Once a player hits the big leagues, the team retains their rights for six – or, with some manipulation, seven – seasons. Beyond that, though, they become a free agent and can go anywhere. That is, unless the team works out an extension beforehand.

Under Moore, the Royals have been aggressive when seeking deals with their young players. When they recognize someone they see as a part of their core, they’ve tried to wrap them up. Joakim Soria, Zack Greinke, Billy Butler, Salvador Perez, Alcides Escobar and Alex Gordon were all signed to extensions that bought out (or will buy) seasons where they’d have otherwise been free agents.

All of the deals, with the exception of Gordon’s and Greinke’s, were considered club-friendly, while the exceptions are considered market value. For a small market team like the Royals, that’s as good as you can do. They locked up key players without breaking the bank.

Other teams aren’t as lucky.

July 28, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer (7) against the Cleveland Indians at Target Field. The Twins defeated the Indians 12-5. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-US PRESSWIRE

Joe Posnanski looked at the status of Joe Mauer. Hometown hero, one of the best hitters in the game since his debut, and one of the more marketable players in baseball. He’s also been injury-prone and his contract extension keeps him a Twin until he’s in his mid-30s and well past when most players have entered the downswing of their careers. The Twins placed him on waivers, not necessarily to dump him off, but to see what happened. Still, it’s a hint that someday, they’ll have to recognize that it’s a contract they may have to dump.

Posnanski brought up other examples – Ryan Howard, Joey Votto, Matt Kemp. All will be hitting their twilight when their megadeals finally run out. Votto, for example, will make $25 million starting at age 34 until 2023 when he’ll be 39 years old. The Reds have a team option to pay him $20 million when he’ll be 40 years old. If Votto doesn’t age well, how much will that deal hamper the Reds? Granted, salaries will likely continue to inflate and Votto’s could still look large relative to other contracts.

Big contracts aren’t limited to hometown extensions, of course, and they aren’t all good deals. For a team like the Royals, free agency is usually a game of sifting through the leftovers or the bargain bin and finding the gem that was undervalued, polishing it, and later selling it back for profit. The big name players usually don’t come here. Free agency is where players cash in. The Royals can get priced out quickly and if they do sign a big deal, if it goes south, they’re sunk.

Posnanski likens some of the contracts to deferring payment for a good meal. In a six year deal, a team might get four very good years and two very expensive and average or worse years – but they still got the very good years even if they pay extra later in the deal to get access to them. Yes, the Twins and Reds get MVP-caliber players for years but they’ll pay well into their twilights for it.

Aug 19, 2012; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Chicago Cubs left fielder Alfonso Soriano (12) runs off of the field during the ninth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. The Reds defeated the Cubs 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-US PRESSWIRE

Votto’s extension might look okay in the future as salaries continue to climb and it might not be uncommon for a player to make $20 million, homegrown or otherwise. There are a number of players making above $15 million a year today. If it’s within range of other players and the signee is productive, teams may not care that much. Still, Alfonso Soriano is one of those big money players after signing a big contract with the Cubs. Sure, his salary isn’t far off from those of other highly paid players, but he’s been just a bit above average offensively since signing it and the Cubs have been looking to dump the contract for a few seasons now.

The Red Sox traded for Adrian Gonzalez and gave him a big contract this winter. After drama within the organization and with Gonzalez and Boston struggling this year, they moved him. If a team’s winning, a big contract isn’t too bad, but for the Cubs, Red Sox and Twins, those contracts suck up resources that could be used to rebuild. Boston was able to move their big money player when they pressed the reset button, but the Cubs look stuck with Soriano, and while Mauer should have a few good seasons still, the Twins have to consider that he’ll be an albatross down the line.

In the Royals case, Butler is extended through 2015 when he’ll be 29 years old. Alex Gordon‘s deal keeps him in Kansas City until after 2016 when he’ll be 32. Both of those contracts may coincide with the right time to bail out – Butler is a great hitter, but he may not age well with his build (of course he could keep crushing the ball until he’s 37 – that’s part of the gamble). Gordon’s best years will likely be behind him once his contract is out, and in the early weeks of 2012, it almost looked like he was already a lost investment. Thankfully he turned it around.

