Royals 2014 Fansided Faux-Winter Meetings Recap

Dayton Moore is amused that a blogger thinks he can do his job. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Well, the 2014 FanSided Faux-Winter Meetings are done. For one week, I was able to pretend to be Dayton Moore, making moves and trying to build the Kansas City Royals roster in a way that may be able to compete next season. There were trades, there were free agent signings and there were tough decisions to be made as I attempted to keep the Royals as close to my approximation of what their payroll would look like next season.

With the departures of James Shields, Billy Butler, Jason Frasor and Josh Willingham all free agents, or retired, the Royals had approximately $23 Million to spend. I made a trade (part of the recap of previous moves)  to move that amount up to $25 Million. Even though the Royals said they could spend up to $100 Million this offseason, it is logical to think that a good part of that extra money will go towards arbitration eligible players and pay raises for players under contract.

While bidding wars broke out amongst the other GMs for top talent, I tried to locate bargains that could fit with the Royals holes and team building philosophy. Yes, Pablo Sandoval, Max Scherzer and Hanley Ramirez would have looked nice in powder blue, but let’s be honest – that is not realistic.

And so, as much as can be done in such a fantasy world, here is the realistic looking Kansas City Royals roster that I was able to put together.

Justin Masterson imagines how he would look in powder blue. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

The Previous Moves

My primary goals were to find a replacement for Shields in the rotation and to locate a player who could be an impact bat in the lineup. Fortunately, there were quite a few pitchers available in free agency. While the rest of the GMs were fighting over Scherzer, Shields and Jon Lester, I figured it was the perfect time to pounce on a potentially undervalued asset.

And so, for a two year, $20 Million deal with incentives for All-Star appearances, Justin Masterson is the latest member of the Royals rotation. Yes, his 2014 season was ugly by virtually every conceivable metric, but Masterson also battled through a knee injury for much of the season. Just a year removed from an All-Star appearance, and with an excellent defense behind him, Masterson is just the type of player that the Royals would logically gamble on.

Now, for the trades. To fill the right field/designated hitter void, and to get a potentially powerful bat in the lineup, John Lamb and Cody Reed were sent to the San Diego Padres for Carlos Quentin. While Quentin has been injury prone, moving over to Kansas City would allow him to spend time as the Royals designated hitter, taking some of the wear off his knees. If healthy, Quentin could truly change the look of the middle of the Royals lineup.

Finally, Tim Collins was sent to the Chicago Cubs for minor leaguer Bijan Rademacher. Since we could non-tender players, Collins was someone I considered for that list. The fact that the Cubs were willing to part with a player with a bit of pop and some speed, instead of the nothing that would have come across by releasing Collins, made this worthwhile. Maybe Rademacher becomes a fourth outfielder for the Royals, or maybe he ends up as minor league fodder. Either way, he has just enough potential to be intriguing.

For more in depth analysis on these players, click here. Now, on to the newest moves.

Sep 24, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Joe Thatcher (54) returns to the dugout against the Oakland Athletics during the seventh inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Royals Sign Joe Thatcher: 1 year, $2.5 Million

Admittedly, I have a bit of an infatuation for pitchers with rather quirky deliveries. I blame this on my idolization of Dan Quisenberry while growing up, since he made me want to be a submarine throwing reliever. Alas, I couldn’t even come close to Quiz’s velocity, even throwing overhand as hard as I could.

However, Joe Thatcher is more than a pitcher with a quirky delivery. Having become a true lefty specialist, as 60.2% of the hitters that Thatcher has faced in the past two years combined are left handed, he has truly been a weapon. Over his career, Thatcher has held lefties to a .230/.289/.351 batting line. As an extreme fly ball pitcher, Thatcher would come to love the Royals outfield defense, and the cavernous dimensions of Kauffman Stadium.

Thatcher also gives the Royals a different look in the bullpen. With majority of the Royals relievers bringing fastballs that sit comfortably in the mid 90’s or higher, Thatcher throws a mid 80’s cutter and a slider that averages just under 80 MPH. Picturing Thatcher coming in after either Yordano Ventura or Danny Duffy could be enough to give hitters fits.

With the Royals needing a proven, solid left handed option in the bullpen, Joe Thatcher would seem to be the perfect fit. For the price, Thatcher would be a decent investment.

Jonny Gomes debates whether or not he can take Chuck Norris in a fight. Gomes’ verdict? Yes. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Royals Sign Jonny Gomes: 1 year, $2 Million

Jarrod Dyson can do many things well. He can run, he can play a great center field and he can run. Did we mention that he can run? Yet, for all of his skills, Dyson has one glaring weakness – he cannot hit left handing hitting if he was given a canoe paddle. As such, a player who can hit lefties was needed.

Enter Jonny Gomes. Gomes, who may also be known for his beard, his incredibly high opinion of himself and his belief that belief that is it perfectly acceptable to slug people in a grocery store, also happens to hit lefties rather well. Over his career, Gomes has a .277/.376/.485 batting line with 69 home runs against southpaws. A lineup with both Gomes and Quentin would give the Royals a lot more power than they have had in recent years.

Of course, Gomes would strictly be a designated hitter on the Royals. To call Gomes’ defense subpar would be rather kind, as he is the type of outfielder that makes Nori Aoki look smooth in comparison. However, as a DH against lefties, Gomes has the potential to be a key component of the lineup.

Jonny Gomes has also come to be noted in his career as a clubhouse leader. While that may not play out on the field or in the box score, the Royals were able to succeed last year, in large part, because of their clubhouse chemistry. Gomes may be able to add to that in 2015.

For $2 Million, Gomes has the potential to be that missing piece to the puzzle. He would certainly be worth the investment.

So, what would the Royals look like coming out of this simulation? The infield would be the same as last year, with an outfield of Alex Gordon, Lorenzo Cain and Carlos Quentin against lefties and Gomes at DH. Against righties, the Royals outfield would consist of Gordon, Dyson and Cain, with Quentin at DH. Davis would be on the bench, getting the occasional look at DH to give Quentin a true day off.

The starting rotation would be Ventura, Duffy, Justin Masterson, Jason Vargas and Jeremy Guthrie. Should Ventura and Duffy continue to progress, and Masterson gets back to being the pitcher he was in 2013, that would appear to be a solid rotation. While it may not have the name power of a team like the Detroit Tigers, this could still be a rather formidable group in it’s own right.

In the bullpen, we would find the dominant trio of Wade Davis, Kelvin Herrera and Greg Holland. The lefties would be Thatcher and Brandon Finnegan, with Aaron Crow and Louis Coleman rounding out the relief options.

The total cost for these moves? $24.25 Million, which comes in just below that threshold that I had set. While these trades and free agent signings may not have moved the needle for the casual fan, each of these players fills a need that the Royals have. If all goes well, they could be the pieces that help keep the Royals in the playoffs next season.

So, what do you think? What moves would you have made differently? Do you agree with the signings? Let us know in the comments!

And Jessie, I did attempt to get Patrick Kivlehan. The Mariners, however, had depleted their system in trades and were not moving him.