Dunn – He would offer a great OBP/HR man in the OF or be a great DH option.
Bradley – Pure entertainment purpose the black version of Jose Guillen on the same team when life gives you an opportunity like that you must grab it. Plus it would be fun just listening to Ryan squirm in the broadcast booth.

What about a taking a shot at Rocco Baldelli? Lots of injuries, lots of upside if he would stay healthy and wouldn’t break the bank.

Gets a big yawn out of me. Adam Dunn and Pat Burrell are great hitters, but would both turn our outfield into the worst defensive outfield in Royals history. Juan Rivera is not as good, but a decent low cost option, but is also supposedly awful defensively. Ditto for Wily Mo Pena. Milton Bradley is very enticing, but he has shown an unwillingness to come here before, and he is not a fan of our broadcast crew. But could you imagine him and Jose in the same clubhouse? Hilarity ensues!

I suppose I could get behind signing Pena, Rivera or Craig Monroe at low cost. I think all three are capable of 20 home runs.

Raffy Furcal I think would be a longshot and he’s coming off injury. For some reason I also think he’ll decline poorly, but I can’t really point as to why.

Orlando Cabrera is very overrated I think, and I believe others have pointed out his defensive limitations. He’s posted an OPS+ over 100 just once in his career, and its down to 77 this year.

I love Orlando Hudson and Mark Ellis, but both will probably be overpaid and 2B seems to be low on our list of needs.

I don’t like any of those first basemen – I’d rather see what Shealy can do, and if need be try Kila late in 2009 if Shealy stinks. NYRoyal has advocated for Eric Hinske. That wouldn’t be an awful move, but I guess I’d just as soon rather see what Shealy/Kila can do. Oh, and we are still on the hook for the Ross Gload Blues Explosion, so he can provide a fallback for Shealy as well.

A few people have mentioned Casey Blake – a versatile player from Wichita State. But he’s getting pretty old and is limited defensively.

I actually like the pitching available, but I don’t think we’ll look to sign another pitcher. Oliver Perez, Jon Garland and Ryan Dempster are all guys I think will be good signings. But all are still middle-of-the-rotation guys, not really aces. Do we really need another mid-rotation guy?

An

went after Sheets to headline our rotation?

How about toss 5/85 at him

then grab Rivera and put him in left and watch him rake all season.

When compiling this list, I’m keeping KC’s budget in mind (i.e., I’m not going after K-Rod, etc…I’m also doing it relatively quick, since I don’t want to get fired today…

I’d Pursue….

PITCHING

Oliver Perez - I think he’s probably Dayton Moore’s #1 taret this offseason. We need a LH starter in the rotation, and he is the best one out there. He’s not spectacular, but has about a 2:1 K:BB, and a sub 4 ERA over the last 2 seasons. His detractor in my eyes is that he has averaged right around 6 IP per start the last 2 seasons, and has never pitched 200 innings.

Jon Garland - He would be similar to the Meche signing 2 years ago, but he’s actually put it all together in the past, whereas Meche had only shown potential, so I think he might be priced out of our range. His K:BB ratio has worsened over the last 2 seasons, and that is a red flag.

*Brandon Lyon – * He would make a solid Set up guy potentially for Soria if Soria remains the closer, and is also a proven (sort of) closer if we choose to move Soria to the rotation. He’s one of the youngest potential set-up closer types so he should still contribute for a few years. Another guy that might fit that mold is…

Juan Cruz - He’s had a solid ERA the last 2 years, 3.10 in 61 IP in ‘07 and 2.97 in 36+ this year. He also possesses a solid K to BB ratio. Never been used as a C, I’d say he’d be another solid Pen arm though.

OFFENSE

Orlando Cabrera, Edgar Renteria or Orlando Hudson - I don’t love any of these guys, , but they are (short of Furcal possibly) the 3 best SS/2B available this off-season, and we HAVE to do something there I think. It is possible that Calaspo will be A-OK and will enter Spring only needing to ward off German for everyday 2B duties, but I’m not sold on that given his issues this season.

Juan Rivera - This would depend on the jettising of Jose Guillen, but assuming Dayton can find a taker for him (assuming the rumors are correct and they want to deal him this winter), we’d have a hole to fill in our lineup. Rivera hasn’t gotten a real shot since he broke his leg in ’06, so he may play w/ a chip on his shoulder.

I have a feeling that KC will go after Corey Patterson for a cheap rate. he seems to fit into the mold that Dayton Moore seems to covet.

like to sign burrell to a 4yr/60mil deal.

it’d be great to land perez/sheets/dempster. wonder what the market is for them right now? probably quite a bit.

Dunn, or Burrell in the OF/1B/DH

Furcal or Hudson at a middle IF spot (would upgrade both offensively and defensively).

Juan Rivera is interesting, but he has more than a few big question marks. He’d be a low-cost option, but do we really want someone for this offense who is another maybe?

Why it should: He has more HR’s, RBI’s, and BB’s than the current 1B ogre’s that I shall call Glotler. His career OBP and SLG is higher than anyone for the Royals this season, including Aviles. Will provide some lineup protection for Gordon, Butler, Gordon, Aviles, Gordon, DeJesus, Gordon, Guillen, and Gordon.

