April 14, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria before a game against the Houston Astros at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

In the context of Marlins history (and Loria’s as an owner), the outrage is warranted. It brings back memories of Wayne Huizenga selling off parts after the 1997 World Series win. In the present day, the Marlins have just asked for a hefty investment from taxpayers for a new stadium, went out and signed Heath Bell, Mark Buehrle, Jose Reyes and promised to be contenders. Then they finished in last, which is the justification the Marlins are giving now for the salary dump.

It’s bulljive, of course. The Marlins are soaking up revenue sharing while slashing their payroll about as low as possible. I don’t think it’s cynical to see this as a purely financial decision.

On a recent episode of the Kansas City Baseball Vault, Jeff Herr made a good point about baseball and business. In any other business, your profits and revenues come from providing a good or service and you benefit by having a better good or service. In baseball, it’s possible for teams to make a profit just off of revenue sharing and their typical ticket sales if they don’t invest in player salaries.

But if this were any other owner or team would the outrage be the same? Think about it like this – Loria signed some big time free agents to big contracts and was able to move them for prospects and now sits with available space to sign more free agents. What’s to stop another owner from trying the same tactic? What’s to stop, say, David Glass?

September 21, 2011; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals owner David Glass watches batting practice before a game against the Detroit Tigers at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-US PRESSWIRE

Glass has said repeatedly that he’s willing to pay a bit more to improve the team, especially as they get to where they should be contending. He’s also said that he’s not looking to profit with the team but to break even (and let’s just assume that that’s both true and accurate). But what if he wants to make a big splash and goes after Zack Greinke with a six year $165 million offer, then goes and gets Anibal Sanchez for the seven year $100 million deal he wants, gets them to pitch in 2013 and 2014 then trades them off to some team willing to take on the money for a couple of post-30-years-old pitchers?

It’s a stretch, sure, but in theory, it could be possible. The Marlins moved Bell after a rough season where he lost his closer’s job. Buehrle has always been above average and consistently so, but he’s going to be 34 once the 2013 season starts. Reyes has battled injuries the last few seasons and turns 30 next year as well. Josh Johnson, another part of the deal, made just nine starts in 2011 after a shoulder injury and will make nearly $14 million in 2013. He looked fine in 2012, but injuries can lurk. The Marlins have payroll flexibility and may have dumped off some aging or high-risk players.

There are some traps in this plan, of course. For one, if you don’t find a trading partner willing to take on the salary, you’re stuck with a big contract that’s probably very pricey in the seasons when players aren’t still as valuable. Also once you trade one player, others may see what you’re up to and hesitate (or the Commissioner blocks the deal – Bud Selig is presently still reviewing the trade). There’s also the problem of signing free agents later on. That’s definitely a concern for Miami. How can they go out and pursue free agents this offseason if players just saw them pull this stunt? Buehrle moved to Florida with a rescued pet pitbull, a breed which is illegal in the province of Ontario. Can’t imagine he’s too happy about settling down, thinking he’d be with Miami for years, then have the rug pulled out from under him.

Marlins superstar Giancarlo Stanton voiced his displeasure on Twitter right after the trade. Is it worth upsetting a franchise player when you’ve limited your ability to sign other free agents, made your team worse (in the short term) and ticked off all of your fans? I’d say probably not. I doubt they’ll be bringing up the idea of a contract extension with him any time soon. He may even end up traded himself. They’ve made it known that Logan Morrison and Ricky Nolasco are both on the block. It’s a liquidation sale.

I don’t think Glass would do anything like this, but strategically, it’s a cagey move. Rent a player, move their big salary, get players in return (and by dumping a salary on another team, that’s money they can’t use for payroll for other spots. The team benefits by getting quality players, dumps the contract before it’s at it’s most expensive and gets players in return. With just that considered, it seems like a solid tactic. Maybe Glass won’t be the guy to try it next, but I bet someone else will.

(Note: Somehow, Josh Johnson’s inclusion in this deal slipped my mind – so many moving parts. He’s included in the mentions. I should also mention that John Buck was in the deal going to the Blue Jays, as well.)

With the season over, we decided it was a good time to wonder about the Royals front office, focusing on the way David Glass runs the team, and the difference between running a team to win and running a team as a business.

Of course, Glass has said he’s willing to pay up to upgrade the starting rotation, so with that in mind, we bounced ideas around as to who the Royals may target, what kind of trades may be necessary, and also took inventory of the Royals pitching prospects just in case any of those could be contributors (or at least to guess at the timetable for when they might be).

