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Offseason in Review: December 30th

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Almost time for a new year, and another week of the offseason goes by without much happening. But this time, I think things are finally going to change soon. The chances of the Royals being competitive in 2017 are shot as a result of this inactive offseason where David Glass has reverted to his old ways. Our best hope is to try to find a way to not fall back into the cesspool that was the Royals for 29 years, especially from 1996 to 2010, where the Royals almost always lost 95 or more games a season. And I especially don't want to see the 2000s ever again for the Royals, because losing over 100 games a season is an embarrassment to have happen once, let alone four times in a decade, and for three seasons in a row at one point. 2004 to 2006 is what I like to refer to as the "True Dark Age" of the Royals, and I don't ever want to see it again. So don't just quit just because this offseason is of low quality for the team. Glass and Dayton need to find an agreement somehow, and rebuild this team to something decent. Making the playoffs would be awesome, but don't count on it. Now that that's off my chest, I need to get to the headlines of the offseason for the Royals in the past week.

Royals sign Four Minor League Deals, including a former Royal:

Finally, the Royals have chosen to sign someone to a minor league deal, albeit none of them are what I was looking for. Oh well, it's better than nothing. Anyway, the Royals have recently signed former Royal Jonathan Sanchez, Bobby Parnell, Brooks Conrad, and Ruben Sosa all to minor league deals for the team. Many of these players have either had little to no major league experience, or have been in a long absence from the major leagues, so there's no saying if they're actually going to contribute to the Royals in 2017. Brooks Conrad is likely not going to see the majors, as he is 36 years old, and doesn't even have good lines in his career, so don't expect to see him much further beyond Spring Training. Ruben Sosa is what you could consider to be a failed prospect, as he is 26 and still hasn't made his major league debut yet, but who knows? Sosa could be a bit of a surprise, but expect him to be a bench player. The only players I can really see with a notable chance of contributing to the Royals in 2017 are Parnell and Sanchez, compounded by the fact that the Royals have been starved of pitching as of late, even in the bullpen. Here are some statistics from both players's last decent seasons, both of which happen to be in 2013.

Player

Record

IP

ERA

HR

SO

BB

WHIP

Sanchez

13-9

193.1

3.07

21

205

96

1.23

Parnell

5-5

50.0

2.16

1

44

12

1.00

After that, it's mostly garbage for both players. Jonathan Sanchez is probably going to end up like another Chien-Ming Wang, and his terrible control should cost him at some point, but who knows? And maybe Bobby Parnell could put up somewhat decent numbers. However, for minor league deals, I'm looking more at players like Drew Storen, Shawn Tolleson, and Tyson Ross, so the Royals should make more impressive minor league deals.

Greg Holland and Luke Hochevar rumors continue with Royals

I wouldn't mind Greg Holland pitching again with the Royals, if we somehow manage to win the bidding war. He'd be a very good rebuilding project to consider, and it would certainly bring much needed depth to the bullpen. What I don't like about these rumors is Luke Hochevar coming back again. I believe he's had long enough with the Royals and could really use a change of scenery. But maybe it's just me. Not much I can say in this segment, other than make up your mind quickly.

This FanPost was written by a member of the Royals Review community. It does not necessarily reflect the views of the editors and writers of this site.