon and/or Dye, but I might be wrong. Anyone know?

Dye in 2000, iirc

I believe the TV broadcast a few days back said it was Dye in 2000.

I don't think he's a huge upgrade over Butler. It's just trading one flawed player for another. Dunn is having a better season but it is not any better than the season Butler put up last year. The HR totals are nice but everything else is poor.

Anyway, if you think the Royals are going to release Butler - and still pay him the $4 million they owe him for the rest of the season, as is required - I think you're gravely mistaken. $11 million to go from Butler to Dunn? If they're willing to make that type of cash outlay, there are a lot more impactful guys who could be acquired at that price.

Dunn is also an enormous defensive downgrade from Hosmer. He's a pretty shitty first baseman with no range. Not much difference than playing Butler there, honestly.

Substitute Crow for Herrera, but instead of Ventura or Duffy why not tempt them Wade Davis and they can convert him to a starter. He is cost-controlled the next few years which should help them out in their decision.

I wouldn't mind parting with Dyson, Aoki, Collins, Guthrie or Hayes, either. The Marlins can take their pick. ;)

Wade Davis makes something like $15 milllion over the next two years. Doubt the Marlins want any part of that, especially considering his huge failure as a starter last year despite the advantages of the Royals D and home park.

His best value is going to come in trying to sell him to a team that needs a closer.

They wouldn't want any of Dyson, Aoki, Collins, Guthrie or Hayes. Those players have practically no value to the Marlins and very little value to other teams in general.

A team in desperate need of innings might be interested in picking up Guthrie as its No. 4 or 5 starter, but that's about it.

Dyson is a pretty ordinary 4th OF, despite the beliefs of Ned Yost and Dayton Moore. Aoki has a 1/2 year left and has been disappointing so far. Collins is a middle inning reliever who is struggling mightily (and also is undersized, expensive). Hayes is effing awful.

You have to trade value (talent, years of control) to get value. Moving spare parts around doesn't get you anything.

The Marlins don't need Kelvin Herrera. That doesn't add much value, either.

Again, trade talks with them would have to START with:

RA Mondesi
One of Duffy/Ventura (or maybe Zimmer if you're really lucky)
One of Almonte/Binford

And additional pieces (this is where you maybe throw in a Kelvin Herrera and a Jorge Bonifacio).

I dunno guys, I say we just go get Giancarlo Stanton, Trout, & Bryce Harper. Throw in Bubba to get Kershaw too.

The Dodgers will probably want Butler included as well.

I'm in. I will begin the printing tickets for the 'ship.

Please stop spamming the board with stupid trade proposals. This is a place for knowledgable fans to post and you're cluttering it.

LMAO We should platooon Salvy guiuse!!!11!1!1!

All Royals fans need to know about Giancarlo Stanton is that he will never be a Royal.
It's a worthless discussion.

Hey, he might......15 years from now.

Hosmer and Moose were supposed to be our Giancarlo Stanton.

You know what else clutters this thread? Your ****ing sig.

Look, throw in Raúl Ibañez or Danny Valencia if we have to. We need to do whatever it takes to get Stanton...

It could lead us to our second World Series Championship in two years.

No shit! It seems like the Royals have adopted the tried and true Walmart practice of always scouring the bargain bin when it comes to player acquisition in-season / come the trade deadline. It's always rummaging through the scrap heap of past their prime, trading off their name and actual production in previous years, but obviously not that "player" any longer.

My main determinant of the plausibility of the Royals making a playoff spot this year, at least for me, personally, lies squarely on what they do or don't do up to the trade deadline. Specifically, the ability to add a legitimate bat or 2 to the lineup. Ideally, I would 1st look for a guy who is a consistent hitter by average or in combination with drawing walks to have a high on base percentage. Might even be able to offer some guidance and instruction to our other guys on better working the count and drawing walks??

Secondly, if they got more than 1 bat, as unlikely as that is realistically, I'd look for a good masher, power guy who I could live with a lower BA, if it meant a true instant offense, and not another warning track power bat.
Anything to truly provide incentive and competition for guys like Billy or Moose to either produce or spend their time on the pine or DFA would be a huge difference in creating greater incentive / motivation- even though these guys are professionals and, really, there shouldn't be any reason to need to dangle a bigger carrot to get them to do their jobs already!

I'm not sold on the organization actually being bold and aggressive in acquiring 1 or more guys to improve before the deadline, but I'm hoping I'm pleasantly dead wrong!

I was watching Moneyball last night, a movie that discussed the run the Athletics had like two ****ing decades ago. Not only did they play the Royals, & beat the Royals to have the longest winning streak in baseball history, but Raul Ibanez was playing on it. He's that old. And thank the good lord we are lucky enough to have him batting .149

The movie was set around 2002-2003 i think?

Signed,
The guy who was bitching about the trade that brought us Guthrie last year because it was too expensive.

There's a ground out derby tonight and our whole roster is competing.

Butler has got that shit locked up tight.

You're bragging about Jeremy Guthrie right now? :doh!:

I like our odds in the pop up on the infield with a runner in scoring position derby as well.

I see your confusion, because the name Guthrie was in that post, but no. There was literally zero bragging in that post.
There was, however, pointing and laughing at you for your act of superiority, when you continuously say unintelligent things.

What was the reference to Guthrie then?

If a poster argues that the trade that brought us Guthrie was terrible, they have absolutely no place to condescend to other posters about "intelligence."

You argued that the trade that brought us Guthrie was terrible.

Therefore you have absolutely no place to condescend to other posters about intelligence.


