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After the signing of Miguel Tejada [h/t to 2012isnow] to a deal that will become a $1.1MM guaranteed deal with up to $400K in performance bonuses boni when he is added to the 40-man roster (the deal is reported to be a minor league deal until a spot on the 40-man is cleared, at which point Tejada will be added), it is safe to assume that Dayton Moore has suffered a stroke.
The only other possible explanation is that he was abducted by aliens and has lost time. Seven years to be precise.
After all, is there any better explanation as to why Dayton Moore would have made all of these acquisitions than if he believed that it was the end of 2006? If anyone wanted a disaster scenario in which a stroke survivor in power ran amok like Reagan could have at the end of his term were it not for the strong (read: manipulative and desperate) people around him, this is it.
- Miguel Tejada in 2006? 32 years old. 162 games played, .330 AVG, 24 HR, 100 RBI, 99 R.
- Ervin Santana in 2006? 23 years old. 16-8 W-L, 204 IP, 4.28 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 106 ERA+, 2.01 K/BB. I'd show other stats, but we all can agree that such things are pointless for this discussion.
- James Shields in 2006? 22 years old. Rookie. Stats don't matter for rookie pitchers.
- Luke Hochevar in 2006? First pick of the draft.
- Endy Chavez in 2006? 28 years old. .306 AVG. perceived to be a defensive marvel in CF.
- Jeff Francoeur in 2006? 22 years old. 29 HR, 103 RBI, perceived to be a great defensive RF.
- Jeremy Guthrie in 2006? 27 years old. Never given real ML opportunity. Prime candidate to take a flier on.
- Jason Kendall in 2006? 32 years old. .295 AVG (it fell off the cliff after that), 143 starts, grittiest player in baseball.
- Dayton Moore in 2006? One of the bright shining young General Manager candidates in the game.
Every roster move makes sense if you just convince yourself the calendar just turned over to 2007. If you can do that, you can ignore the fact that Tejada didn't play in a Major League Baseball game in 2012, was replacement level in 2011, and hasn't been an average player since 2009, but still looks likely to be the starting second baseman in Kansas City on Opening Day at the low-low price of potentially $1.5MM. Luke Hochevar can still look like the future ace of the franchise. Ervin Santana could be a potential Cy Young candidate in the future. Jeff Francoeur could learn to walk. Endy Chavez could be the coveted defensive center fielder that baseball wet dreams are made of.
Guys? Gals? Dayton Moore's Royals are going to win the goddamn pennant if it kills them. Happy 2007!