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Royals Rumblings - News for November 24, 2015

David Glass is a movie star.

By Max Rieper
Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports

Royals Rumblings - News for November 24, 2015

Dave Cameron at Fangraphs writes that Ben Zobrist could warrant a $60-76 million contract this winter.

At that expectation, my 4/$76M guess no longer looks that crazy. You’re basically paying for an above average player at ages 35 and 36, an average one at 37, and a utility player at 38. For a team looking for a short-term boost that can afford some dead money in a couple of years, this seems like it may be one of the best ways to get quality performance without risking a significant amount of a team’s payroll. After all, the younger +3ish WAR players are going to sign for $150 million, so it’s not like it’s that easy to buy low-cost players of this caliber anymore....

Maybe there won’t be enough teams to see him as a +3.5 WAR guy to get up towards that 4/$76M guess that I put out there. But it’s really difficult to see as Zobrist as worth less than $50 million, and really, something closer to $60 million should probably be his floor. He isn’t going to be what he was before, but even as he gets older, there are still plenty of reasons to think that Zobrist will remain a productive player for the next couple of years.

David Lesky at Pine Tar Press toys with the idea of a starter-by-committee for the Royals and some cheap acquisitions like Jesse Chavez, JA Happ, and Chris Young

If you’re looking for a breakdown, maybe you get 10 starts each from Zimmer and Almonte, 15 starts from Chavez and 20-22 starts each from Happ and Young. That allows Zimmer and Almonte to develop and the Royals to get some quality innings for a relative bargain the rest of the time. If Medlen falters, you have to lean on veterans who have had success more, but that’s not a bad thing. If someone gets hurt, you maybe have to go back to Duffy for 10-12 starts, but the guy put up a 2.55 ERA as a starter in 25 starts in 2014, so let’s not pretend like that couldn’t turn to gold too.

So now your staff consists of Volquez and Ventura as guys who are going to be out there every fifth day and then a combination of Medlen, Chavez, Happ, Young, Zimmer and Almonte as guys who can help round out the last 100 or so starts along with some potential help from Duffy. Add in Hochevar, Herrera and Davis and you have 10 pitchers for the full season and two more guys who could be ready to help midseason. Until then, pitchers like Louis Coleman, Tim Collins, Michael Mariot and Scott Alexander can help or you could go on the free agent market and take your pick from a number of options out there.

David Hill at Kings of Kauffman looks at how the Royals might rid themselves of Omar Infante's contract.

However, in their Offseason Outlook for the Royals, MLBTradeRumors.com gives an idea as to how Kansas City could not only get out from Infante’s final two years, but add another piece that could help. They propose a swap of Infante for another bad contract, such as Matt Garza of the Milwaukee Brewers. With that trade, the Royals would take on more money, but would fill out their rotation while providing the Brewers with some badly needed infield depth. Despite being owed over $7 Million more than Infante during the next two seasons, Garza could be a solid fit for the Kansas City Royals as a reclamation project. His miserable 2015 season, where Garza produced a 6-14 record with a 5.63 ERA and a 1.567 WHiP, could well be due to his needing a change of scenery.

While Garza would not be a top of the rotation starter for the Royals, he would certainly be a nice fit in the third or fourth starter role.

The Royals premiered their World Series film last night.

Tweets I would not have predicted five years ago.

The Royals get some presidential love.

Casey Kotchman, who spent last year with Omaha, has signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays.

Dan O'Dowd at MLB.com speculates the Royals could target Lorenzo Cain for a contract extension soon.

Robinson Cano is reportedly unhappy in Seattle.

Where might Brett Gardner end up if the Yankees trade him?

Future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson worked as a sideline photographer at a Seahawks game.

Why was Rams quarterback Case Keenum allowed to play with a concussion?

The Clippers are an absolute mess.

Michael Wilbon slams you nerds blogging from your mom's basement.

Science instructs us how to argue better.

Proposed regulations for domestic drones are released.

What was it like to be a Sony employee immediately after the company was hacked?

The Walking Dead trolls Game of Thrones fans (spoilers for both).

Your song of the day is Pavement with "Cut Your Hair."

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