News and Notes

I criticized the Gotay deal at the time

But it doesn't appear as if Gotay will ever stick as a MLB regular of any sort. Good to know.

Still think we should have held onto Jeff Keppinger.

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Mar 25, 2008 1:44 PM EDT reply actions

Beat me to it!

And the Cubs sadly assigned Les Walrond to minor league camp (and signed Reed Johnoson).

There's quite a few guys hitting the wavier wire. With the Mets waiving Gotay today, and Giles being available, how does hte market for German look? Anybody hear of anything? Is there really any deal to even be happy/disappointed about with the Dodgahs?

by KC Chris on Mar 25, 2008 2:07 PM EDT reply actions

Report in an LA paper

Says the Dodgers are no longer interested in Giles.

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Mar 25, 2008 2:20 PM EDT up reply actions

What about Dejesus and German for an upper level

LA prospect? I like the idea of Gathright in center and batting leadoff.

by Hoch on Mar 25, 2008 2:12 PM EDT reply actions

Gathright

While I think he is improving very nicely and I think he will continue to look good, don't let one ST performance lead you to believe that Gathright is ready to be the every day CF'er. Now I'm not saying he couldn't handle it, but I think he needs to continue looking like he did last night for an extended period of time before we go trading our incumbent starting CF'er.

by MileHighKCfan on Mar 25, 2008 2:15 PM EDT up reply actions

I agree

Gathright had a really nice year last year, but let's see if his OBA is for real before we trade DJ. Truth is, even with a high OBA, I'm not convinced Gathright is as valuable as DJ. DJ has much more power, and the speed Joey brings just isn't as valuable.

Plus DJ is far, far superior defensively.

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Mar 25, 2008 2:23 PM EDT up reply actions

I don't think

There is any room in the Dodger outfield for DeJesus. Juan Pierre is their fourth outfielder. Where would DJ play?

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Mar 25, 2008 2:21 PM EDT up reply actions

DeJesus > Gathright defensively

I'm not sold on Gathright as an everyday CFer--even if his OBP continues to match DDJ's, he is a major downgrade defensively. For me, the jury is still out on whether Gathright will be as good a baserunner as DeJesus--the steals that Gathright accumulated in ST are a good sign, but I'm not convinced yet.

And Retro is right, the last thing the Dodgers need is another OFer.

by DarthYoshi on Mar 25, 2008 3:20 PM EDT up reply actions

Ummmmm....

DDJ is an awful baserunner.

Finally coming back to the 'K'!!!! I'm going to be there 7/11/08, vs the SEA Mariners, of course!

by RoyalsFanInMarinerTown on Mar 25, 2008 4:12 PM EDT up reply actions

DJ

Is an awful basestealer, but he's a great baserunner otherwise in my opinion.

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Mar 25, 2008 4:13 PM EDT up reply actions

I agree entirely

Dejesus is not a base stealer, but he is a good base runner. DeJesus is better than Gritright at every tool except raw speed:

Hitting for contact: DeJesus
Hitting for power: DeJesus
Defensive range: Dejesus
Arm: DeJesus
Speed: Gritright

If you add plate discipline as a 6th tool, DeJesus wins that too. And Gritright's stolen bases are only a positive if he's able to steal at a better percentage than he's done in recent years.

I probably disagree with you.

by Scott McKinney on Mar 25, 2008 4:18 PM EDT up reply actions

I agree with all but

I think Gathright has as good if not better hitting for contact. Just wondering how you got DeJesus better. I actually think this one could go either way.

by TXroyal on Mar 25, 2008 6:24 PM EDT up reply actions

Gathright is a bit hard to read

While DeJesus is a proven, known commodity, Gathright is harder to evaluate. I gave my opinion above, but Gathright really is still largely and unknown. If you go by last year, Gathright is the better contact hitter. If you go by the rest of their MLB careers, DeJesus is the better contract hitter. So what can we expect from Gathright going forward? I really don't know. He could build on last year or revert back to previous form. My guess is that DeJesus is the better contact hitter, with a likely better OBP. But I have underestimated Gathright before.

