Comments on: It’s Hard to be Positive When … http://kingsofkauffman.com/2010/01/10/its-hard-to-be-positive-when/ A Kansas City Royals Blog Thu, 09 Sep 2010 17:45:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Royals Rants: Wally's World of Negativity | MLB News, Rumors … | Kansas City Royals MLB Announcer http://kingsofkauffman.com/2010/01/10/its-hard-to-be-positive-when/#comment-1405 Royals Rants: Wally's World of Negativity | MLB News, Rumors … | Kansas City Royals MLB Announcer Sun, 24 Jan 2010 02:10:30 +0000 http://kingsofkauffman.com/?p=2903#comment-1405 [...] It's Hard to be Positive When … | Kings of Kauffman | A Kansas … [...] [...] It's Hard to be Positive When … | Kings of Kauffman | A Kansas … [...]

]]> By: BrettFan1 http://kingsofkauffman.com/2010/01/10/its-hard-to-be-positive-when/#comment-1259 BrettFan1 Mon, 11 Jan 2010 17:12:27 +0000 http://kingsofkauffman.com/?p=2903#comment-1259 That is exactly the kind of analysis that I was hoping to see. These moves may all turn out to be bad ideas in the end, but it's a lot more interesting to read analysis on ways that they might go right than it is to read 9 blogs all saying "Dayton screws up again". In the DeJesus case, I think you have to discount the 2 draft picks we might receive after the '11 season if he leaves as a FA. If our timetable is to compete in '11-'12 then we need to turn him into AA prospect or above now, not low-A players in 2 years. I would love to see Moore move Callaspo (who I don't buy as a guy who is going to repeat the power output of last season) and DeJesus for 3-4 AA/AAA guys with updside who can join the wave of talent coming up for '11-'12. If that allows us to net some cost savings this year and next so much the better. Moore can use that money for another international FA signing or hope to catch the next Abreu-for-5M lottery ticket. There are going to be a lot of 1B/OF/DH types on the market who we might be able to pick up for peanuts right before spring training. The difference betwee DDJ and Pods salary this year should be between 2.5-3M. If we could get a Dye/Thome/Branyan type bat for that money, it would be a net positive. That is exactly the kind of analysis that I was hoping to see. These moves may all turn out to be bad ideas in the end, but it’s a lot more interesting to read analysis on ways that they might go right than it is to read 9 blogs all saying “Dayton screws up again”. In the DeJesus case, I think you have to discount the 2 draft picks we might receive after the ‘11 season if he leaves as a FA. If our timetable is to compete in ‘11-’12 then we need to turn him into AA prospect or above now, not low-A players in 2 years. I would love to see Moore move Callaspo (who I don’t buy as a guy who is going to repeat the power output of last season) and DeJesus for 3-4 AA/AAA guys with updside who can join the wave of talent coming up for ‘11-’12. If that allows us to net some cost savings this year and next so much the better. Moore can use that money for another international FA signing or hope to catch the next Abreu-for-5M lottery ticket. There are going to be a lot of 1B/OF/DH types on the market who we might be able to pick up for peanuts right before spring training. The difference betwee DDJ and Pods salary this year should be between 2.5-3M. If we could get a Dye/Thome/Branyan type bat for that money, it would be a net positive.

