Hypothetical Thursday:

Royals resign Willie Bloomquist for 1yr/$1.5 mil, filling their need for utility infielder. He also brings versatility, as he also qualifies as 5th OF and emergency catcher (and presumably 9th bullpen arm). Thoughts? Would this have been better than ol' Yuni?

4 months ago Yodazilla 24 comments 0 recs |

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Considering Arizona re-signed him to a 2/$3.8M deal, then this is definitely a hypothetical

But yes, I would much rather be paying Bloomquist $500,000 less to do what Betancourt will be doing. And he’ll most likely do it better in every phase of the game.

by Sweep_the_Leg on Jan 19, 2012 11:30 AM EST reply actions

The impossible question:

What would you prefer – Yuni’s clutch power or Bloomy’s versatile grit?

Kila's slash for Apr 20 to May 4, 2011, right before he was sent down: .276 / .344 / .448

by SagehenMacGyver47 on Jan 19, 2012 2:03 PM EST up reply actions

Don't like it, but better than Yuni

Would be cheaper than Yuni and probably better at everything except hitting for power, and maybe average (though not OBP). Bloomers’ versatility at SS, 2B and 3B also means that we wouldn’t need Getz or Kouzmanoff on the roster, thus allowing that spot to be taken by a specialty player (maybe a LOOGY (Laffey!), a AAA bat (C-ROB!), or a speed guy (Dyson!))

Overall, I still don’t like it since he’s still replacement level. If we’re going to have a replacement level player on the roster, I’d rather see an unproven 25yo like Yamaico Navarro, who may good (read: better than replacement level) and could become something of value (maybe a 1WAR player) for six cost-controlled years. I understand that the flip side of guys like Yamaico are that they may be terrible and worse than replacement level, but that’d probably only cost us at most .5 WAR throughout a season that we’re unlikely to be competing in.

I also see the reasons why you get Bloomers or Yuni instead of Yamaico for depth – you want a guy who’s proven he can be a major league player, in case a starter goes down. I guess I’m just less risk-averse than Dayton.

by Loose Seal on Jan 19, 2012 11:56 AM EST reply actions

I always thought the negative feedback from Yuni was overblown

We all hated to see him back on the roster—but strip our hate for the dude and Moore overpaid a bit for a backup, which happens all the time, especially for teams that have additional payroll space. Now, if it prevents the Royals from signing Gordon there’s a problem.

Anybody that would be brought in would be replacement level. I was just wondering if Bloomquist’s versatility would in some way justify a signing like that. Also, if the Royals win the division this year, he could have played every position the day after (remember that quote by Hillman?)

by Yodazilla on Jan 19, 2012 1:14 PM EST up reply actions

my opinion exactly

Fire Everyone

by billybeingbilly on Jan 19, 2012 1:20 PM EST up reply actions

Just going to point this out.

The hate for Yuni wasn’t because it was Yuni.
Its because of the series of events that lead us to have to get someone like Yuni, and then getting Yuni who didn’t even really fill the position we were trying to fill.

"We don’t have guys with a long history of being effective in the seventh and eighth innings."
~Trey Hillman, master of understatements.

by RoyalPug on Jan 19, 2012 1:34 PM EST up reply actions

The series of events starts with the Aviles trade

Dealing him for Yamaico made some sense, getting a younger and cheaper player with potential upside. But shipping Yamaico out for meh prospects just a few months later was a curious move. The Royals had apparently seen enough of him to decide he wasn’t worth keeping around, but given his short tenure and playing time I would like to know what changed in that time.

Then Yuni was signed, older and more expensive and not possessing defensive skill or versatility that would justify the earlier transactions. If the Royals had stood pat, the Royals would be paying Aviles $1.2 million and would be without the two unheralded prospects. I would be OK with that.

by thelaundry on Jan 19, 2012 2:19 PM EST up reply actions

I I remember correctly

Aviles did not want to be here if he wasn’t going to start. He forgot that he was a marginal major leaguer. Maybe they wanted to keep him around as a utility guy. But not worth it if he was going to pout. The difference between he and “fill-in-the-blank” utility guy isn’t that much different.

by Rufus R. Jones on Jan 19, 2012 2:56 PM EST up reply actions

"The hate for Yuni wasn’t because it was Yuni"

You’re kidding, right? Did you see the whiplash response exhibited by seemingly every member of Royals Review? Do you think, for a minute, the same backlash would happen if Edgar Rentaria was given the job for the same amount of money? Absolutely not. You’re kidding yourself if you think otherwise (for the record, Betancourt’s OPS+ the last three years is 78, and Rentaria’s is 76, and Betancourt is 6 years younger).

This is not to say that I don’t hate that Betancourt is on this team. I do. But this influence is coloring the response of the fanbase.

by Yodazilla on Jan 19, 2012 5:33 PM EST up reply actions