I probably disagree with you.

by Scott McKinney on Mar 25, 2008 6:46 PM EDT up reply actions

I agree with Retro

The DDJ bashing continues unabated in the blogsphere.

I have nothing against Gathright, and I think he makes a good 4th outfielder, but I really don't think he is as good as DeJesus, period.

by loyal2s dad on Mar 25, 2008 2:27 PM EDT reply actions

I don't think it is bashing as much as

you have to give up talent to get talent. There are some people here who believe that Gator can at least replace DJ. If he can, then we have a very valuable trading chip. We're not going to get good players by trading away Shane Costa and Justin Huber.

I love DJ, in a non gay way (anyone see that Zach Braff video on youtube? funny stuff!)... I would hate for him to play for someone else. But if it means we get a shot at a dude that's lights out, only a year away, then we hav to do it (I'm assuming Joey CAN handle the truth). Anyway, my point is, I don't think it is that people hate DJ, it's that they see him as a redundancy that can better help the team as trade bait. You could say the same about Gator (except he doesn't even have the little power that DJ does).

by KC Chris on Mar 25, 2008 2:41 PM EDT up reply actions

I get what you're saying

I think that trade happens next winter though, after Gathright has proven '07 wasn't a fluke and after DJ resurrect his trade value (his 07 was a down year).

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Mar 25, 2008 3:00 PM EDT up reply actions

And to set the record straight

I'm not advocating trading DJ. I don't think Gathright is as good as DJ yet. Maybe in June or next year. You're right, he'll have to prove that the '07 and ST performances weren't flukes. He is doing a good job getting on base and effectively stealing, though (10 for 10!).

And DJ is looking solid again. I hope his ankle isn't too jacked up and doesn't affect his approach.

by KC Chris on Mar 25, 2008 3:10 PM EDT up reply actions

I thought about that right after I wrote it, no

room for DDJ in the LA OF. Would the Cubs be a good fit for DDJ? I disagree with alot of what you guys are saying about Joey though. He could be our CF now and I'm not basing that off of last night.

by Hoch on Mar 25, 2008 2:28 PM EDT reply actions

probably no room in Chicago

They signed Reed Johnson today.

by KC Chris on Mar 25, 2008 2:33 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm the DJ, he's the rapper.

It looks like they could use a reliever or two, based on the game last night.

How about Gobble and German for...

Who is else would we consider expendable from the MLB or AAA pens?

by KC Chris on Mar 25, 2008 2:31 PM EDT reply actions

i loved dessens

he was randomly good in 2006

by Freneau on Mar 25, 2008 3:27 PM EDT reply actions

Claudio Vargas released

He's not great by any stretch, but I tend to think he's better than Brett Tomko. He's due to make $3.6 million this year.

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Mar 25, 2008 3:36 PM EDT reply actions

Was he actually released?

If he's released than his last team owes him all of that $3.6M and he'd be a free agent for anyone to sign him for any amount of money. Of course, there's no room on the Royals for him, unless it is a minor league deal.

I probably disagree with you.

by Scott McKinney on Mar 25, 2008 3:49 PM EDT up reply actions

You're right

Rotoworld just had "released" and said he hadn't cleared waivers, but the Brewers beat guy said he already cleared waivers, and he is a free agent.

In that case, I definitely think we should pick him up. I think we have room. Let DLR go, move Tomko to the pen and make Vargas your fifth starter.

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Mar 25, 2008 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions

12-man pitching staff

Meche
Greinke
Bannister
Vargas
Tomko
Bale
Soria
Mahay
Gobble
Peralta
Yabuta
Nunez

Maybe. But do we really need another mediocre veteran pitcher? Sure, he's decent, but he's basically another Tomko. We don't need two of them. We need to leave some roster spots open for young, developing pitchers. We need some flexibility to give Hochevar, DLR and Davies starts this year. We don't need to add any more mediocre veterans.