I guess my point is I think Gordon would excel if he had another real major leaguer batting in the heart of the lineup with him.

Bonus reason, Dunn would probably break the Royals homerun record, and then probably break his own record the next year, and then probably break it again….and so on.

Why it won’t: $$$$$$$$

make any of these moves?

Our biggest needs in my mind
Corner OF-need OPS power hr runs everything
SS- move aviles to second

Catcher- Buck is having his annual slide behind the plate. I know others like buck, but i think his “ability to call a good game” is over commented on. I don’t really know why everyone at RR laughs at the “gloads defense being better than butlers” arguement, but continues to make essentially the same arguement when comparing buck’s and olivo’s intangibles.

I’m not trying to stir the pot, but Gload’s defense is assumed to be better, but his defensive range statistics (as i remember) really don’t show any improvement from butler.

Buck’s defense is assumed to be better than olivos. But for whatever reason RR takes ths as a true statement. However as I remember Buck and Olivo’s era’s when being pitched to are comprable. That and Buck cannot throw anyone out at the moment.

Therefore stats suggest he is no better than olivo. In one case we stick to the facts, in another we stick to the assumptions.

Ist Everyone except mr. hillman it seems agrees that Gload’s getting way to many AB’s for someone with such a low OPS.

I like Callaspo, but I get this feeling he’d make an absolutely perfect utility guy. He can play 2B, SS, 3B, LF, and CF (probably RF too) all fairly well. Aviles need a day off, bam…put him at SS. Facing a really tough lefty…stick him at 3B. DeJesus need his normal day off…he can play CF. Guillen’s back hurt and need’s to DH…there’s more playing time.

Hudson is a stud defender…good bat, gets on base, awesome club house guy, great with the fans…He’d make putting Butler at 1B easier since he has a ton of range.

Is that worth the 4/40 though he’s going to command? I’m not sure. Is it worth splurging money on him rather than a big bat like Dunn/Burrell/Bradley? Not sure there either. Ideally, we’d deal Guillen (mostly to get his contract off the books), sign Hudson to a 3/39 deal, Bradley to a 2/24 deal, trade for a Marlins outfielder like Cody Ross (because that team is cheap as hell) and sign a reclamation project like Carl Pavano (I’m totally for this because he’ll be cheap).

Then by midseason you’re looking at something like this—

CF David DeJesus
2B Orlando Hudson
LF Milton Bradley
DH Billy Butler
3B Alex Gordon
RF Cody Ross
SS Mike Aviles
1B Kila Kaaihue
C John Buck

/dream over.

Targets should include Garland and Jennings. Both are decent. Jennings is a sleeper who could be a solid 3 guy. Maybe better. Of course the goal would be CC or Sheets or Dempster….. Offensively…. let’s get a Varitek or older catcher who can split time and help the staff. other than that… not sure…

the bats are going to come via trade and/or low-cost siginings, like Hinske or Baldelli. I don’t believe that the Royals are going to spend a significant amount this winter.

My prediction is that we end up with someone like Cody Ross or Juan Rivera.

As to why everyone has 1B/DH in our MUST FILL slot. Butler is obviously going to be one of those, that is almost a given, and we have two guys in Shealy & Kila that are still (potentially) options in that slot for very little $$.

Does anyone really think that it is worth paying another guy BUCCO bucks for multiple years, when for $4 million, we can at the BEAR minimum (gulp) leave Ross Gload there next season, when we still aren’t looking like we are going to be ready to compete for anything, and then plug Lila in for ’10?

If we sign someone to fill that 1B hole, to get the production value that is considerably more than Gload, it is going to have to be a multi-year deal. In which case we are creating an out of the organization block for Kila.

Personally, I’d MUCH rather take that $7-$15 million (large gap depending on if you are talking Dunn or a cheaper alternative) and spend it on a SP, or a 2B/SS type, where we are much thinner in MLB ready talent, or at worst, a corner OF (though, the market is weak there this year this year, after ’09, it looks like Bay, Crawford, Holliday & others will be FA).

Gload is $1.9 mil, not $4, don’t know why I was thinking $4

The FA Class doesn’t have a whole lot to pick from. KC might be better served trying to trade for Holiday, Uggla or Jacobs. If they could dump Guillen or Teahen in Colorado or Florida they might still have enough to sign Juan Rivera and sign one the the new tradees.

Trade Guillen and a couple pitching prospects(B type ex. Pimintel and a C Bl.Johnson) for Holliday. KC might even want to eat a little of the contract or toss in Mark Teahen. KC has a good relationship with Boras and might be able to resign him. Worst case scenario they can replace him at the deadline with a solid prospect or two or lose out and get some Type A FA draft picks.

I’m sure I am way off base with this type of deal.

“Stark was on 810 with Petro and said he thinks if LAD ate Andruw Jones’ money or a big chunk of it that DM would pursue him becuase he will surely be better next season.”

Interesting. Imagining an outfield of Adam Dunn, Andruw Jones and Jose Guillen is quite amusing. Kauffman Stadium would become where singles turn to triples.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2008/08/09-free-agents.html