The Royals

[j-dub]

The cubs are a bad organization, I mean really bad.

I think your constraining yourself to a couple fictions here:
1) there is no salary cap other than what David glass chooses to spend this year. These are 1 year deals that will have no effect on the future and doesn't inhibit player development as far as I can tell.
2) Lough doesn't play infield and we already have a lh reserve of that's cheap.  We do need solid insurance at both of and if and bonafacio provides it for a very reasonable price.

Good thing is, once these guys are free agents and we have a o let them go (because multi year deal) we'll likely replace them with pre-arb guys and you'll be happy again.

I don't want to go too back and forth on the Cubs however:
1)  They have assembled a very strong farm system over the past 3 years.
2)  They have one of the youngest teams in baseball

we'll see whether that works out

1) But we do know there is a "Glass" ceiling on what the Royals are going to spend, even if we don't know exactly where it is, so cost control is important and is a limited resource even if it isn't as cut and dry as roster space.

2) I agree Bonifacio is more useful as a utility guy, but I would still rather have the difference in money than the difference in utility role.  They could've signed another infield glove, kept Lough and come out with extra money to bank toward the rotation.

Really enjoying this discussion and you make a very good point on the fact that these guys will probably walk soon enough.

I think the royals believe its rotation will be filled out internally in 2015 (Duffy, Zimmer, Ventura, Dwyer?, Lamb?) so weren't going to reach on whatever shitty SP you could get for $8M.



I don't thin $3.5M is much of anything to spend on a quality platoon guy (particulalry one who can play 6 positions and steal bases on command) and your "comps" tend to validate that. Colon will probably take Bonafacios spot in '15 as well.

that's funny

[Cartierfor3]

David Lough was a cost controlled outfield option.  I get that Bonifacio can play 2b, but with the signing of Infante that will mostly be over.  Now I doubt Baltimore would've been as interested in Bonifacio, but they would've been better off moving him based on price.  $4 million is a good chunk.  Here are what other teams are doing with $10MM for a utility player and a reliever.

ATL ~$10-13MM
C/1B/OF Doumit- $3.33MM
CL Kimbrel- Arb hearing: filed at $9MM/Braves filed at $6.55

CHC ~$9.25MM
OF Schierholz- $2.25
C Kottaras- $1MM
CL Veras- $4MM
2B/SS Barney- $2MM Arb prediction by MLBtraderumors

CIN ~$9.5MM
OF Ludwick- $8.5MM
RP LeCure- $1MM est. MLBTR

CHW ~$5.5MM
OF De Aza- $4.25MM
OF Garcia- $500K pre-arb eligible
CL Jones- $500K pre-arb eligible

OAK ~$10MM
CF Crisp- $7.5MM
OF Reddick- $2.5MM est MLBTR

you get the idea...

These teams also suck ass and taints.

Actually some of those teams like Oakland are really good.

[Fake Sugar Dick (WARNING, NOT THE REAL SUGAR DICK!)]

Forgot the Royals already got a cheap utility if named Danny Valencia.

[jtksu]

Forgot the Royals already got a cheap utility if named Danny Valencia.

I don't think he's as much of a utility player as he is a third baseman.

[sys]

i enjoyed the preceding royals discussion.  much more than i would have enjoyed watching a game at a bar with a fun-loving guy.

[Fake Sugar Dick (WARNING, NOT THE REAL SUGAR DICK!)]

i enjoyed the preceding royals discussion.  much more than i would have enjoyed watching a game at a bar with a fun-loving guy.

I did all that from the bar 

[sys]

i enjoyed the preceding royals discussion.  much more than i would have enjoyed watching a game at a bar with a fun-loving guy.

I did all that from the bar 

see how enjoyable it is.