I probably disagree with you.

by Scott McKinney on Mar 25, 2008 4:04 PM EDT up reply actions

That's a fair point

I guess I'd rather see him on the roster than DLR. DLR has sucked as a big leaguer, Vargas has at least had some modest success. Neither is likely to get much better but I think Vargas can give you some decent innings while DLR is likely to continue the "one good outing followed by two crappy outings" career path.

Vargas can give you some depth, which you have pointed out is important if you want to keep from rushing guys like Davies, Hoch, Nunez, etc. I don't think its essential the Royals pick up Vargas, but he seems like a good value pickup at this point and stockpiling pitching, even mediocre pitching, is usually a good idea.

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Mar 25, 2008 4:07 PM EDT up reply actions

It wouldn't be an awful move

I certainly wouldn't mind trading DLR. I just think the current roster (with or without DLR) offers good flexibility for giving young guys some starts. I think if you add another veteran, you tighten things up too much and make it less likely that they'll sit a SP in favor of giving Davies, Hochevar, etc. a chance.

Giving Davies some starts this year, wouldn't be rushing him. This is his last option year and he needs some MLB innings this year at some point so the Royals can figure out if he really can pitch at this level in some/any role.

There actually might be a minor bidding war for Vargas. I think multiple teams will want him to shore up the back end of their rotations. He could easily end up signing for $2M after multiple teams have bid on him.

I probably disagree with you.

by Scott McKinney on Mar 25, 2008 4:15 PM EDT up reply actions

Sounds like

I have mild ambivalence in support of signing Vargas and you have mild ambivalence against signing Vargas.

Mild ambivalence is probably the best emotion to have in regards to Vargas.

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Mar 25, 2008 4:22 PM EDT up reply actions

If we were in a full win-now mode

...I'd be all for it.

I probably disagree with you.

by Scott McKinney on Mar 25, 2008 4:29 PM EDT up reply actions

I know of no other mode to be in

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Mar 25, 2008 4:47 PM EDT up reply actions

Rebuilding

The Royals are in a mid-to-late stage rebuilding mode. At least that's how I see it and I think it is consistent with the moves Moore has made. They are not yet in contention and they know it. But they need more wins both for the fan base and to help lure free agents in the near future. So, they make some additions to help get more wins, but they also use some roster spots and roles (a couple spots on the pitching staff, 1B, SS, at least one bench spot).

I probably disagree with you.

by Scott McKinney on Mar 25, 2008 4:50 PM EDT up reply actions

Yea

I was joking.

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Mar 25, 2008 5:03 PM EDT up reply actions

Vargas

The Cardinals, Mets, Astros, Angels all come to mind.

by MileHighKCfan on Mar 25, 2008 4:23 PM EDT up reply actions

If this was 2006

we would be on him like white on rice.

by gordonrules on Mar 25, 2008 11:47 PM EDT up reply actions

just remember...

Tomko will go Gonzo

Don't be lonesome for your heroes. Be your own hero.

by PhattStairs on Mar 26, 2008 7:59 AM EDT up reply actions

I Just Realized

The game I'm watching is a rerun. I thought A-Meal made another baserunning blunder, but it's the same one.

I'm not getting older....oh, wait, yes I am....and slower.... and weaker. God, this is great!

by philofthenorth on Mar 25, 2008 5:28 PM EDT reply actions

He'll make another at about 8:00 am tomorrow

Or perhaps a spin, twist, turn-the-wrong way and then dive defensive catastrophe while the ball rolls to the wall.

I probably disagree with you.

by Scott McKinney on Mar 25, 2008 5:32 PM EDT up reply actions

I was watching the game live and

you could see it coming as soon as he hit it. The worst part is the cut off guy was no more then 10-15 feet from him when he caught it. Not missing him any.

by TXroyal on Mar 25, 2008 6:28 PM EDT up reply actions