The Royals

[steve dave]

Vegas has the Royals as 7/2 to win the WS. Not at the start of the ALCS, in July 

[steve dave]

Like, we have an almost 30% chance of winning the WS and no other baseball team (including the garbage cardinals) is being given even a 10% chance.

[steve dave]

someone with insider post this:

http://espn.go.com/blog/keith-law/insider/post?id=4139

['taterblast]

sounds like we're still going hard after Zobrist. which is great, he's a good player and we have some concerns about depth in the outfield.

but after looking at his stats, he honestly doesn't really stick out as all that special to me. he had one GREAT year in 2009 but hasn't been spectacular since then. he isn't even really out performing Alex Rios this year by that much. i just hope we don't give up too much if we get him.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/z/zobribe01.shtml

[sys]

sounds like we're still going hard after Zobrist. which is great, he's a good player and we have some concerns about depth in the outfield.

mlb radio just had a guy on that said the royals were going hard after zobrist up until they got cueto, and then they stopped.

[Dr Rick Daris]

Maybe its just a dollar they owe us

Somewhat ironic that LaRue is guy that Cardinal fans are all up in arms about Cueto kicking in the head.

well the guys last name is larue so as far as i'm concerned it would be a mistake to not kick that guy in the head if given the opportunity.

[WildcatNkilt]

I'm ok if the Royals don't get anyone else.  Rios and Infante are getting their crap together and have been the reason we have won some of our past games.  Cuthbert has been impressive both offensively and defensively when Moose needs a break (I hope we never see Coleman again).  Dyson and Orlando are doing enough to get us wins as well and can hopefully keep that up until Gordon comes back.

[420seriouscat69]

DM was on 610 and 810 this morning and he made it very clear, that they're not done looking for further options to improve this team, this year.

[420seriouscat69]

 

http://truesonsports.com/2015/07/monday-morning-piss-heater-all-of-the-johnny-cueto-gifs/

[steve dave]

DM was on 610 and 810 this morning and he made it very clear, that they're not done looking for further options to improve this team, this year.

sounds, good wc 

[The Big Train]

im excited for cueto to be our royal blue royals #1 starter you guys 

[ChiComCat]

someone with insider post this:

http://espn.go.com/blog/keith-law/insider/post?id=4139

A friend emailed me this, maybe related?

For all the success they've had this season, the Kansas City Royals have a real problem with their rotation, with nobody you'd comfortably call an ace or even a strong No. 2 on a typical roster. They've been able to paper over that deficiency with a great bullpen and otherworldly defense. (Seriously, the only better defensive club right now is the Enceladus Verdes, who play in the Saturnian system.)

When healthy, Johnny Cueto is an ace, clearly among the top 20 pitchers in the majors by any metric. His career BABIP allowed is .271, and it has been .236 over his past three seasons (432 innings), so it's quite possible or even likely that FIP and similar stats underrate him, and they already say he's great.

The Royals had sent Yordano Ventura to Triple-A but recalled him almost immediately when Jason Vargas blew out his elbow. They could slot Cueto into that rotation spot, demote Ventura again and consider using him in relief for the playoffs, when their rotation would likely be Cueto, Duffy and, well, maybe they can pick up another starter along the way. (Mike Leake pitching in front of that defense would be a beautiful thing to watch.) But with the defense and bullpen propping up castoffs such as Edinson Volquez and Chris Young, the Royals are a near-lock to make the playoffs and probably host a Division Series. The acquisition of Cueto -- worth probably two wins in the regular season -- seems more about October, about getting that one win that eluded them last fall, than about the 11 or so starts he'll give them before the postseason begins. Regardless of whom Cueto replaces in their rotation, the Royals are even more formidable in October than they were a day ago.

The Reds did quite well for a rental trade, probably about as well as they could have reasonably hoped for given the on-and-off issues with Cueto's elbow. The most famous name coming back is Brandon Finnegan, the Royals' first-round pick in 2014 who debuted for the team that fall and pitched for them throughout the playoffs as a reliever. He has been handled poorly this season, playing at three different levels, starting some games and relieving others, so I wouldn't worry too much about his performance (22 walks in 49 1/3 innings in particular). I do think he's better suited to the bullpen in the long term, as he's a fastball/slider guy who doesn't repeat his arm action well and had shoulder soreness last spring while still at TCU. Oddly enough, his arm is healthier than those of Royals prospects Sean Manaea or Kyle Zimmer, so in relative terms he probably looked safe (though within the Royals' system, I prefer Miguel Almonte).


This year, Lamb's command and control have returned to pre-surgery levels, and he's sitting in the low 90s again, with an above-average changeup and a big slow curveball he likes to use as a show-me pitch. He has shown no platoon splits the past two years in the minors, thanks primarily to the change, although his strikeout and walk rates against right-handed hitters have been vastly improved this year. In a neutral environment, I'd peg him as a potential No. 3 starter, although as a guy who gives up a lot of fly balls, he may be a bit worse than that pitching half his games in Cincinnati.

