***Official 2024/2025 KC Royals Offseason Thread***

[GabyKeepsMeWarm]

Royals went from 56-106 to 86-76.

Made the playoffs. Took out the Orioles on the road.

Lost in four games to the Yankees by 4 runs.

Finally got a bullpen.

Had two pitchers who will finish in the top five for the Cy Young.

Bobby Witt jr turned into a superstar likely being an MVP #2 to that phag in NY.

Salvy just kept doing Salvy stuff.

Vinnie came back from shoulder surgery and had a helluva year.

Cole Ragans had a full season. His arm didn’t fall off. He’s probably top five for Cy Young.

Seth Lugo is gonna finish top five for Cy Young. He’s like Rick Reed. And he’s ours for at least another season.

Brady Singer will get his next time with arbitration. And I’m ambivalent, but I know it’s damn hard to find healthy arms who could be be better as a 3/4 starter.

Michael Wacha was more than everything we could’ve ever wanted, but I say let that man fly unless he wants to take a dumb contract, which he won’t do.

That gives us Alec Marsh who was pretty great for his role.

And we have Wright coming in, plus Bubic who could start.

But this team needs another bat and wingman for Bobby. It’s perfect that Juan Soto would fill many roles, but it ain’t happening.

Adames is someone I like. And we can dangle Massey/Garcia. Just a thought.

This team…. I hope they go into the offseason working hard, and I hope they got the glitter out of their eyes.

Good team with obvious weakness, and a perennial superstar ready to erupt….

Sherman and JJ should be on the phone soon

[WhawhaWhat]

Congratulations to Salvador Perez, this year’s Roberto Clemente Award winner. Salvy is the first Royal to ever win the prestigious award, which is given annually to a player for his service and philanthropy.

— Anne Rogers (@anne__rogers) October 28, 2024

[tredadda]

Originally Posted by WhawhaWhat

Congratulations to Salvador Perez, this year’s Roberto Clemente Award winner. Salvy is the first Royal to ever win the prestigious award, which is given annually to a player for his service and philanthropy.

— Anne Rogers (@anne__rogers) October 28, 2024

He’s without question one of my top 2 favorite KC sports athletes of all time. He continues to amaze me in so many ways.

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by WhawhaWhat

Congratulations to Salvador Perez, this year’s Roberto Clemente Award winner. Salvy is the first Royal to ever win the prestigious award, which is given annually to a player for his service and philanthropy.

— Anne Rogers (@anne__rogers) October 28, 2024

His trophy case is going to need some structural reinforcements.

[GabyKeepsMeWarm]

Originally Posted by WhawhaWhat

Congratulations to Salvador Perez, this year’s Roberto Clemente Award winner. Salvy is the first Royal to ever win the prestigious award, which is given annually to a player for his service and philanthropy.

— Anne Rogers (@anne__rogers) October 28, 2024

This is so cool! So happy for Salvy! Anyone catch him and his wife at the game last night for the presentation? He’s truly one of a kind and such a remarkable person and representative of the team.

[PHOG]

Originally Posted by GabyKeepsMeWarm

This is so cool! So happy for Salvy! Anyone catch him and his wife at the game last night for the presentation? He’s truly one of a kind and such a remarkable person and representative of the team.

No, I wish I had though. Haven't watched any of the series, just followed the scoring. Congratulations Salvy!

[TomBarndtsTwin]

Salvy is a National Treasure.

Really hope he gets into the HOF someday . . . . .

[Ocotillo]

White Sox To Hire Will Venable As Manager https://t.co/GgXlA0ZIQ4 pic.twitter.com/HXmcKEOhtR

— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) October 30, 2024

[dlphg9]

Originally Posted by WhawhaWhat

It appears Baseball Reference has made their annual tweaks to their WAR calculations, and Bobby Witt Jr. has surged from 9.4 to 10.0 bWAR, clearly moving him past George Brett's 1980 for the best season in history by a Royals hitter. Even in the offseason, Witt keeps excelling.

— Rany Jazayerli (@jazayerli) October 25, 2024

That was an error and they changed it back lol

[GabyKeepsMeWarm]

Originally Posted by TomBarndtsTwin

Salvy is a National Treasure.

Really hope he gets into the HOF someday . . . . .

If he can somehow keep beating back Father Time, put together a couple more All-Star type level seasons, maybe pad his stats with a couple more seasons of decent productivity, I think he eventually gets into Cooperstown. But the writers are notorious for gatekeeping catchers. It’s pretty ridiculous. And the various veterans committees aren’t much better.

Gary Carter not a first ballot HOFer? Carlton Fisk not a first ballot HOFer? Thurman Munson still not even in? It’s preposterous.

