Off-Season Priorities

We have reached the 'meaningless' games point of the season. Thankfully much later than usual, but it has arrived nonetheless.

While many ideas on what the Kansas City Royals need to do this off-season have sprouted up in numerous discussion threads, I thought it might be worthwhile to roll the discussion into one place for a lazy Thursday afternoon. Some of your thoughts may well have been tempered by Dayton Moore's apparent desire to have Ned Yost return in 2014 as the Kansas City manager. Let's do our best to forge ahead, anyway.

1. Starting Pitching.

Ervin Santana and Bruce Chen are headed for free agency and, if the Royals stand pat, the 2014 rotation shapes up as Shields, Guthrie, Davis, Duffy and Ventura.

2. Right Field

Only Moore and Yost thought this position was set last spring and the Royals actually ended up getting more out of the position than most of us thought......after they finally jettison Jeff Francoeur. Standing pat, leaves Kansas City with Justin Maxwell, David Lough and, sort of, Jarrod Dyson and Lorenzo Cain. Hell, throw centerfield into this mix if you want.

3. Second Base

It seems kind of strange that an organization that used basically three second basemen for the first 21 years of its existence (really two if take out 1969) cannot seem to find an answer at second. It's been a merry-go-round of meh this year. Standing pat, and assuming that maybe, just maybe, even Dayton Moore has tired of Chris Getz, leaves the Royals with Emilio Bonifacio, which may not be a bad option at all. Especially given the market and other needs.

4. Third Base

Do you believe in Mike Moustakas? Do you have a choice?

5. Shortstop

Alcides Escobar can field and one year he could hit. It was not 2013, however.

Okay, which one is the priority?