Cody Reed also has taken a major step forward this season, improving his conditioning dramatically enough to launch his fastball to the 92-94 range and cut his walk rate by more than 40 percent despite two promotions. He has an average changeup and fringy slider, but has been death to left-handed hitters anyway due to his arm slot and huge extension out over his front side. With a better slider, he could be a fourth starter, as he has the size and control to handle working in the rotation.

There's a good chance the Reds end up with two mid- to back-of-the-rotation starters from this trade, and possibly a good reliever, too, assuming all three guys stay healthy. That feels like a solid return for 11 starts from Cueto.

[Tobias]

Seriously, the only better defensive club right now is the Enceladus Verdes, who play in the Saturnian system

^^^ quote

[Dr Rick Daris]

wow that guy just hates volquez

[Asteriskhead]

wow that guy just hates volquez

he also doesn't know crap from shinola.

[sys]

so, it is actually now being halfway reported that the cash the royals got with cueto was 1 million.  i don't know what to think of that number, it seems so pointless, it doesn't seem like enough to change anything one way or the other.  like a decent prospect is worth a lot more than that, and it's not enough to matter one way or the other in terms of the royals' salary budget.

also, i'm starting to think these mlb radio dudes just randomly make crap up.

[TownieCat]

A million dollars is still $1,000,000 and that's a lot of money.

[sys]

daydreaming about a postseason roster (assuming no injuries), i kinda come up with this:

cuetsie
volkie
yordie
dick duffy

medsie
youngsie
maddie
hoch
morasey
kelvy
wadesie
holly

salvy
hozzy
fantsie
esky
moose
gordie
cainsey
rios
kensie

butesie
jarrodsie
incoming utility guy
goresie or landy


with medsie or youngsie bumping up into the rotation if either dick duffy or yordie doesn't perform consistently in september.

[The Tonya Harding of Twitter Users Creep]

someone with insider post this:

http://espn.go.com/blog/keith-law/insider/post?id=4139

A friend emailed me this, maybe related?

For all the success they've had this season, the Kansas City Royals have a real problem with their rotation, with nobody you'd comfortably call an ace or even a strong No. 2 on a typical roster. They've been able to paper over that deficiency with a great bullpen and otherworldly defense. (Seriously, the only better defensive club right now is the Enceladus Verdes, who play in the Saturnian system.)

When healthy, Johnny Cueto is an ace, clearly among the top 20 pitchers in the majors by any metric. His career BABIP allowed is .271, and it has been .236 over his past three seasons (432 innings), so it's quite possible or even likely that FIP and similar stats underrate him, and they already say he's great.

The Royals had sent Yordano Ventura to Triple-A but recalled him almost immediately when Jason Vargas blew out his elbow. They could slot Cueto into that rotation spot, demote Ventura again and consider using him in relief for the playoffs, when their rotation would likely be Cueto, Duffy and, well, maybe they can pick up another starter along the way. (Mike Leake pitching in front of that defense would be a beautiful thing to watch.) But with the defense and bullpen propping up castoffs such as Edinson Volquez and Chris Young, the Royals are a near-lock to make the playoffs and probably host a Division Series. The acquisition of Cueto -- worth probably two wins in the regular season -- seems more about October, about getting that one win that eluded them last fall, than about the 11 or so starts he'll give them before the postseason begins. Regardless of whom Cueto replaces in their rotation, the Royals are even more formidable in October than they were a day ago.

The Reds did quite well for a rental trade, probably about as well as they could have reasonably hoped for given the on-and-off issues with Cueto's elbow. The most famous name coming back is Brandon Finnegan, the Royals' first-round pick in 2014 who debuted for the team that fall and pitched for them throughout the playoffs as a reliever. He has been handled poorly this season, playing at three different levels, starting some games and relieving others, so I wouldn't worry too much about his performance (22 walks in 49 1/3 innings in particular). I do think he's better suited to the bullpen in the long term, as he's a fastball/slider guy who doesn't repeat his arm action well and had shoulder soreness last spring while still at TCU. Oddly enough, his arm is healthier than those of Royals prospects Sean Manaea or Kyle Zimmer, so in relative terms he probably looked safe (though within the Royals' system, I prefer Miguel Almonte).


This year, Lamb's command and control have returned to pre-surgery levels, and he's sitting in the low 90s again, with an above-average changeup and a big slow curveball he likes to use as a show-me pitch. He has shown no platoon splits the past two years in the minors, thanks primarily to the change, although his strikeout and walk rates against right-handed hitters have been vastly improved this year. In a neutral environment, I'd peg him as a potential No. 3 starter, although as a guy who gives up a lot of fly balls, he may be a bit worse than that pitching half his games in Cincinnati.