That makes the deals for Escobar and Perez look even better. They’re under long-term control (Escobar through age 30 in 2017, Perez through 2019 at age 29), they provide near-elite defense up the middle with potential for strong offensive production, and the highest salary in one season in their deals never exceeds $6.5 million dollars (Perez’s final year pays $6M, Escobar’s final year is the $6.5M figure). Those are fantastic contracts, even if both are merely average at the plate.

Jul 26, 2012; Seattle, WA, USA; Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (13) pursues a Seattle Mariners runner during the eighth inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-US PRESSWIRE

But the high profile deals provide a warning for teams, including the Royals. There may be a time where the Royals look to rework Butler’s deal and he could end up with a big salary at age 35. If he’s producing, I don’t think anyone will mind, but it could anchor the team to someone on the decline who’s also soaking up payroll. They may rework Perez’s contract and end up with a big catcher who’s already had knee surgery playing into his mid-30s. I love Sal Perez, but he could be a guy who declines fast once he starts down that path. I hope I’m wrong. Sandy Alomar Jr. is his most-referenced comparison, and while Alomar played for 20 seasons, he only surpassed 100 games in four of them due to injury. He was 33 years old the last time he had an OPS+ above 100. He played until he was 41.

Then there are the cases of Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas. Before the season and while it seemed every other Royal was signing a long-term deal, the fanbase was abuzz looking for news on their signing a big deal to stay in Kansas City as well.

Obviously, that hasn’t happened yet.

Moustakas has been streaky in his Royals career. Hosmer is only now waking up somewhat from a sophomore slump. The scouting reports see both as everyday big leaguers, with potential for all-star games and more possible, but they haven’t shown it consistently yet. Moustakas will turn 24 within the next two weeks. Hosmer will be 23 in two months. Both are still young and have plenty of time to realize that potential – and when they do, the Royals will try to lock them up past when they’d become free agents.

That’s unlikely in the first place since both are represented by Scott Boras, who typically wants his players to get to free agency unless they get a great offer. But let’s say the Royals do get something locked up in 2015 – what size of a deal will that be for either player? Let’s say it’s 2015 and they both sign for $100 million-plus until their mid-30s. What if their performance falls off? What if they get hurt?

Remember Mike Sweeney‘s deal. He signed at the age of 28 in 2002 after playing in 456 games from 1999 to 2001 and putting up a .918 OPS. Then he started running into back injuries and other ailments and would still produce – when he was actually in the lineup and not on the disabled list. The deal turned sour pretty quickly.

I’ve said in the past that the Royals should get Hosmer signed up as soon as they can. Maybe in this context it’s better that they haven’t. Or, given his history as a top prospect both in the draft and in the minors, plus his rookie season and at least salvageable second half, maybe it’s still something to be aggressive about this offseason and beyond. That’s the game. There wasn’t much to indicate that Sweeney would be hurt year after year and both Hosmer and Moustakas seem like safe bets to stay healthy. You just never know.

It’s a constant measurement of the benefits of knowing you’ll have X player for X years weighed against the potential for regression, decline and collapse. All the while, the player in question is taking up millions in payroll. If they hit, great. But if not, or if they become injury-prone, it’s money that could have gone to someone else. Nobody knows the future so there’s always a risk. Then there are times where a team wants to trade a player away – like the Cubs could have in Soriano – but they’re faced with the problem of the contract and another team won’t give up much in prospects to take on the salary. Either way, the team loses value, either in payroll or in prospects received.

Not all long-term deals are bad. Not all big salaries are bad. Every situation is different, but the Royals and their market size and payroll trends have to hit. They have to be smart. With their core of players being very young, it’s not as much of a risk right now, but when the time comes to reevaluate deals that are expiring, the tough decisions start to surface. The deals of the past can provide lessons for the future.

Bryce Harper laughs at Minor League pitching (Andrew Weber-US PRESSWIRE)

One of them will turn 20-years-old on August 3, the other will celebrate his 20^th birthday two months later on October 16.  One was the first pick in the 2010 draft, the other was the fifth pick in 2011.  Both players were selected by teams with basement dwelling recent histories but high hopes for the future.  Both of them are represented by super agent Scott Boras.

Bubba Starling and Bryce Harper grew up wowing fans and scouts alike at a young age with their prodigious home runs, playing against competition 2-3 years older.  Both are relatively humble kids with a strong work ethic and professional demeanor who are expected to make strong role models for the next generation of baseball fans.  Both are considered to be five tool players, freaks of nature with once-in-a-generation athleticism (well, maybe twice in a generation) and the ability to contribute mightily to dragging their respective clubs toward contention.