[yoga-like_abana]

they won't make the playoffs again so it doesn't matter

[Fake Sugar Dick (WARNING, NOT THE REAL SUGAR DICK!)]

they won't make the playoffs again so it doesn't matter

Fangraphs says you can gtfoo

[The Big Train]

25 days you guys

[Matt Siebrant's Left Hand]

25 days you guys

[sunny_cat]

Jeff Rosen ?@jeff_rosen88 12m
#Royals' radio announcers to return; Hudler expected to remain on TV. http://www.kansascity.com/2014/01/21/4766994/royals-radio-announcers-to-return.html …

[Cartierfor3]

Physioc is not my cup of tea, but overall I like these guys

[Shooter Jones]

David Lough was a cost controlled outfield option.  I get that Bonifacio can play 2b, but with the signing of Infante that will mostly be over.  Now I doubt Baltimore would've been as interested in Bonifacio, but they would've been better off moving him based on price.  $4 million is a good chunk.  Here are what other teams are doing with $10MM for a utility player and a reliever.

ATL ~$10-13MM
C/1B/OF Doumit- $3.33MM
CL Kimbrel- Arb hearing: filed at $9MM/Braves filed at $6.55

CHC ~$9.25MM
OF Schierholz- $2.25
C Kottaras- $1MM
CL Veras- $4MM
2B/SS Barney- $2MM Arb prediction by MLBtraderumors

CIN ~$9.5MM
OF Ludwick- $8.5MM
RP LeCure- $1MM est. MLBTR

CHW ~$5.5MM
OF De Aza- $4.25MM
OF Garcia- $500K pre-arb eligible
CL Jones- $500K pre-arb eligible

OAK ~$10MM
CF Crisp- $7.5MM
OF Reddick- $2.5MM est MLBTR

you get the idea...

These teams also suck ass and taints.

Actually some of those teams like Oakland are really good.

Oakland and Atlanta were the 3rd and 4th best teams in all of baseball last year. Both have young, extremely talented arms across the board, and pretty solid foundations in the field.

Oakland is also known for having one of the healthiest farm systems in baseball year in, year out.

[k-state87]

Jeff Rosen ?@jeff_rosen88 12m
#Royals' radio announcers to return; Hudler expected to remain on TV. http://www.kansascity.com/2014/01/21/4766994/royals-radio-announcers-to-return.html …

The Royals need to sign Hudler to a long term tv deal, he is the best.

Came across this video:


 

[sunny_cat]

Yeah. That video is luke'd but who cares. It's fantastic.

[jtksu]

Physioc is not my cup of tea, but overall I like these guys

I've really warmed up to Hudler.   At first, he annoyed the eff out of me but now he gets me all sorts of pumped up.

[KSUBrian]

 

Physioc is not my cup of tea, but overall I like these guys

I've really warmed up to Hudler.   At first, he annoyed the eff out of me but now he gets me all sorts of pumped up.

  

Also, I like Physioc as an opposite to hud. Very calm and steady. I feel like his play-by-play is almost as good as being at the game. And besides, he is EMAW educated so you have to have a little bit of purple ear when you listen to him.
 

[mocat]

Phys and Hud talking ball in the booth just got me goosebumpy

[Cartierfor3]

I'm not anti-phys, just kinda meh.

[SabiNation]

Tanaka to the Yankees

[EllRobersonisInnocent]

Tanaka to the Yankees

 

[mocat]

that's our yankees! 

Masahiro Tanaka is headed to the New York Yankees, who are once again spending money with the determination of years past.

Fox Sports is reporting that the prize of this winter's free-agent class has agreed to terms on a seven-year, $155 million contract with the Yankees, the latest move in a winter of wild spending for the club.

Between outfielders Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran, catcher Brian McCann and now Tanaka, the Yankees have expended $438 million in an effort to return to dominance.

That doesn't include the $20 million posting fee the Yankees must pay to the Rakuten Golden Eagles, Tanaka's team in Japan.

And though Tanaka has never thrown a pitch in the major leagues, the Yankees did not hesitate to offer him the fifth-largest contract ever for a pitcher.

Their agreement with Tanaka also comes less than two weeks after they had $25 million of 2014 payroll freed with 162 games of slugger Alex Rodriguez's suspension upheld by an arbitrator.

And it also comes during a period in which the Yankees hoped to duck under Major League Baseball's $189 million luxury tax threshold to avoid paying significant penalties.

Enter Tanaka, whose signing will effectively destroy those hopes.

[EllRobersonisInnocent]

Do whatever it takes to win.

[sunny_cat]

Do whatever it takes to win.

Why are you a Yankees fan?