With the 2011 baseball season just passing the midway point, the Kansas City Royals are already playing for 2012. It’s not unexpected. The Royals, at 34-51, are about as good as most of thought they would be. It’s kind of a crazy occurrence because in most facets of the game, this version of the Royals is better than their recent predecessors. With Alex Gordon having a break out year, and Jeff Francoeur and Melky Cabrera showing some of the talents that made them top prospects at one point early in their careers. The defense is miles ahead of last year with the brilliant Alcides Escobar leading the way. The outfield is as good as any in the league. Even the bullpen, overloaded with wet behind the ears rookies, has been a big improvement over the past few seasons.
Of course, that leaves the starting rotation as the anchor weighing down the Royals. This is no secret and I have discussed it in previous posts. With most of the top pitching prospects looking to be farther away than most of us hoped, this is the area that Dayton Moore must try to shore up over the next three weeks.
Pitching is precious for every team in baseball. No one can ever have enough pitching, so it is hard to acquire it. Moore is going to have to work overtime through the end of July in an attempt to turn over ever stone and pursue every avenue in order to find a way to improve this ball club, not only for 2011, but beyond as well.
What bargaining chips does Moore have to work with? Well, I would count Mike Aviles and Wilson Betemit as players that could be moved but I am unsure of their value right now. If they aren’t good enough to play for the Royals, how good can they be in the eyes of other general managers? I think they will be traded because both could be valuable bench players, especially in the National League, but I wouldn’t hold my breath the Royals receive much in return. If some contenders start to have rotation injury issues over the next three weeks or so, both Jeff Francis and Bruce Chen could bring a middling prospect but not much else. Melky Cabrera recent power surge could make him the most valuable chip. He is playing well enough to offer many teams a boost in their outfield line-ups. He might garner a strong, young arm from someone like the Giants, Rays, or Braves. We can only hope so.
The biggest decision for Moore may be whether to trade Francoeur or not. My feeling on this is that if the Royals do not think David Lough can be an every day player, and soon, Frenchy won’t be traded. I still think, though, if some team calls about Francoeur, Moore has to listen. And that’s about it as far as value on this team.
Unless, of course, teams come calling about Joakim Soria or Billy Butler. This could be Moore’s toughest call in the next three weeks. Don’t get me wrong. I love both players and I want them to be part of the future with the Royals. I think both want to be here and they are working hard to be successful here. If someone offers a major league ready starting pitcher (and not a Sean O’Sullivan or Vin Mazzaro type either) doesn’t Moore have to think about it? It would have to be a bona fide arm, to be sure, maybe two. I’m not sure that if the right deal came along for either or both players, Moore wouldn’t be obligated to act. Let me make this clear though. If he would trade either player for someone with the skill set of O’Sullivan or Mazzaro, I will be the first to scream for his head. So is the life of a general manager.
Moore has more than hinted that the Royals will not be able to land any top notch major league starting pitcher free agents. He has also said (not hearsay, I heard it) Kyle Davies will be the 5th best starter free agent in this off season. I think that as far as Davies goes, Moore has a gigantic blind spot. I’ve looked at the list, and not counting players with options, there are easily more than 4 better free agent starters, although he is definitely the youngest. Maybe Moore is equating youth with talent, and that is certainly not the case in this instance. With this all being said, Moore is probably right. The Royals are not going to be able to sign a top notch free agent starter. That is just life.
Another option would be for Moore to dangle some of that vaunted farm system talent the Royals supposedly have to some other poor small market team for some top of the line arms. I’m not a fan of the solution but it also must be considered.
Dayton Moore is going to have to work his rear end off over the next few weeks and hopefully it will pay off. The 2012 Kansas City Royals are going to be no more successful than the 2011 squad if these same type of pitchers are ran out there everyday . Something has to be done and it is Moore job to get it done.
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