A Royals Acquisition that May Make Sense

[Steve9347]

I think Greinke would make sense.

[southsider2k5]

Another thing that might be worth considering... Are the Royals ruining careers by rushing kids to the big leagues too quickly?

[Steve9347]

Another thing that might be worth considering... Are the Royals ruining careers by rushing kids to the big leagues too quickly?

There wasn't much left Alex Gordon had to prove in the minors. He was a monster.

[Jordan4life_2007]

Another thing that might be worth considering... Are the Royals ruining careers by rushing kids to the big leagues too quickly?

 

Kinda like how we rushed Beckham?

 

And I don't think the Royals rushed Gordon at all. He spent his entire first professional season (130 games, 576 PA's) at AA and lacerated the league to the tune of .325/.427/.588/1.016. The way they've handled him the last two+ years has been despicable.

[ThunderBolt]

Moore would ask for Gordon Beckham and work down from there.

 

Sometimes we really overvalue our own players and undervalue others.

Not even Dayton Moore is stupid enough to demand Beckham for Gordon. Beckham, at least, has almost a year of above-average major league production under his belt.

[iamshack]

Another thing that might be worth considering... Are the Royals ruining careers by rushing kids to the big leagues too quickly?

Gordon dominated the minor leagues. He certainly wasn't rushed.

 

But now that I think about this more, and read that blog that Lillian posted...man, what an idiot Dayton Moore is. Chris Getz is never going to be what Alex Gordon is capable of being. You're not going to win s*** this year. So why the hell do you care if Chris Getz hits even .50 points higher than Gordon if you are effectively ruining Gordon's chances of ever fulfilling his potential in a Royals uniform by sending him down?

 

"The Plan" is a f***ing disaster.

[Jordan4life_2007]

Gordon dominated the minor leagues. He certainly wasn't rushed.

 

But now that I think about this more, and read that blog that Lillian posted...man, what an idiot Dayton Moore is. Chris Getz is never going to be what Alex Gordon is capable of being. You're not going to win s*** this year. So why the hell do you care if Chris Getz hits even .50 points higher than Gordon if you are effectively ruining Gordon's chances of ever fulfilling his potential in a Royals uniform by sending him down?

 

"The Plan" is a f***ing disaster.

 

I'm thinking there's something more to this. This just doesn't make a shred of sense. I'd keep an eye on this situation over the next couple weeks.

[iamshack]

I'd be shopping the hell out of Greinke right now too. His value will never be higher. And by the time they are any good to where he can actually make a difference for them, he will be walking via FA.

[witesoxfan]

I'd be shopping the hell out of Greinke right now too. His value will never be higher. And by the time they are any good to where he can actually make a difference for them, he will be walking via FA.

 

Well, that is if the Royals are ever good again. Off the top of my head, I'm pretty sure they have the longest current playoff drought in the league (a cool 24 years, including 2010) and they have the second longest active stretch of not winning the division (only Milwaukee's is longer at 28 years if they don't win it this year, and they atleast made the playoffs two years ago).

[Dick Allen]

I'd be shopping the hell out of Greinke right now too. His value will never be higher. And by the time they are any good to where he can actually make a difference for them, he will be walking via FA.

Then the cycle would continue. They would never be good. I would hate to be a Royals fan who grew up with the George Brett era teams with the way this franchise has floundered the past 2 decades.

 

They need to keep their good players. When Greinke can become a FA, he's kind of a strange dude and perhaps except for the losing, likes the low pressure environment in KC, Royals ownership needs to sign him to a fair market contract. They have some decent young players, but it seems there is such a loser's atmosphere around there.

 

I don't think their GM is going anywhere, but KC, if I were a young GM in waiting, would be a sweet job. They have some gpod young talent. Expectations are beyond low. The fans there are starved for something just decent. Guillen is coming off the books. I really think if you had a decent plan, I think you could really make quite a name for yourself as their GM, and if you were successful and they couldn't afford to keep what you have built, you would have your choice of other jobs.

[caulfield12]

That Meche deal for $55 million raised eyebrows at the time, and is still met with quizzical acceptance by GM's throughout the game...

[greg775]

The way they've handled him the last two+ years has been despicable.

 

Why despicable? Alex Gordon has been injured ... a lot.

The Royals didn't set it up for him to get injured. Nobody in KC would be worked up if KC dumped Gordon to some team.

I wouldn't be against trading for Gordon, only if we could get rid of Teahen in the process.

And as far as the shot at Pods, he's healthy and would have given us a much better lineup the month of April than power puff Pierre gave us.

Edited May 3, 2010 by greg775

[ThunderBolt]

Sounds like the Royals plan on playing Gordon at 1b/LF in Omaha.