Finally, we delved into pure baseball nerddom while discussing our experiments as GM of the Royals on the baseball simulation game Out of the Park Baseball, our sponsor for the month of October.

You can catch up on old episodes of the Kansas City Baseball Vault here on Kings of Kauffman. Episodes of the Royalman Report are available on the site as well.

Follow the Kansas City Baseball Vault on Twitter and Facebook for future programming updates. Also follow Kings of Kauffman for article updates, discussion and other information.

That’s a great statement for Royals fans to see, but it’s easy to be skeptical. For years, fans, writers, and radio hosts have vilified Glass for being stingy. A former chairman and CEO of Walmart, his penny-pinching ways have been criticized often. Some of that is earned. For years with Allard Baird as General Manager, Glass wouldn’t invest in the minor leagues, taking draft picks who were signable rather than talented and skimping on scouting. Jermaine Dye, Johnny Damon and Carlos Beltran were traded away when the team couldn’t afford a contract extension with them.

September 21, 2011; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals owner David Glass watches batting practice before a game against the Detroit Tigers at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-US PRESSWIRE

The perception is that Glass won’t spend money on free agents or established Royals.

It’s reached the point that campaigns have been built up to compel Glass to sell the team, including banners over Arrowhead Stadium and an advertisement in the Kansas City Star.

So yeah, I can get it when a lot of fans say “I’ll believe it when I see it.” It’s easy to say that you’ll spend the money. It’s another to actually do it.

The encouraging thing to note is that Glass addressed the question at all. He’s not one for these sorts of statements and often doesn’t do a lot of interviews unless it’s an event like the All-Star Game.

“Our bullpen,” he said, “I’ll stack it up against anybody in our division. Our position players, too. We just need some additional help in starting pitching. We get that, and were competitive.” – Glass to Dutton in the Star.

While the Royals watch other small market teams like the Nationals and Orioles fight for playoff spots (or clinch them in Washington’s case), Kansas City still fights to surpass 70 wins every year. This year, the weakness was known to be starting pitching, but the Royals said they were comfortable where they were and didn’t want to block any prospects. Then injuries happened and none of the prospects came up. Any free agent pitching they could have had was on other teams and the Royals were left scraping together a rotation.

This year, the feeling is that they’ll have to go out and get two starters to get on track towards a playoff spot. Free agent pitching isn’t cheap. It’s reasonable to wonder if Glass is aware of what he’s committing himself to here. Will he balk at the cost when it’s apparent that he’ll have to commit $30, $40, $50 million to a free agent? Will he only allow Moore to offer a certain amount to get pitching? Could that lead to lowball offers that are easily dismissed? These are my concerns.

“I have no idea yet of who will be on the market or what it will cost at this point in time. We’re going to have to figure all of that out.”

Perhaps just as concerning is the reputation of Dayton Moore. He’s been very good at finding players who were left at the side of the road and turning them into something. Ask Felipe Paulino, Jeremy Guthrie or Melky Cabrera about that. He’s struggled when the big acquisitions of big league talent come into play. He can afford to hit on the misfits because they’re easy to discard if they fail, but when he has a big check to hand out, Jose Guillen ends up on the team. Gil Meche gets more money than the market warrants. Jeff Francoeur ends up signed to an albatross of an extension. Yuniesky Betancourt is signed at four times the cost of a capable utility player like Tony Abreu or Irving Falu.

Step one is getting Glass prepared to hand out the cash. Step two is using it wisely. Since Moore has taken over, he’s brought the payroll over $60 million in a season four times. Glass has given him the money. Moore just hasn’t used it very well in many cases.

The test will be this offseason. The Royals have been profitable and they’re coming off of a season where the baseball world was focused on Kauffman Stadium for the All-Star Game. Additionally, a deal for TV rights between baseball and ESPN will give the Royals more money as well (though Rany Jazayerli keenly points out that other teams will have money too, so while the Royals can spend more, other teams can too, so there may not be a net advantage here). Bottom line is that the Royals will have the cash to go after players. Glass says he’s willing to spend it. Saying and doing are two different things, however.

My personal opinion is that Glass is the boogeyman. It’s always easy to blame the boss. The idea that he hasn’t put money towards the team is a misguided one. It could be suggested that he hasn’t put enough money towards the team, though. That’s the scenario he’s saying he’ll correct this offseason.

