Kansas City Royals Have No Moves To Make

I was looking over the Kansas City Royals roster wondering if there were anything general manager Dayton Moore could do to improve his team. To my amazement, there really isn’t anything to fix.

With the recent turnaround by the rotation in which KC Royals starters have given up six earned runs in their last six starts, every phase of the team in playing well. Defense, offense, bullpen, and the starting rotation are getting the job done.

All of that is occurring with starter Jason Vargas on the disabled list with a strained left flexor muscle (arm), and starting right fielder Alex Rios sitting out with a broken hand. Reserve catcher Erik Kratz is also on the mend after injuring his left foot.

The Kansas City Royals should get stronger in the next few weeks as these three players return from the injured list.

As it is, the KC Royals own the best record in baseball at 28-15, despite Sunday’s 6-1 loss to the Cardinals. The Kansas City Royals also own the best run differential in the major-leagues at +65, 10 better than second-best St.Louis at +55.

The Royals have also scored the second most runs in the A.L. with 211, and given up the fewest at 146. Their defense sits atop the Ultimate Zone Rating, Baseball Prospectus’ Defensive Efficiency, and John Dewan’s Defensive Runs Saved metrics.

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Perhaps in an ideal world, Dayton Moore could acquire an upgrade at second base. Omar Infante is hitting a mediocre .248/.259/.358. But even with his weak bat, Infante has still produced 0.3 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) value due to his strong defense over the first quarter of the season.

Even if the Kansas City Royals brass decides to replace Infante, the team could turn to utility infielder Christian Colon who is hitting .283/.338/.333 in a reserve role. The 26-year-old Colon is a former number 4 overall draft pick and is ready for a full-time trial.

Dealing for a second baseman before trying Colon would be a premature waste of prospects when the solution could already be sitting on the bench. Perhaps Cincinnati’s Brandon Phillips might be a candidate, but he is on a $12 million contract for this season, with $27 million more remaining through 2017.

Do you really want to commit upwards of $35 million to a soon-to-be 34-year-old second baseman?

Otherwise, I don’t see any other second baseman who might be available and would be a significant upgrade over Infante.

Obviously, an injury to a key player could change this assessment. But, right now, Dayton Moore is in the enviable position of playing a pat hand.

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• Winter Meetings: Any blockbusters for the KC Royals?