Talking With the KC Star’s Bob Dutton on the Kansas City Baseball Vault

We were glad to welcome Royals beat writer Bob Dutton to the Vault this week to talk about the Royals and what lies ahead for the offseason.

We addressed Billy Butler trade rumors and his place in the Royals lineup. We asked him about other bats that the Royals could go after and Dayton Moore’s typical offseason pattern including his tendency to make moves early in the offseason.

One of those moves? Ervin Santana, acquired last year on Halloween. So we picked Dutton’s brain about how those negotiations might go. His sense is that the Royals won’t make an offer until he hits free agency, but that they’re certain to make a qualifying offer to him. We wanted him to guess at a Royals offer for Santana and he posited 3 years and perhaps $40 million (but just a guess).

We also discussed Greg Holland‘s place in Royals bullpen lore, the benefits of the Royals defense in 2013 and how there’s less need to overspend on free agents after a successful season. We concluded by talking about the Royals beat, what it’s like having the best job in the world, and being snarky on Twitter (and you should be following Dutton at @Royals_Report if you aren’t already).

Additionally, before Dutton joined us, we talked about Greg Holland and other arbitration eligible players, and compared Holland to a few other pitchers.

As always, we’ll take your email questions at

kansascitybaseballvault@gmail.com

or via Twitter at @

KCBaseballVault

.

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The Kansas City Baseball Vault is a weekly podcast that covers the Royals, their minor league affiliates and other aspects of baseball in Kansas City.

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