[Ocotillo]

Originally Posted by GabyKeepsMeWarm

If he can somehow keep beating back Father Time, put together a couple more All-Star type level seasons, maybe pad his stats with a couple more seasons of decent productivity, I think he eventually gets into Cooperstown. But the writers are notorious for gatekeeping catchers. It’s pretty ridiculous. And the various veterans committees aren’t much better.

Gary Carter not a first ballot HOFer? Carlton Fisk not a first ballot HOFer? Thurman Munson still not even in? It’s preposterous.

And then last year Joe Mauer was first ballot, so go figure. Not that Mauer didn't deserve it, but he was a peak performer that rode his three batting titles.

I think what will hurt Perez the most are younger, new age voters putting too much emphasis on WAR. They say the threshold for a Hall of Famer is 60 career WAR and Perez is at 36 career WAR on Baseball Reference.

I find WAR for a catcher to be the most unreliable because of all the intangibles and inmeasurables at that position. It's the reason why Yadier Molina (42 WAR) will be a great Hall of Fame candidate study as all the basebally people love him but there's guys like Keith Law that go out of their way to single him out as a non-Hall of Famer.

But ultimately the reason why Perez has a 36 WAR is because analytics simply doesn't like low walk players. Vladimir Guerrero Sr. and Andre Dawson are the outliers in terms of greatness of low walk sluggers but there's other semi-greats like Joe Carter and Juan Gonzalez that get no love at all. Gonzalez is PED-related, too.

Here's a good bias though, HOF voters tend to love the one player for one team guys. Todd Helton and Mauer just this last year fit this category.

[ChiefsCountry]

If Salvy can get one more World Series that would really lock him into the HOF IMO.

[GabyKeepsMeWarm]

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

If Salvy can get one more World Series that would really lock him into the HOF IMO.

Tell that to Thurman Munson. I’ve got ZERO love for the Yankees, but if there was ever an outlier, it was Thurman. Guy won an MVP, had two WS rings, 7 AS selections, 3 GG’s, great postseason numbers, the respect of everyone, and he can’t get in, not to mention what should be the massive NYC bias, and he still can’t get in. It’s bizarre.

Buster Posey has a very similar case, and if he gets in, it should open a whole can of worms for other catchers on the outside looking in.

[Ocotillo]

Originally Posted by GabyKeepsMeWarm

Tell that to Thurman Munson. I’ve got ZERO love for the Yankees, but if there was ever an outlier, it was Thurman. Guy won an MVP, had two WS rings, 7 AS selections, 3 GG’s, great postseason numbers, the respect of everyone, and he can’t get in, not to mention what should be the massive NYC bias, and he still can’t get in. It’s bizarre.

Buster Posey has a very similar case, and if he gets in, it should open a whole can of worms for other catchers on the outside looking in.

Jay Jaffe, who writes extensively about the Hall of Fame for Fangraphs, had Munson as the 12th best catcher of all-time and eighth-best catcher by peak performance in his book Cooperstown Casebook.

Munson is a glaring omission who got light support from the writers and hasn't been revisited much by the veterans commitees. Another catcher that comes to mind is Bill Freehan.

Buster Posey is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. I don't think he's going to have any problem getting in even though he cut his career short.

[TomBarndtsTwin]

Originally Posted by GabyKeepsMeWarm

If he can somehow keep beating back Father Time, put together a couple more All-Star type level seasons, maybe pad his stats with a couple more seasons of decent productivity, I think he eventually gets into Cooperstown. But the writers are notorious for gatekeeping catchers. It’s pretty ridiculous. And the various veterans committees aren’t much better.

Gary Carter not a first ballot HOFer? Carlton Fisk not a first ballot HOFer? Thurman Munson still not even in? It’s preposterous.

The criteria for a catcher making the HOF is some of the dumbest shit in the history of baseball.

To me, a catcher needs to be elite defensively and be able to control the running game, AND be able to hit pretty decently as well. I'm obviously not a Cards fan, but if Yadier Molina doesn't make the HOF, that will be the biggest crock of shit ever.

And then they go and put someone like Mike Piazza in because he played in NY and hit a lot of HR's and was Tommy Lasorda's boy. Dude was utter SHIT defensively. He was basically a DH masquerading as a catcher.

Salvy was an elite defensive catcher for several years and absolutely controlled the running game better than almost all other catchers in baseball for several years. And he can hit .270 get you 20+ HR's and 80+ RBI, even in his younger years. With longevity figured in and the ambassador (yes, I think these things matter) for the game he has been, especially in his home country, to me he absolutely IS a HOFer. I realize he will never be first ballot, but he should be in there eventually.

But MLB writers and voters have some ****ed up criteria and priorities when it comes to deciding which catchers get in. It's maddening.

[jd1020]

Salvador Perez has 18.3 career fWAR. His stats arent even close to HoF. He'll go into the Royals HoF.