As Royals fans, we’re conditioned to sneer at promises to increase payroll and roll our eyes at the idea that “we’re ready to compete this year”. Patience has worn thin. There’s a great amount of cynicism about Glass’s statement coming on the same day that season ticket renewal forms went out to many holders. Coincidence or calculation?

If what Glass says turns out to be true, though, I don’t think anyone will care. Fans want a winner. We recognize that starting pitching is the big deficiency on the roster. Glass has now stated that he’ll address it.

If he does, Sam Mellinger says he can turn the narrative around. If he doesn’t, he’s going to need to install a moat around Kauffman Stadium and take out insurance against angry mobs, torches and pitchforks. He has an opportunity not only to infuse new talent into the team, but also to win some games and win some good favor with Kansas City. All of those are beneficial to the Royals and to Glass.

Now he just has to make good. But will he?

He better. RT @royals_report: #Royals owner David Glass is willing to spend this winter to improve rotation. bit.ly/ShkEUz

— Sam Mellinger (@mellinger) September 24, 2012

Even though this was our last show on 1510 AM, you can still catch us EVERY week with here with the new and improved Kansas City Baseball Vault LIVE SATURDAYS at NOON Central time starting September 1. We’ll be live during the broadcast here and episodes will be downloadable on Kings of Kauffman as well as Stitcher, Tunein Radio and iTunes.

You can catch up on old episodes of the Kansas City Baseball Vault here on Kings of Kauffman. Episodes of the Royalman Report are available on the site as well.

Follow the Kansas City Baseball Vault on Twitter and Facebook for future programming updates. Also follow Kings of Kauffman for article updates, discussion and other information.

While we’d planned to talk to former Royal Joe Randa on the most recent Vault, we had problems getting ahold of him. No matter. We got a chance to evaluate his place in Royals history and questioned whether he should go into the Royals Hall of Fame which led to a discussion of who might end up in the team Hall of Fame after so many lean years. The most interesting case we brought up was David Glass – does the owner go into the Royals Hall of Fame or not?

We talked about the Jonathan Broxton trade and whether there’s such a thing as the “Closer’s Mentality”.

Finally, we talked about Luis Mendoza and just what the heck he’s doing this year to be the best starter on the Royals and dug into what the waiver trade deadline really means. It was a fun discussion.

We’ll be back next week with more discussion of Kansas City baseball, past, present and future on ESPN 1510 Thursday at 6 p.m. CST.

You can catch up on old episodes of the Kansas City Baseball Vault here on Kings of Kauffman. Episodes of the Royalman Report are available on the site as well.

Follow the Kansas City Baseball Vault on Twitter and Facebook for future programming updates. Also follow Kings of Kauffman for article updates, discussion and other information.

We were honored to be a part of the Baseball Prospectus event on Sunday afternoon.

The Royalman Report came to you from the historic Gem Theater in the Jazz district at 18th and Vine in a panel format. Included with us was Craig Brown from Royals Review and took questions from attendees related to the ideal pitching staff, David Glass, Jake Odorizzi, Mike Montgomery and more.

It was a very special moment and we’re appreciative of the Joe Hamrahi and the Baseball Prospectus guys for inviting us to take part and also want to thank Bob Kendrick from the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum for taking time out of his busy schedule to help us set it up at the Gem, as well.

Don’t forget the Royalman Report is on every Sunday at 7 and catch our new show, The Kansas City Baseball Vault on ESPN 1510 AM Thursday’s at 6.

You can listen below or download the mp3 directly.

The Royalman Report is hosted by Troy “Royalman” Olsen with co-host Michael Engel and features Chris “Fake Ned Yost” Kamler and 610 Sports blogger Jeff Herr and airs  live Sundays at 7 p.m. central time at RoyalmanReport.com as well as on Livestream.com/RoyalmanReport.

Subscribe via the RSS feed and get updates when new episodes are uploaded.

Stuck in a cubicle, on a road trip, or using your smartphone?  Stitcher is a multi-platform radio app that’s available on Apple products, Droid, Blackberry and other phones.  Find us here on Stitcher.

You can also subscribe via iTunes: JUST CLICK HERE (and iPad, iPhone, iTouch users can get the Livestream app here to watch live or archived shows).

Follow the Royalman Report on Twitter.  While you’re at it, track down Kings of Kauffman on Twitter as well.

Alex Gordon got a one-year deal but most fans want to see him locked up photo credit to Charlie Riedel (AP)

First let’s look at our company in the AL Central.  The Detroit Tigers are owned by pizza mogul Mike Ilitch, who has done a good job in recent seasons of spending money to help them compete in and out of the division, i.e. the Prince Fielder signing.