[Jordan4life_2007]

Why despicable? Alex Gordon has been injured ... a lot.

The Royals didn't set it up for him to get injured. Nobody in KC would be worked up if KC dumped Gordon to some team.

I wouldn't be against trading for Gordon, only if we could get rid of Teahen in the process.

And as far as the shot at Pods, he's healthy and would have given us a much better lineup the month of April than power puff Pierre gave us.

 

I'm not blaming them for his injuries. That wouldn't make any sense. But how is it that a team that's finished 256575475477547324724287432874 under .500 the last 15 years justify not giving a supremely talented player every opportunity to develop at the major league level?

[caulfield12]

And the Royals have officially replaced the Washington Nationals as the dumbest organization in MLB, also edging out the Pirates in a vote that wasn't even relatively close.

 

 

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. | It made no sense, the Royals finally decided, to keep third baseman Alex Gordon buried on their bench.

 

That conclusion prompted Sunday’s decision to option Gordon to Class AAA Omaha where, presumably, he can get regular playing time. Infielder Mike Aviles will replace Gordon on the big-league roster.

 

The move came after manager Trey Hillman left little doubt before Sunday’s 1-0 loss to Tampa Bay that he views Alberto Callaspo and Chris Getz as the regulars at third base and second base.

 

Gordon did not start any of the last three games after Getz returned Friday from the disabled list. Plus, Gordon had only six hits in 31 at-bats in 12 games since returning himself from the disabled list.

 

Getz had just one hit in 10 at-bats in the last three games but his value, Hillman said, goes beyond numbers.

 

“It may not be those standout things like a double in the gap or the great diving play every night,” Hillman said. “But he’s going to turn the double play. He’s going to range up and the middle and, especially, into the 4-3 hole.

 

“Occasionally, he’s going to do something you like seeing a baseball player do. A base-hit bunt (Saturday) with two outs and a runner on third base was a big run. He’s going to find a way to get his hits.”

 

Gordon entered Saturday’s game at first base after replacing Billy Butler as a pinch-runner in the ninth inning.

 

Club officials indicate Gordon could be a long-term fit at first if Butler switches to designated hitter next year when, presumably, José Guillen departs after concluding his three-year contract.

 

Trading Guillen could create that opportunity at some point this season. Either way, Gordon seems unlikely to return to third base any time soon.

 

“At this point,” Hillman said, “we definitely like Callaspo at third base. Obviously, the bat needs to be in there. It’s the most useable (defensive) spot, and I think he’s pretty good at it.”

 

Aviles started Sunday for Omaha at Iowa before leaving the game for a pinch-hitter. He is expected to be in uniform Monday when the Royals open a three-game series in Chicago.

 

The Royals opened the season with Aviles on their 25-man roster but optioned him to Omaha after he made only two reserve appearances in the first five games. He batted .271 in 17 games at Omaha with one homer and eight RBIs.

 

 

 

Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/05/02/19185...l#ixzz0muVbwbLB

Edited May 3, 2010 by caulfield12

[Jordan4life_2007]

Unbelievable. KW needs to be on the phone right now and gauging what kinda package it would take to land AG.

[caulfield12]

I really cannot fathom how any GM who came up under John Schuerholz could have such a near-sighted, short term view of the big picture and baseball talent.

 

Royals are going nowhere, they basically just rang the death-knell on Gordon's career with the Royals by placing him as a lower priority in the pecking order than 2 average utility players in Callaspo and Getz...3 really, as he was technically replaced by Aviles, the ultimate grinder that could even "out-grind" Getzie.

 

Just one of the most idiotic decisions I've ever heard/seen a FO make. The Royals have not a single snowball's chance in hell of competing against the Twins and Tigers without any middle relief to speak of.

[ThunderBolt]

Could you imagine putting this lineup out there in three months?

Flowers- C

Konerko- 1b

Beckham-2b

Gordon-3b

Ramirez-SS

Jones-RF

Rios-CF

Teahen-LF/Util

Q/DH

 

Pierre

Vizquel

Retherford

Danks

 

How fun would White Sox baseball be to watch, even if we weren’t in contention?

 

[caulfield12]

Thunderbolt, substitute Viciedo for Konerko at 1B (salary dump) and you have a deal, haha.

 

Teahen would be benched/utility/spot play. I actually would rather see what Morel could do...since we already know what we've got with Mark. Heck, I'd rather see Wilson Betemit...almost...if he was hitting like in ST 2009.

 

 

 

The lead paragraph of Dick Kaegel's story at KCRoyals.com asks a question that's provocative, if also preposterous, in nature.

 

"Can a pitcher win the Cy Young Award without winning a game?"

 

If Zack Greinke's season continues like this, he would make for quite a test case for the BBWAA.

