Five Objectives Kansas City Royals Must Accomplish for Successful 2018

1.) Re-sign Eric Hosmer

The Kansas City Royals have a handful of the best upcoming free agents ready to hit the market. Many fans would love nothing more than to see them all magically return next year. Some would be fine with Alcides Escobar and Jason Vargas leaving, but they would give anything to have Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain and Eric Hosmer stay with the club.

If Hosmer leaves, and especially if Moustakas and Cain follow, there’s not much the team can do to make 2018 a success.

Those fans will probably be disappointed no matter what happens this winter. Hopefully, some will settle for the Kansas City Royals re-signing the most popular of the trio to a long-term contract. That’s the first goal the franchise needs to accomplish for a successful 2018.

Moustakas and Cain have both had injury problems in recent seasons. Wade Davis showed this year that past health issues don’t necessarily crop up every subsequent campaign. However, given the length of contract the pair will seek, it’s a legitimate concern. Hosmer has stayed remarkably healthy during his career. He played every game this season either at the non-physically grueling first base or designated hitter. That should keep him on the field for much of the contract.

He also will sell tickets. Clearly, he’s not the only one. Salvador Perez, Danny Duffy and Whit Merrifield, among others, are each worth the price of admission. But Hosmer is one of the most popular athletes in Kansas City, losing him would hurt the franchise more away from the field than it would between the lines. If Hosmer leaves, and especially if Moustakas and Cain follow, there’s not much the team can do to make 2018 a success.

2.) Sign Tyler Chatwood in Free Agency

The Kansas City Royals have enough in-house pitching options to replace Vargas. With the team unlikely to finish with a winning record — more or less stay in the playoff hunt — the sensible thing for 2018 would be to give some younger guys a chance to start. That doesn’t mean the team shouldn’t look to bolster the rotation with a potential offseason steal.

The organization would be smart to give Jake Junis a spot in the rotation, while simultaneously looking for the next Junis within its minor league ranks. Simultaneously, the Kansas City Royals need to focus on building the rotation of the future, which won’t include Ian Kennedy or Jason Hammel.

Kennedy needs to be kept in the rotation. Firstly, he is owed too much money to justify a bullpen spot. Secondly, there is a chance he bounces back next year enough to earn a midseason trade. Hammel, though, doesn’t need to remain a starter. His ability to pitch twice through the order extremely well would make him an effective long reliever, particularly if the organization runs out spot starters on a regular basis.

All of that leads to my overarching point: The Kansas City Royals need to sign Tyler Chatwood this winter. General manager Dayton Moore is unlikely to spend big money on a free agent pitcher, especially if he re-signs Hosmer. That’s perfectly fine, because Chatwood should be a cheap alternative who can be a valued member of the starting rotation.

His struggles recently in Colorado will see him available for comparable prices to several aging pitchers. The almost-28-year-old made a recent list outlining possible cheap free agent pitcher targets. Of those mentioned, he elicited the most excitement. His age and pitching numbers away from Coors Field (3.49 ERA and 1.23 WHIP) should make him an offseason target.

3.) Have a Trusted Lineup on Opening Day

Last season, the Kansas City Royals made the ill-advised decision to begin the season with Raul Mondesi at second base and Merrifield in Triple-A Omaha. The misguided decision was quickly corrected and likely didn’t keep the team from the postseason. However, it’s the kind of mistake that can’t happen in the future.

To be clear, there needs to be a youth movement and Mondesi will be a big part of that. But somehow not realizing you are sending your best second baseman to the minors is an inexcusable decision. Keeping Christian Colon with the MLB team because he is out of options is the other kind of decision that can’t be made. Basically, the best 25 players in the organization need to be playing with the Kansas City Royals.

Entering an era where winning should be the priority, the franchise needs to build chemistry and confidence at the big-league level. A possible starting lineup could consist of the following:

1. Whit Merrifield, 2B
2. Raul Mondesi, SS
3. Eric Hosmer, 1B
4. Salvador Perez, C
5. Brandon Moss, DH
6. Jorge Soler or Jorge Bonifacio, RF
7. Paulo Orlando or Bubba Starling, CF
8. Cheslor Cuthbert or Hunter Dozier, 3B
9. Alex Gordon, LF

Obviously, that’s not the perfect lineup. But you get the point. Platoons should be utilized, especially at right field and third base, to give multiple players the chance to grow. As the season progresses, Moss and Gordon can increasingly ride the pine in favor of younger players. Whatever the Opening Day roster ends up being, it needs to consist of the best players in the organization cutting their teeth against MLB pitching.

4.) Defer to Youth Throughout the Season

This dovetails a bit with the previous slide. Fair or not, the veterans on the 2018 team who aren’t part of the franchise’s future should have a short leash. If guys like Gordon or Moss struggle, let Bonifacio and Soler get even more at-bats. On the flip side, let the young guys struggle.

Last year, it didn’t make sense to start Mondesi at a position he wouldn’t be expected to play in the majors. The idea was to get him experience against MLB pitching. That’s fine if the team isn’t expected to compete, which will be the case next season. It wasn’t the case in 2017.

In a lot of ways, the organization and Ned Yost, in particular, need to treat players like Mondesi the way they treated Escobar and Gordon last year.

In a lot of ways, the organization and Ned Yost, in particular, need to treat players like Mondesi the way they treated Escobar and Gordon last year. Let them play through the rough stretches. It builds character and shows you have confidence in them. Sometimes you have to take drastic measures with a prospect like Gordon and Moustakas.

More often, though, the young guys just need to work through their struggles. The aforementioned platoons, while also allowing even more players to get regular plate appearances, gives the manager a chance to see how his players work through adversity. The players who can thrive in a platoon situation are the kind of players you need on your team.

They are willing to do whatever it takes for the team, they are able to step up whenever called upon and they are unselfish players who enjoy their teammates’ success. Those are the guys the Kansas City Royals need to find, and 2018 provides the perfect opportunity.

5.) Sell at the Deadline

As you may have noticed, most of these objectives are impacted by the previous ones. That’s how we come to this point. With the priorities being placed on developing talent, the farm system needs to be rebuilt. Using the draft to build the foundation takes time. A quicker way is to follow the plan the White Sox employed this season: When the deadline comes, sell every veteran who isn’t a franchise pillar.

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For the Kansas City Royals, that means keeping Hosmer, Duffy and Perez. Everyone else is available for the right price. Many players are getting paid too much for other teams to bite. But there could be several quality players who contenders will look to add. Unfortunately, the haul wouldn’t be anywhere near what the franchise could have landed in 2017.

Some of the main candidates for a midseason deal would be Kelvin Herrera, Moss and Hammel. Like I said, not an especially exciting group. But anyone outside of Hosmer, Duffy and Perez should be available. Guys like Merrifield would require a significant return, but shipping out other veterans for some unproven prospects is a low-risk gamble.

By the end of the season, the Kansas City Royals should look more like the 2012 and 2013 version of themselves than the 2017 one. That means a bunch of young guys having fun with no pressure to win. While not as enjoyable as competing for a World Series title, there’s a certain level of joy seeing a group of up-and-coming players excited to play in the majors.

Next: Who Earned MVP for Royals in 2017?

If the Kansas City Royals are able to reach that level of fun in 2018 by accomplishing these five objectives, then fans will have no choice but to view the season as a success. Whether they can achieve those goals is another question entirely.