]]> By: Wally Fish http://kingsofkauffman.com/2010/01/10/its-hard-to-be-positive-when/#comment-1258 Wally Fish Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:35:45 +0000 http://kingsofkauffman.com/?p=2903#comment-1258 BrettFan1, I think the Teahen trade, while it puzzles me from the aspect of seemingly displacing Callaspo, was a good move. I believe in Bert as a truly talented player and truly talented guys tend to find a way to get into the lineup. Whether he gets at bats at DH, 3B, or wherever, Callaspo will have his chance to contribute. With respect to your point about DJ getting traded, he's set to make $4.7 million this season. So what positive outcome do I envision if that money is freed up? I don't see the Royals being able to use that money to bring back a player as talented as DJ on the FA market. Nor would that $4.7 million be able to fill a hole on the current roster as adequately as DJ holds down his spot in the OF. That means that the value in trading DeJesus lies almost solely in what the team would get in return for him. If he is dealt for prospects, I would hope Dayton acquires guys who are a year or so away from the majors instead of acquiring fringe ML talent. Looking beyond just 2010, DJ's club option in 2011 is for $6 million which is still very affordable for a player of his ability. If the Royals hang on to him through the end of 2011, he's probably going to be a Type-A free agent that offseason so Dayton has to get at least 2 players for him in a trade to balance that out. So the question, at least for me, becomes one with two parts. 1) Can Dayton Moore utilize $11.7 million in payroll flexibility to significantly upgrade a spot (any spot) on the ML roster in 2010, or more importantly in 2011 and beyond? 2) Can Dayton Moore get 2 or more prospects back in exchange for DeJesus that would hold greater value than the 2 draft picks the team would net from his likely Type-A FA status after the 2011 season? I think the answer to #1 is probably not, and I'd say that regardless of who our GM was. The answer to #2 is maybe, but that might be good enough since, among other things, there is no guarantee that DJ will stay healthy or wind up as a Type-A. Personally, I think the team should try to resign David to another extension instead of looking to trade him. He just turned 30 and is a pretty safe bet to be an above average player for, at least, the next 4 years. All that said, if the team does decide to deal him and the team comes out better because of it, I'm on board. At some point the team has to stop getting fill-ins and start getting long term answers. That is my biggest problem with signing Kendall and Podsednik. It is also my biggest problem with the idea of trading Greinke, Soria, or Butler. The elephant in the room, with all of this, is the CBA which expires at the end of the 2011 season. It seems a near certainty that the new CBA will significantly alter how teams are built. The problem is that we don't know in what way things will be altered. BrettFan1,
I think the Teahen trade, while it puzzles me from the aspect of seemingly displacing Callaspo, was a good move. I believe in Bert as a truly talented player and truly talented guys tend to find a way to get into the lineup. Whether he gets at bats at DH, 3B, or wherever, Callaspo will have his chance to contribute.

With respect to your point about DJ getting traded, he’s set to make $4.7 million this season. So what positive outcome do I envision if that money is freed up? I don’t see the Royals being able to use that money to bring back a player as talented as DJ on the FA market. Nor would that $4.7 million be able to fill a hole on the current roster as adequately as DJ holds down his spot in the OF. That means that the value in trading DeJesus lies almost solely in what the team would get in return for him. If he is dealt for prospects, I would hope Dayton acquires guys who are a year or so away from the majors instead of acquiring fringe ML talent.

Looking beyond just 2010, DJ’s club option in 2011 is for $6 million which is still very affordable for a player of his ability. If the Royals hang on to him through the end of 2011, he’s probably going to be a Type-A free agent that offseason so Dayton has to get at least 2 players for him in a trade to balance that out.

So the question, at least for me, becomes one with two parts.
1) Can Dayton Moore utilize $11.7 million in payroll flexibility to significantly upgrade a spot (any spot) on the ML roster in 2010, or more importantly in 2011 and beyond?
2) Can Dayton Moore get 2 or more prospects back in exchange for DeJesus that would hold greater value than the 2 draft picks the team would net from his likely Type-A FA status after the 2011 season?

I think the answer to #1 is probably not, and I’d say that regardless of who our GM was. The answer to #2 is maybe, but that might be good enough since, among other things, there is no guarantee that DJ will stay healthy or wind up as a Type-A.

Personally, I think the team should try to resign David to another extension instead of looking to trade him. He just turned 30 and is a pretty safe bet to be an above average player for, at least, the next 4 years. All that said, if the team does decide to deal him and the team comes out better because of it, I’m on board.

At some point the team has to stop getting fill-ins and start getting long term answers. That is my biggest problem with signing Kendall and Podsednik. It is also my biggest problem with the idea of trading Greinke, Soria, or Butler.

The elephant in the room, with all of this, is the CBA which expires at the end of the 2011 season. It seems a near certainty that the new CBA will significantly alter how teams are built. The problem is that we don’t know in what way things will be altered.

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