Jerry Reinsdorf, who has done the same with the Chicago White Sox, will spend the money if he needs to. Reinsdorf’s spending along with Kenny Williams assembling a complete roster helped the team to a World Series title in 2005 in addition to having a little luck on their side, which you need no doubt to win.

Minnesota has Jim Pohlad, who took over for his father Carl when he passed away in 2009.  The Twins have the luxury of a new stadium, but before that, GM Terry Ryan built a team from a good farm system that was perfect during their run in the Central.

Lastly, the Cleveland Indians have Larry Dolan who owns another team that has been down in the dumps, but they, like KC, are starting to compete. Chris Antonetti took over for Mark Shapiro in the 2010 offseason and has made them competitive.

Sensing a theme here? Spend the right amount of money, hire the right GM to make good moves and have a farm system that can produce players or have trade pieces. This brings me back to the article and Mr. Glass who has been in my opinion the rightful punching bag.

Like most Royals fans the death of Mr. and Mrs. Kauffman led to a weird period in the franchise’s history.  The team was run by the board and it wasn’t until 2000 that the Glass family took ownership. So from 1993-2000 the team didn’t have an owner and had Herk Robinson and Allard Baird as GM’s.

Flash forward to the present where Dayton Moore has rebuilt the farm system, made trades to help the team and signed free agents that seem to fit the team. While all has been great from the standpoint that the club might be ready to compete for the division, one has to think why the purse strings can’t be loosened a little bit more.

Roy Oswalt is still on the market and with that being the black hole in this roster, it makes sense to make the move.  Even on a national level Steve Berthiaume of ESPN’s Baseball Tonight tweeted what we’ve written about on Kings of Kauffman this offseason that it would be a wise move.

No one likes to be called cheap in any walk of life especially if you’ve got a fortune from running a successful business. He says that you’re willing to do what it takes to win, (I will give him credit for putting money into international scouting and spending on draft picks) which will be tested outside of free agency with contract situations like Alex Gordon on several fan’s minds (Gordon did get arbitration).

But how about the other young players on the roster? I have no problem with seeing the payroll rise that way since you’d be winning with guys who the franchise raised through the system (homegrown players-that’s something that has happened little during the Robinson and Baird years) and win here.

Mr. Glass, I’m sure you’re a good guy and thanks for stepping in to own the team.  As a fan base we’re fragile and don’t want this opportunity to slip through our fingers with how long it’s been since Kansas City has been a winner. GMDM, just tell Mr. Glass that we need a little more money for a one-year deal to get Oswalt, which would better the team’s chances at ending “the drought” eating at all of us who bleed blue.

Thanks for visiting Kings of Kauffman.

Stay current on all the Kings of Kauffman content and news by following us on Twitter, Facebook, or by way of our RSS feed and follow Mike Vamosi on Twitter to be notified each time he posts a story.

It's quiet now, but a crowd approaches. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

This time last year, the Royals were celebrating having every publication from Baseball America to the Mars Daily Red Planet proclaim their farm system the best since the invention of farm systems. Cautious optimism was high, with the understanding that, in a few years, the Royals could be in position to cash in on years of early draft picks and a renewed investment in player development and put an end to a painful two and a half decades of losing and disappointment.

Some in the media have gone so far to suggest that the Royals in 2012 were close enough to be one pitcher and a couple of breaks away from being a true contender. Jeff Passan said that Kansas City was unlikely to contend, but “with a couple of injuries to Detroit” they could sneak into the picture. Joe Sheehan lambasted Royals owner David Glass for not signing a pitcher to put the Royals over the edge and turn the race “into a coin flip.” Steve Berthiaume of ESPN’s Baseball Tonight claimed that the Royals could make that jump by getting Roy Oswalt in a deal. There are people starting to pay attention and starting to buy into the Process.

Of course, that means nothing if the Royals don’t progress in 2012. The starting rotation – you’ve heard the story enough times I won’t repeat it. This team is close, but how close?

With the right breaks, they could be in the mix late in 2012. It could be 2013. Or maybe, after the young team has a couple of seasons together under their belt, 2014 is the year they blow the doors off the hinges and stake their claim.

Whatever the timing is, the feeling is that this team, with a collection of good and potentially great (depending on who you ask) talent, is on the cusp of something special.