 

Greinke made the mistake of allowing a solo home run to Evan Longoria on Sunday, and it cost him and the Kansas City Royals a 1-0 decision to the Tampa Bay Rays. Tough as that result sounds, it is not atypical for pitcher or team.

 

After six starts, Greinke is 0-3. He's on pace to finish with 214 strikeouts, an 0.98 WHIP, an ERA of 2.27 ... and a record of 0-19.

 

As long as his health holds up, Greinke will win his share of games this season. He is too skilled and no one is that unlucky. Plus, the Royals are 10-15 overall, which is bad but not awful. Yet. They're obviously capable of providing some form of support offensively.

 

Greinke is aware he won't go 0-19. Probably.

Edited May 3, 2010 by caulfield12

[ThunderBolt]

I don't think Viciedo will be up barring a cuppa tea in September. He's still young, handsomely paid, and working through his kinks. I could see Danksy 2 being in the 9 hole for two months, but i see Viciedo getting some play in AAA for the majority of the year.

[caulfield12]

But Sox director of player development Buddy Bell admitted that although Viciedo's talent led to certain expectations, they were limited.

 

"I don't think we had any expectations other than getting him to do different things he needed to do," Bell said. "Coming from a different country, just understanding the culture, understanding what we do here is a lot to take in, in one year.

 

"The game is played a little bit different than what he's used to. It's played at a little bit of a slower pace in Cuba, and when you get over here, there are certain things they have to do that they're not used to, like running balls out. The perception that you get from Dayan sometimes is that he's not ready or prepared, but he's the greatest kid in the world. All you need to do is tell him what he needs to do, and he's terrific. Those are the kind of things he has to make habit. Quite honestly, he's got to do better, but offensively and defensively, he's making great progress."

 

Last season, Viciedo hit .280 with 12 home runs and 78 runs batted in for Double-A Birmingham. In 10 spring training games, he is 4-of-22 (.182) with a run scored, two RBIs and seven strikeouts. And the numbers game is not in Viciedo's favor right now.

 

Although he played well enough at third base last season for Birmingham, the acquisition of Mark Teahen from Kansas City to play third for the Sox, complete with a three-year, $14 million contract extension, has essentially forced the Sox to look to first base as a possible destination for Viciedo with Paul Konerko and backup Mark Kotsay both becoming free agents after this season.

 

"We're kind of going back and forth with that right now," Bell said. "[Viciedo] is going to play a little more first than he ever has in the past because of the depth we have there right now, and we feel like Dayan is probably a better fit than the other two guys (Kotsay/Konerko or Flowers at 1B???), so this is probably his quickest path."

 

The other problem with Viciedo playing third is that he is listed at 240 pounds, but he looks considerably heavier and needs to improve his physical condition.

 

"I think that's fair," Bell said. "But he's a typical 18-, 19-, 20-year-old. Your body kind of gets away from you like when you go to college, but we have him on a fairly strict program, and he's starting to lose some of his baby fat."

 

Viciedo said it "doesn't matter" whether he plays third or first but agrees his weight is a concern.

 

"Right now I feel healthy, but I know I have to lose a little more weight to be more comfortable playing," he said.

 

The Sox love his hands and his power at the plate. "We're still working on his feet," Bell said. "Part of that is changing his body. He's kind of a young hitter right now where he gets out of control, so we have to kind of back him off a little bit, which is really hard. But I'd rather do it that way than have a guy who's passive that we've got to push. We've got to get him more under control, more balanced. But he's got great ability. I think it's just going to take a little bit more time."

 

Bell compares Viciedo to Cuban-born Angels first baseman Kendry Morales.

 

"He was supposed to be the next great thing," Bell said of Morales, "and he had to spend a few more years in the minor leagues, and now he's one of the better players in our league. I think it's very similar."

 

Being the next great thing does have its drawbacks. But Jordan Danks, who played with Viciedo in Birmingham and became close friends with him despite the language barrier, said it did not appear to faze Viciedo.

 

"I think he handles that weight [of expectation] really well," Danks said. "He was born to play baseball. He said he knew that as soon as he got drafted out of high school. He was real mature at a young age, and I really don't think it's that big of an adjustment for him [to be playing in the U.S.]."

 

Guillen said he still has high hopes for Viciedo.

 

"I expect a lot of things from him," he said. "He's a different type of guy. He doesn't look like a Latino. He's so laid-back and sometimes with Viciedo acting that way, people think he's lazy, but no, that's the way he is."

 

www.espn.com

 

Edited May 3, 2010 by caulfield12

[nickofypres]

CJ Retherford is the starting third basemen in Charlotte.

 

If anything I can see him (and others) for Gordon. But, I'd rather take my chances with CJ. Granted both are risks with one being a prospect and one being a bust.