For all their similarities, comparing Bubba Starling and Bryce Harper is like comparing apples to oranges, or more accurately like comparing baseballs to footballs, basketballs, and more baseballs.  To begin, Bubba grew up on 20 acres in Gardner, KS and Bryce Harper grew up in the bright lights of Las Vegas.  Bryce’s father’s name is Ron.  Bubba’s father’s name is Jimbo.  (I’m not making that up.)  Bubba bats right handed, Bryce bats from the left.  (They both throw right handed.)  Bryce grew up eating, thinking, breathing, and playing baseball non-stop since he was three years old.  Bubba grew up in an athletically diverse and competitive family of cousins that all played 3 different sports, and played each sport very well.

As I’m sure you know, Bubba accepted a scholarship to play football AND baseball for the University of Nebraska.  If not for that $7.5 million signing bonus the Royals game him (the largest ever offered to a high school player), we might have watched Bubba in a red jersey last Fall tossing footballs around Lincoln, NE.  And oh by the way, he could dunk a basketball when he was in 8^th grade and averaged 28.3 points per game as a high school senior on the hardwood.  So, you could say Bubba had options when it came to deciding his future as a professional athlete.

Bubba’s baseball experience stems from playing for only two months out of each year, partially because it’s not generally realistic to throw a baseball outside between November and March in Kansas, and partially because he was too busy playing other sports during the baseball off season.

Bryce grew up in a warmer climate which afforded him more time to spend outside on a baseball field, and traveled all over the country participating in tournaments and winning more awards than you can carry in an F-350.  Bryce was named to the All American Travel Ball Select team as a 12, 13, and 14 year old, he was the TBS player of the year at 14, he was the Baseball America High School Player of the Year in 2009, the SWAC player of the year in 2010, the Golden Spikes award winner in 2010, plus the recipient of many additional accolades and trophies that would take another entire story just to list.

Both Bryce and Bubba can hit the ball a ton.  It’s been widely reported that Bubba has belted 500 foot home runs on more than one occasion.  Bryce’s high school coach says he hit a 570 foot blast while playing in the desert of Las Vegas.  Read that again – 570 feet.  Now read this – when he was 15-years-old!!

Bryce’s high school home run story seems just a tiny bit farfetched to me.  Baseball America says that “anything in the 500-foot range is genuinely historic.”  The computerized measuring system installed in the major leagues since 1982 has only recorded one, just one 500+ foot home run.  Cecil Fielder (you know, Price’s dad) hit a ball 502 feet in Milwaukee in 1991.  This is the last time anyone hit a 500 foot home run in the majors.  So, how could we possibly believe that Bryce Harper hit a ball 570 feet?

Now, having said that, full disclosure requires me to inform you that Bryce did touch the back wall of Tropicana Field during a Power Showcase home run derby, setting a stadium record with an officially measured 502 foot home run.  Although this blast was hit off a batting practice pitch, I suppose anything is possible, including maybe even a 570 foot dinger.

Bryce Harper’s pure focus on baseball has created a player who is major league ready, or nearly so, at just 19 years of age.  He’s well deserving of the moniker, “the Lebron James of baseball.”  The fact that there is some discussion about whether Harper might break Spring Training with the Washington Nationals seems incredible.  More than likely he’ll begin the season with the Syracuse Chiefs, he’ll destroy AAA pitching for a couple months, and then he’ll be called up sometime midseason.

It’s the rarest of talent that can play in the big leagues at 19.  Robin Yount played for the Brewers at 18-years-old in 1974, but it just doesn’t happen very often.  Even Bret Saberhagen had to wait until he was 20-years-old, and Eric Hosmer until after his 21^st birthday before receiving their promotions to Kansas City.

In my opinion, Bubba Starling has equal or greater athletic gifts than Bryce Harper, but his baseball talents are more raw and will require additional time to refine.  It might be more meaningful for us to compare Bubba to Hall-of-Famer Dave Winfield who played both college baseball and basketball at the University of Minnesota, and then was drafted by the San Diego Padres, the Atlanta Hawks, and the Minnesota Vikings as well although he had never played a down of college football.   However, this still isn’t a perfect comparison because Winfield wasn’t drafted until he had graduated from college at 21 years of age, three years older than Bubba Starling when he was drafted.  But then again, the Padres did place him directly into the major leagues that same year where he hit .277 in 56 games, so the resulting age when he arrived in the bigs will likely be comparable to Bubba’s.