(Pro tip; sound out the bigger words slowly. Ask for adult assistance if stuck on word meanings)

If only the Royals had access to a young Jose Bautista...

LMAO

Royals just need a roid program.

Show me the post where I said the Guthrie trade was terrible. I don't recall saying that, or being too upset Jonathan Sanchez was sent packing.....but I'll believe you if you link it.

Or picked a better player when they had the first pick.

I knew he was going to be great in that two weeks he was a Royal!

Okay not really.

2013 royals repository
Post # 7178

http://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showt...08#post9818908

I didn't think Guthrie should've been extended. not traded for. That's the real issue, hence the reference to the $8m.

Just to finish that trade talk.

Tell Sully to do a better job "understanding big boy words" next time.

2014 Royals Repository
 

ROFL

Yeah. That was clearly your point, considering the entire conversation was about good or bad trades.

Anytime you need me to help you refine your thoughts, just let me know. :D

Anyone who reads that line f discussion knows exactly what you were saying, as do you. So pretending you weren't talking about the trade makes you look even funnier (unintentionally).

Are we in the 2013 Repository? Must be, since people are still arguing with PB

Also...

Jeremy Guthrie didn't make $8 million last year. He made $5 million. He makes $8 million this year (His original contract was set up to run $5 million/$11 million/$9 million, but he deferred $3 million of salary from this year into a buyout of his 2016 option.)

So you were just wrong on that point.

The Royals also ended up getting league-average numbers from Guthrie last year, over 211 2/3 IP. Which is not world beater stuff but DOES have value (even at $8 million, if you get 200 league average out of a guy, you're getting pretty good value).

He's had two very rough starts in July (that have added 3/4 of a run to his ERA), but I bet we look up at the end of the year and see what we saw last year: 200 or more league average innings. WAR figures are going to hate Guthrie, always, because he doesn't strike many batters out, but guys who can get through 200 IP at a decent No. 4 starter level of performance do have value in baseball.

He's got a 3 year $25m contract, not sure why you're arguing when it's allocated. If he only made $5m last year then he'll kill us at $12m next year. It's ultimately all the same.



The point remains: he's a decent player, but not worth 8.3/per. And certainly not for a small market. We have to be careful with our limited dollars.

Tweet from ‪#‎MLB‬ Insider Jerry Crasnick
‪#‎Mariners‬ casting a wide net in search of a bat. They've even talked to ‪#‎royals‬ about Billy Butler (he of the .355 SLG%)

Because you'd certainly pick at a point like that if someone made that type of oversight when discussing things with you. And you know it.

He doesn't make $12 million next year. He makes $9 million.

When the Royals have to spend on the open market for players, if they get them at a fair market value deal (without having to overspend), that's fine. Guthrie signed for pretty fair market value.

When guys like Ricky Nolasco and Scott Feldman are signing $12 million dollar/year deals over the past offseason, there's really no room to complain about Guthrie making $8 or 9 million.

Interesting. If the Royals could trade Billy Butler, that creates an open spot in the lineup (making a 1B/DH/LF type more easily fit into the mix) as well as freeing up some salary for a player. Opens up some more options, which could be a good thing.

You'd be selling extremely, extremely low on Butler, but there are few other options at this point. They aren't picking up his option and certainly wouldn't make him a qualifying offer if they had the chance or choice.

There's a chance he rebounds and has a strong second half, but it's not a very great chance. You'd be going more on blind faith and hope than anything else.

What could we get for him? Butler hasn't done much this year, but it would sort of be throwing in the towel on the year unless we went after another bat.

I'd be mildly surprised if they actually move Butler. The return on him is unlikely to be very large.

But if they do move him, I'd be SHOCKED if he wasn't moved as either step 1 or step 2 of a deal that brought in a player to replace his bat in the lineup.

I think that's what would happen. Dumping Billy's salary and opening up the DH spot allows them to be aggressive in getting another bat -- let's say Zobrist -- who they can play all around the diamond and slot other guys into DH.

If we could move him for really anything decent from a prospect standpoint, I'd jump on it in a blink of an eye, and happily start shopping around to acquire at least 1 REAL power / ^ OBP bat before the deadline. Preferably, someone who can play OF, and get away from this GD full time DH ****ry Fatass has been occupying year after year with insufferable diminishing returns to show for from the previous year.

Mariners get Butler and they promise that DM gets to throw a fish at the market when he visits next time.

Done

Former Royals Equipment Manager Al Zych died in a car wreck Monday at the Lake of the Ozarks.

Wow, he had to have been ancient anyway. He goes back to my childhood in the 70s. Sad way to go.

Sad deal all around.
http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article730236.html

Glass spoke today;

Said if we have a good second half, we'll be in a good place to make the playoffs.

Gave Ned and Dayton a vote of confidence.

When asked about making a trade at the deadline, he said we're a small market team, and that limits us some. Sounds like he'd be willing to take on more payroll if there was a good deal out there.

probably more, but those were the highlights I heard on 610 just now.

Thanks for the link. 87 years old.

Brett's told lots of Al Zych stories over the years. RIP.

That would be funny if we trade Billy to Seattle, he turns it around and helps the mariners secure the second wild card with his performance.

I seriously want to punt kittens every time I hear our owner bring up the small market horseshit as an excuse to why this team won't sign someone..

Don't you dare hurt those kitties....

You can punt Billay in the nads if you like.

We are middle of the pack this year in spending and 2nd in the AL Central. I know that doesn't make up for the last several years, but they are spending this year.

Speaking of stories, remember Mickey Cobb - Hobbled Royals Trainer from the 77-90? Good dude, and still lives in KC