There’s an entire generation of Royals fans that know nothing of a successful baseball team in Kansas City, or their only reference is the 2003 club that was more smoke and mirrors than true contenders. I have only parental reminders of seeing parts of the 1985 World Series and the best team I recall following closely was the 1989 club that had the second best record in the league – and happened to share a division with the A’s who had the best. That’s as close to a real winner as I’ve seen. The 1994 team caught fire just in time to run into the strike.

But this team, if they realize their potential, could captivate the area. Last summer, during August and September, when the sweltering midwest heatwave and a close-to-last-place Royals team would usually depress attendance figures, the crowds grew larger at Kauffman Stadium, turning out to see Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Salvador Perez and the rest. In the coming seasons – maybe as soon as this year – they’ll also see Mike Montgomery, Jake Odorizzi and Wil Myers. With what we expect to be more successful teams and increased attendance, the fan base should grow.

The Chiefs have been the big draw in town during the Royals lean years, and they’ve usually been a successful team. Their fans are enthusiastic, they show up, and they aren’t shy about showing their red and yellow colors. It can be the same way with the Royals. It should be the same way with the Royals.

On Sunday’s Royalman Report, Rany Jazyerli discussed his Royals fandom and how his Royals hat is unique when he’s all over the country, because, nationally, nobody admits to being a Royals fan. Why would they? Unless you grew up in the area or somehow found the Royals in some other way, it’s rare to find a Royals fan out there.

“If you build it, they will come” is a phrase that comes to mind. Build a winner and fans will come.

I’m not so naive to think that some of those fans will be jumping on just because the team is now winning and haven’t endured the Terrance Longs, the Nate Fields, the Chip Ambres and Kerry Robinsons of the past. There may be resentment for that bandwagon jumping. I’m torn as how I might react to that. On one hand, it’s more fans, more seats being filled, more revenue and a better standing in the national spotlight. On the other hand, I wouldn’t mind a little recognition for my years of suffering through blown leads, feeble bats, and Tony Pena (father and son). Will there be a split between so-called “real” Royals fans and those just jumping in once the team gets good?

Does it even matter? Should Kansas City (and its fans) be grateful for anyone who decides to follow the team? It’s possible to start following a team merely because they were successful at the time and develop a diehard devotion to them. Do we put a number on converting X number of new fans into diehards before finding the bandwagon effect as acceptable? I’m intrigued by the social dynamics that could come up.

But before Royals fans have to face this issue, the first step has to happen – winning. Maybe the better question, then, is not “how do we handle an increased fanbase?” but “when do we start to see them?”

Stay current on all the Kings of Kauffman content and news by following us on Twitter, Facebook, or by way of our RSS feed.

The Royalman Report, LIVE Sundays at 7 pm CST

Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star came into the studio to discuss the state of Kansas City sports with us on the Royalman Report. Usually, we’re focused entirely on the Royals, but a large part of this episode dealt with the happenings a few hundred feet across the parking lot, where Mellinger commented on the Todd Haley firing, where the Chiefs go from here and the criticisms of ownership.

Mellinger coined the “Mission 2012″ concept, so we had to get into that, discussing how close the Royals are to true contention, what would be a disappointment this year, the excitement of the city, the fans and the players themselves, plus the perception of David Glass as an owner and the Frank White/Kevin Shank issue.

We had a packed house with the usual cast of characters that you’re used to, and Sam Sapenaro from the K Crew was in the house as well helping us out.

Click the embedded player below to listen to this week’s show or you can download the mp3.

If you want your business featured during breaks on the Royalman Report, contact us at 816-394-9578 or email royalmanreport@gmail.com.  

Kelly's in Westport - official sponsor of the Royalman Report

If you’re the type that prefers to see the in-studio video stream…check it out below:

(more…)

Albert Pujols congratulates himself on being awesome. (AP)

Well, that’s roughly what’s going on now with Albert Pujols.

With his rejection of St. Louis at their agreed signing deadline yesterday, Pujols threw his hat into the free agency ring after the 2011 season. He’ll be the most sought-after free agent, of course, leading the duo of himself and Prince Fielder in potentially leaving the NL Central as a much less powerful place than it is now.

Now, there are a lot of teams that are expected to be involved with Pujols when the madness ensues. Many people don’t really consider the Royals to be involved. That’s fair, considering their history with big-name free agents, but a discussion within the fan base has arisen about whether they could push to get after Pujols and bring him in.

But is it realistic to think the Royals could get involved? If so, would that even be a good idea for the team’s future?
(more…)