Royals have eyes on offseason prizes
11/09/2005
KANSAS CITY -- One thing is certain: the Royals cannot not afford to have another 100-loss season. Their rebuilding program must progress but with more victories added to the equation.
With that in mind, general manager Allard Baird has targeted these additions: a starting pitcher, a power-hitting outfielder, a second baseman, a backup catcher and a middle reliever.
Most presumably would be veterans, although Baird would prefer the outfielder on the younger side.
"We really liked the readiness of our players to move into this second phase of our rebuilding mode and that dictated it," Baird said.
"Some of those players we knew weren't quite ready physically but we felt very strongly that those players were all mentally tough. Anybody that we brought to the big leagues, [we thought] it would not hurt their development and we felt good about giving guys an opportunity."
There were successful developments. Mike MacDougal re-established himself as a closer with unexpected setup help from rookies Andrew Sisco and Ambiorix Burgos. Starter Runelvys Hernandez rebounded from surgery. Mark Teahen showed he could play third base. Right fielder Emil Brown bloomed in mid-career.
"Now at the end of the season, before the last game was played, you had a pretty good feel for guys that we felt comfortable with -- that they'd be part of our club going with our club to Spring Training. Then there were some players that definitely needed to go to the Minor Leagues. And there was a third group that maybe you move them for trades or they're not part of the ballclub as we move forward," Baird said.
"So that dictated what our voids were going into the next phase of this thing."
A staff leader is needed for the rotation, as well as an old hand to stabilize all the bullpen kids. A succession of youngsters including Ruben Gotay, Donnie Murphy and Andres Blanco aren't ready at second base, in Baird's view. Catcher John Buck would benefit from a guiding-light backup.
Plus, the station-to-station offense of 2005 produced the fewest homers (126) and the third-fewest runs (701) in the American League. An outfielder with sock, a priority for a year now, is still lacking.
Yes, the club also lacks speed.
"I wouldn't rule that out. I'm open to a lot of things, but we are a club that has had to string together too many singles to score runs and we do need that [power] threat," Baird said.
"Obviously, it'll make Michael [Sweeney] better, and if Emil Brown is in the lineup every day, it'll make him better. I think when you look at our younger players, it'll take them off the microscope and let them relax a little bit."
Baird, operating with a $50 million salary budget for next sesaon, already has contacted numerous free agents. Before this week's general managers meetings, he'd already met personally with three of them.
"You're trying to bring veteran guys in to not only give your team dependable production, but you're also looking for them to be a support group for your youngsters as they go to the next level," he said.
Of the Royals' free agents, they might bring back left-hander Brian Anderson, who is mending from arm surgery, and backup infielder Joe McEwing. While they love right-hander Jose Lima's energy, his poor record works against him.
Promising to be aggressive, Baird is likely to measure the possibilities in a long list of starting pitchers including A.J. Burnett, Paul Byrd, Kenny Rogers, Kevin Millwood and Jarrod Washburn, just to name a few. But it's a thin group this year, which could drive asking prices up.
"We're in on all the starting pitchers and we'll see where it takes us," Baird said.
Source: http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/
KANSAS CITY -- One thing is certain: the Royals cannot not afford to have another 100-loss season. Their rebuilding program must progress but with more victories added to the equation.
With that in mind, general manager Allard Baird has targeted these additions: a starting pitcher, a power-hitting outfielder, a second baseman, a backup catcher and a middle reliever.
Most presumably would be veterans, although Baird would prefer the outfielder on the younger side.
"We really liked the readiness of our players to move into this second phase of our rebuilding mode and that dictated it," Baird said.
"Some of those players we knew weren't quite ready physically but we felt very strongly that those players were all mentally tough. Anybody that we brought to the big leagues, [we thought] it would not hurt their development and we felt good about giving guys an opportunity."
There were successful developments. Mike MacDougal re-established himself as a closer with unexpected setup help from rookies Andrew Sisco and Ambiorix Burgos. Starter Runelvys Hernandez rebounded from surgery. Mark Teahen showed he could play third base. Right fielder Emil Brown bloomed in mid-career.
"Now at the end of the season, before the last game was played, you had a pretty good feel for guys that we felt comfortable with -- that they'd be part of our club going with our club to Spring Training. Then there were some players that definitely needed to go to the Minor Leagues. And there was a third group that maybe you move them for trades or they're not part of the ballclub as we move forward," Baird said.
"So that dictated what our voids were going into the next phase of this thing."
A staff leader is needed for the rotation, as well as an old hand to stabilize all the bullpen kids. A succession of youngsters including Ruben Gotay, Donnie Murphy and Andres Blanco aren't ready at second base, in Baird's view. Catcher John Buck would benefit from a guiding-light backup.
Plus, the station-to-station offense of 2005 produced the fewest homers (126) and the third-fewest runs (701) in the American League. An outfielder with sock, a priority for a year now, is still lacking.
Yes, the club also lacks speed.
"I wouldn't rule that out. I'm open to a lot of things, but we are a club that has had to string together too many singles to score runs and we do need that [power] threat," Baird said.
"Obviously, it'll make Michael [Sweeney] better, and if Emil Brown is in the lineup every day, it'll make him better. I think when you look at our younger players, it'll take them off the microscope and let them relax a little bit."
Baird, operating with a $50 million salary budget for next sesaon, already has contacted numerous free agents. Before this week's general managers meetings, he'd already met personally with three of them.
"You're trying to bring veteran guys in to not only give your team dependable production, but you're also looking for them to be a support group for your youngsters as they go to the next level," he said.
Of the Royals' free agents, they might bring back left-hander Brian Anderson, who is mending from arm surgery, and backup infielder Joe McEwing. While they love right-hander Jose Lima's energy, his poor record works against him.
Promising to be aggressive, Baird is likely to measure the possibilities in a long list of starting pitchers including A.J. Burnett, Paul Byrd, Kenny Rogers, Kevin Millwood and Jarrod Washburn, just to name a few. But it's a thin group this year, which could drive asking prices up.
"We're in on all the starting pitchers and we'll see where it takes us," Baird said.
Source: http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/
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