 

But still.

[caulfield12]

They'll ask for more than CJ Retherford...that would get up a hang-up of the phone with curse words if that was the "centerpiece" of the deal.

 

 

CHICAGO | Alex Gordon isn’t just heading to Class AAA Omaha to regain his hitting form. The Royals also want him to concentrate on learning to play left field while also logging time at first base.

 

“We’re not completely taking third base away from him,” Royals manager Trey Hillman said, “but we really want him to work on playing left field. He’ll also see some time at first base but, mainly, I think it will be left field.”

 

The Royals optioned Gordon to Omaha after Sunday’s 1-0 loss at Tampa Bay. He departed with a .194 average through 12 games following his return from the disabled list after recovering from a broken right thumb.

 

Plans call for outfield specialist Rusty Kuntz, a special assistant to general manager Dayton Moore, to be in Omaha to ease Gordon’s transition to the outfield. Gordon is expected to join Omaha in time for tonight’s game against Oklahoma City.

 

“The first thing we told Alex is he needs to play,” Hillman said. “We just want him to relax and get the weight off his shoulders. He’ll play some first, but we want him to concentrate on left field.”

 

Gordon appeared buried on the big-league bench after second baseman Chris Getz returned last Friday from the disabled list. That moved Alberto Callaspo back to third base, which left no spot in the lineup for Gordon.

 

Callaspo’s emergence as a reliable offensive contributor solidifies his spot in the lineup, and third base appears to be his best defensive position. Hillman believes Getz solidifies the infield defense.

 

The emphasis in having Gordon learn to play left field suggests first base also might not be a preferred long-term option even if Billy Butler shifts to designated hitter after the anticipated departure of José Guillen after this season.

 

Club officials appear to be taking another look at Omaha first baseman Kila Ka’aihue, who is batting .299 with a .455 on-base percentage, seven homers and 20 RBIs in 22 games.

 

They also see the possibility of Eric Hosmer, the third overall pick in the 2008 draft, making a quick move through the system after undergoing Lasik surgery to improve his vision. Hosmer is batting .415 with a .505 OBP, 10 extra-base hits and 15 RBIs in 23 games at Class A Wilmington.

 

 

 

Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/05/03/19218...l#ixzz0mwQduoWm

 

 

 

Gordon and Aviles are the two men trading baseball places in one of the most talked-about roster moves in recent Royals memory.

 

The early return from fans is loudly opposed, though the Royals long ago earned their way to a place where what they do is assumed to be wrong until proved otherwise.

 

The ramifications for this stretch years into the future for a broken franchise that needs something to go right.

 

Forget what they say publicly. The Royals no longer view Gordon as a cornerstone. Those faint hopes are now dead, and everyone now sees the expectations were just too high.

 

As one baseball man puts it, Gordon never was George Brett or Mike Schmidt, so now the Royals are hoping he can become Robin Ventura.

 

Even giving the benefit of the doubt with a string of injuries, the Ventura comparison is a long way up from where Gordon is now, having batted just .226 with 14 extra-base hits and 14 errors in 61 games since the beginning of last year.

 

The definitive opinion can’t be made quite yet, but this is leaning more bust than boom, Gordon coming out of a draft that had Ryan Zimmerman, Ryan Braun and Troy Tulowitzki also going in the top 10.

 

Gordon arrived in the big leagues by displacing the Royals’ reigning player of the year at third base. He leaves the big leagues in part so he can be eventually displaced at third base by Mike Moustakas — who, by the way, is now hitting .395 at Class AA Northwest Arkansas.

 

This is a franchise-shifting move and one backed by a rival scout who says of Gordon, “Nobody I know is excited about him or thinks he’s above getting sent down.”

 

This is a future-centric move, but one that only works if Gordon regains his mojo in Omaha or — big if — the Royals don’t make Aviles rot on the bench.

 

 

 

Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/05/03/19218...l#ixzz0mwSMjnUS

 

 

 

 

[Quin]

As one baseball man puts it, Gordon never was George Brett or Mike Schmidt, so now the Royals are hoping he can become Robin Ventura.

 

Do they mean Robin's bat? Or how he was all around (stellar D, ok bat)?

[caulfield12]

I think maybe just the "overall" combination of offensive and defensive tools.

 

That he would never make the HOF or even come close, but that he would be a very solid major leaguer who would end up making 3-5 All-Star teams, potentially.

 

I think the Royals would be tickled pink if he could end up somewhere between Crede and Ventura. But that's a lot lot harder for him to do from a corner outfield spot, his value (and bat) depreciates significantly up against the Dunns of the game who can mash the ball with extremely limited fielding ability. Josh Fields tried to do the same thing to very limited success...so did Teahen.

Edited May 4, 2010 by caulfield12