Another comparison could be between Bubba and multi-sport star Bo Jackson who played both football and baseball in college.  Bo’s baseball talents were considered to be less refined than his football skills when he was drafted (he was a Heisman Trophy winner), but his sheer otherworldly athleticism enabled him to jump to the majors after just 53 games of AA ball at the age of 23.  To the dismay of Royals fans, in 1987 Jackson decided to play football as a “hobby.”  This unfortunate decision ultimately resulted in a devastating hip injury that ruined what potentially could have been a career as a perennial All Star.

Maybe Joe Mauer would make a better measuring stick to compare with Bubba Starling.  Joe played football, basketball, and baseball for his high school team, just like Bubba.  He was drafted upon his high school graduation, just like Bubba.  He was the first pick in the 2001 draft while Bubba was the 1^st non-pitcher taken in the 2011 draft.

Mauer was the USA Today High School baseball player of the year in 2001, but because he grew up playing multiple sports, in a cold climate (St. Paul, MN) where he couldn’t practice baseball for several months of the year (sounds similar to Bubba, doesn’t it?), Joe’s baseball talents were not as well refined as someone like Bryce Harper.  Because of this, Joe ended up playing parts of 4 seasons in the minors.  When he debuted with the 2004 Twins at 21 years of age, in 35 games he blistered the ball at a .308 clip.  Since then, he’s led the league in hitting 3 times, he’s been an All Star 4 times,  he’s won 3 Gold Gloves, and he threw in an MVP season too just for good measure.  Refinement complete.

I’d like to think that we can expect a similar timetable for Bubba Starling’s development and hopefully similar results.  Bubba said as much to Ashley Marshall of MiLB.com last week when he indicated he expected to arrive in Kansas City within 3-4 years.  Unfortunately, Bubba signed too late last summer to obtain any significant professional experience in 2011 so it became somewhat of a lost year for his development track.  This seems to occur frequently with a large percentage of high caliber talent during the Scott Boras era.

Based on what we know of Starling’s skill sets and the track record of similarly talented athletes, I’m hopeful that we may see him as a September call-up in 2013 and possibly a mid-season promotion in 2014.  I don’t want to rush Bubba, but I’m a little anxious because as of today, we don’t know for sure what we have in Lorenzo Cain.  With only 181 major league at bats, MLB Radio Network’s Inside Pitch has already proclaimed Cain one of the most overrated players of 2012.  (I’m surprised they’ve even heard of him so I’m shocked they would say he was overrated.)  If “The Painkiller” performs well, then this should take the pressure off Bubba and allow him to develop at his own pace.  If not, then the Royals will either need to rush Starling along, or find another Melky Cabrera type player to sign for a year or two to hold his place.

I see nothing but high ceiling potential and a positively bright future for Bubba Starling in a Royals uniform.  That is, except for one hopefully remote possibility.  Let’s just pray he doesn’t ever decide to take up football as a hobby.

Thanks for visiting Kings of Kauffman. You can stay current on all the Kings of Kauffman content and news by following us on Twitter, Facebook, or by way of our RSS feed.  You can also send your questions to our mailbag at KoKMailbag@gmail.com and follow Alan Barrington on Twitter to be notified each time he posts a story and receive his incredibly insightful sports commentary.

The Royals look to take another series in this young season, traveling to Target Field to take on the despised Minnesota Twins.  Is it me, or are the Twins kind of like the haughty, arrogant characters often played by Greg Kinnear or Ted McGinley (who, coincidentally played a pompous manager of the same Twins in Major League: Back to the Minors) in almost every film or television role they get?  They walk in with their pitchers who don’t walk people and hitters who move runners over and solid defense.

Pssh.  Twins.  I say bring ‘em on!

To be honest, I’m mildly terrified of this starting rotation.  I feel like it might fall apart at any moment, and a Twins series is usually when these things happen.  Hopefully, Jeff Francis can keep his momentum going and Kyle Davies can figure something out.

The Royals should have opportunities – Brian Duensing isn’t exactly a world-beater, and Francisco Liriano is having command issues.  The newfound approach at the plate could net the Royals more walks than they usually seem to get against the Twins and more baserunners means more scoring chances.  It’s just up to the Royals to come through.