Cody Reed also has taken a major step forward this season, improving his conditioning dramatically enough to launch his fastball to the 92-94 range and cut his walk rate by more than 40 percent despite two promotions. He has an average changeup and fringy slider, but has been death to left-handed hitters anyway due to his arm slot and huge extension out over his front side. With a better slider, he could be a fourth starter, as he has the size and control to handle working in the rotation.

There's a good chance the Reds end up with two mid- to back-of-the-rotation starters from this trade, and possibly a good reliever, too, assuming all three guys stay healthy. That feels like a solid return for 11 starts from Cueto.

yeah, thats the article. no mention of volquez at all 

i mean... if you wanna write an article about the royals pitching you might wanna google the roster.

[mhkpasa]

someone with insider post this:

http://espn.go.com/blog/keith-law/insider/post?id=4139

A friend emailed me this, maybe related?

For all the success they've had this season, the Kansas City Royals have a real problem with their rotation, with nobody you'd comfortably call an ace or even a strong No. 2 on a typical roster. They've been able to paper over that deficiency with a great bullpen and otherworldly defense. (Seriously, the only better defensive club right now is the Enceladus Verdes, who play in the Saturnian system.)

When healthy, Johnny Cueto is an ace, clearly among the top 20 pitchers in the majors by any metric. His career BABIP allowed is .271, and it has been .236 over his past three seasons (432 innings), so it's quite possible or even likely that FIP and similar stats underrate him, and they already say he's great.

The Royals had sent Yordano Ventura to Triple-A but recalled him almost immediately when Jason Vargas blew out his elbow. They could slot Cueto into that rotation spot, demote Ventura again and consider using him in relief for the playoffs, when their rotation would likely be Cueto, Duffy and, well, maybe they can pick up another starter along the way. (Mike Leake pitching in front of that defense would be a beautiful thing to watch.) But with the defense and bullpen propping up castoffs such as Edinson Volquez and Chris Young, the Royals are a near-lock to make the playoffs and probably host a Division Series. The acquisition of Cueto -- worth probably two wins in the regular season -- seems more about October, about getting that one win that eluded them last fall, than about the 11 or so starts he'll give them before the postseason begins. Regardless of whom Cueto replaces in their rotation, the Royals are even more formidable in October than they were a day ago.

The Reds did quite well for a rental trade, probably about as well as they could have reasonably hoped for given the on-and-off issues with Cueto's elbow. The most famous name coming back is Brandon Finnegan, the Royals' first-round pick in 2014 who debuted for the team that fall and pitched for them throughout the playoffs as a reliever. He has been handled poorly this season, playing at three different levels, starting some games and relieving others, so I wouldn't worry too much about his performance (22 walks in 49 1/3 innings in particular). I do think he's better suited to the bullpen in the long term, as he's a fastball/slider guy who doesn't repeat his arm action well and had shoulder soreness last spring while still at TCU. Oddly enough, his arm is healthier than those of Royals prospects Sean Manaea or Kyle Zimmer, so in relative terms he probably looked safe (though within the Royals' system, I prefer Miguel Almonte).


This year, Lamb's command and control have returned to pre-surgery levels, and he's sitting in the low 90s again, with an above-average changeup and a big slow curveball he likes to use as a show-me pitch. He has shown no platoon splits the past two years in the minors, thanks primarily to the change, although his strikeout and walk rates against right-handed hitters have been vastly improved this year. In a neutral environment, I'd peg him as a potential No. 3 starter, although as a guy who gives up a lot of fly balls, he may be a bit worse than that pitching half his games in Cincinnati.

Cody Reed also has taken a major step forward this season, improving his conditioning dramatically enough to launch his fastball to the 92-94 range and cut his walk rate by more than 40 percent despite two promotions. He has an average changeup and fringy slider, but has been death to left-handed hitters anyway due to his arm slot and huge extension out over his front side. With a better slider, he could be a fourth starter, as he has the size and control to handle working in the rotation.

There's a good chance the Reds end up with two mid- to back-of-the-rotation starters from this trade, and possibly a good reliever, too, assuming all three guys stay healthy. That feels like a solid return for 11 starts from Cueto.

yeah, thats the article. no mention of volquez at all 

i mean... if you wanna write an article about the royals pitching you might wanna google the roster.

[The Tonya Harding of Twitter Users Creep]

i ctrl+f'd up.

[Cartierfor3]

volquez is not a castoff. Ventura is not going to the pen for the 'offs. That article sucked.

[sys]

volquez is not a castoff. Ventura is not going to the pen for the 'offs. That article sucked.

did you see my playoff roster, cf3?  wow!

[bones129]

Cueto changed to Friday. Duff will take his normal turn Thursday.

[Cartierfor3]

volquez is not a castoff. Ventura is not going to the pen for the 'offs. That article sucked.

did you see my playoff roster, cf3?  wow!

I liked it. Someone has to be capable of playing SS, 3B, 2B in case of injury though. Hopefully rent-a-utility happens