MLBTR Chat Transcript: Realmuto, Giants, Nats, Cards, More

“Yeah, but the Royals … seem to think they are already turning the corner.”

Not quite that.

Royals hope to play winning ball in 2020, and be legit contenders in 2021. They have some excellent players in the minors, including a core in A ball, some of whom could have been moved to AA ball in 2018, but management wanted to keep them winning together up to the majors. They did this with the group that went to 2 WS’s.

Merrifield is 29 and in great shape. A smart player, he plays a decent 2B and OF. He can easily play for another 6-8 years. With Alex Gordon hinting about retiring after 2019, Merrifield, Salvy, and Duffy are the Royal veterans setting the tone for the developing players.

When the Braves started rebuilding, all those at MLBTR criticized them for signing Nick Markakis. Some even wanted Freedie Freeman traded for prospects. The fact is that both players – especially Markakis – were role models, mentors, and leaders for the young players coming up.

The Phillies did it the MLBTR way. They dumped every veteran they could get anything for. Signing a few makeshift guys that knew they were only passing through. So when the big push came in 2018, they actually signed Carlos Santana for the veteran leadership role. He never showed any signs of being able to do that. He plays for his statistics. Period. And they brought in Jake Arrieta, who quickly developed an attitude. Worse yet, they brought in a manager that had never managed anyone in his life, but was supposedly a stat guru…..who Arrieta criticized numerous times for using stats incorrectly.

Not surprisingly, the Phillies fell apart at the beginning of the 2018 stretch run, while the Braves pulled together. The Braves got some playoff experience for 2019, while the young Phillies have no identity, cohesion, or leadership…..hoping that giving Machado and/or Harper a zillion dollars will fix everything.

The Royals are doing it the right way. Sure, they’ll move Merrifield if they’re overwhelmed with an offer, but that would probably come in-season from a contender with a deep farm system that either suffered a major injury and/or felt Merrifield is their missing piece. My money says Whit is destined to play in a World Series with the Royals.