Some solid pitching wouldn’t hurt either.

In the spirit of providing a balanced preview of the series, so my second-place-Royals-homerism doesn’t run rampant, Wally Fish, Senior Editor at Puckett’s Pond and I are collaborating on this preview.  He was my predecessor here at Kings of Kauffman, so he’s one of the good Twins fans.  (He grew up in Minnesota – let’s cut him a bit of slack.  But just a bit.)

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The participants (including myself):

• Southside Showdown (represented by John Parent)
• Deep Left Field (represented by Steve Kubitza)
• Motor City Bengals (represented by Zac Snyder)
• Puckett’s Pond (represented by Wally Fish)

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Sure a little bit of the luster has come off with interleague play showcasing National League teams to American League fans and vice versa, but when else do you get such a collection of major league baseball talent in one place for one game?  Only the second week in July (unless you’re Jon Miller and Joe Morgan and it’s a Red Sox/Yankees Sunday night game on ESPN).

Tom, Wally and myself cast our ballots for our 2010 All-Star starting lineups, choosing those who we thought were most deserving of starting the All-Star Game.  So without further adieu…

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Now, on with the show: the Royals returned to Minnesota’s Target Field this week, then traveled to the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati to restart interleague play.
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All told, the Royals went 3-3 which, considering some of the performances of certain pitchers, is a small miracle. So it could be worse. But it could be a lot better. If it doesn’t improve, more people may be following Roman Colon out of Kansas City.

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Before we get into the links, I wanted to mention the two new writers have joined the FanSided MLB team this week.  The first, if you read this site daily you already know about.  Michael Engel has joined me on staff here at Kings of Kauffman as a contributor.  The second new writer is Lawrence Barreca who is joining Michael Worley over on our Orioles site, Birds Watcher.

Birds Watcher:  Will Mazzone’s Philosophy Fix Guthrie’s Problems?

Blog Red Machine: No new posts.

BoSox Injection: Sox Sign Veteran Lefty

Call to the Pen update:  will the site be up by this time next week?  Will my life get even more crazy as a result?  Stay tuned …

Chicken Friars: Erik Davis – Sleeper Prospect or Non-Prospect?

Cubbies Crib:  Cubs Quick Hits – Colvin, Frasor, and the Rotation

Deep Left Field: So Who’s the Guy the Indians Got to Pitch for Fausto?

Frisco Fastball: Giants Lock Up Affeldt For Two Years

Halo Hangout: No New Posts.

Jays Journal: Top 5 Jays SP Prospects

Lasorda’s Lair: No new posts.

Marlin Maniac: No lefties, no difference for Fish

Motor City Bengals: Bonderman, Willis Make Final Push Today

Nolan Writin‘: Edwar Ramirez had a short stop with the Rangers before being traded …

Rayhawk Review: Wade Davis Takes the 5th Spot

Redbird Rants: McClellan, Hill, or Garcia for the Fifth Spot?

Reviewing the Brew is still in need of a lead,  email us if you are interested in covering the Milwaukee Brewers.

Rising Apple: My Take on the Ike Davis Demotion and Jenrry Mejia Going Back-to-Back

Rox Pile: No new posts.

Rum Bunter: Ten Positives for the 2010 Pirates Grapefruit League

SoDo Mojo:  Cliff Lee’s Injured, But Don’t Freak Out

Southside Showdown is our new Chicago White Sox site.  We have a lead writer lined up and content should be coming soon.

Swingin’ A’s: A‘s Analysis – Bullpen

That Balls Outta Here: Reunion with Phillies Costs Brett Myers a Groin.  I really enjoyed this tidbit from Justin’s story:

Anybody catch A-Rod starting a completely routine double play that somehow made it into the highlights of the Orioles-Yankees game? That the O’s won EIGHT TO FUCKING ZERO?! Way to make it subtle, ESPN.

Teddy Never Wins is still in need of a lead, email us if you are interested in covering the Washington Nationals.

Tomahawk Take: Jason Heyward Gets Nod For Braves

Twinkie Talk: Twins Sign Mauer

Venom Strikes: Getting to the Heart of the Order

Yanks Go Yard: A-Rod to meet with Feds today

(Wally Fish is the lead blogger for Kings of Kauffman and FanSided’s MLB Director.  Subscribe to his RSS feed and add him on Twitter to follow him daily.)