
It turned out to be a quiet opening day of the Winter Meetings. There were still plenty of interesting things to happen surrounding the Kansas City Royals.
Huge moves were in short supply on the first day of the 2017 Winter Meetings. After big decisions by Shohei Ohtani and Giancarlo Stanton in the days leading up to the annual gathering, Monday seemed like a letdown. That being said, the Kansas City Royals remained busy. Here’s a recap of their day in Orlando, Florida.
Fielding offers
The biggest development of the first day seemed to be a clear path for the Kansas City Royals. A rebuild — likely to the extent of a full-blown teardown — seems imminent. Officials reportedly spent the day fielding inquiries about virtually every player with major league experience. According to MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan, the main objective for the organization this week appears to be rebuilding the farm system. Failing to re-sign Eric Hosmer will almost certainly lead to wholesale changes:
Be prepared to read many more reports here at the Winter Meetings on the Royals listening to offers on virtually anyone on the roster. They're prepping for a big rebuild if they lose Hoz.
— Jeffrey Flanagan (@FlannyMLB) December 11, 2017
That tweet would scare even the most even-keeled Kansas City Royals fans. Part of the trepidation is the unknown about who exactly the offers were made in reference to. Here’s another tweet from Flanagan — this one provides a little clarity on specific names mentioned:
The Royals continue to get hits on certain players, from Herrera to Alexander to Duffy to Merrifield. And Dayton Moore just reiterated his top priority is restocking the farm system to its 2010 level.
— Jeffrey Flanagan (@FlannyMLB) December 11, 2017
It would seem to suggest that all top players could be traded for the right price. The biggest question is whether Salvador Perez falls into that group. His name is the only clear omission from Flanagan’s tweet. That doesn’t mean the team is necessarily unwilling to listen to offers on the franchise cornerstone. It could just mean none came in for him on Monday.