The Royals have been near the bottom of the American League three years running. They took steps to correct that over the winter, adding a few veterans to deepen the roster. This spring, the Royals locked up a couple key contributors on long-term extensions, one via the largest deal in franchise history.
Major League Signings
- Mike Minor, LHP: Two years, $18MM (contains 2023 club option)
- Carlos Santana, 1B: Two years, $17.5MM
- Greg Holland, RHP: One year, $2.75MM
- Michael A. Taylor, OF: One year, $1.75MM
- Jarrod Dyson, OF: One year, $1.5MM
Trades and Claims
- Acquired RHP Dylan Coleman from the Padres as player to be named later in last year’s Trevor Rosenthal trade
- Acquired OF Andrew Benintendi and $2.8MM from the Red Sox as part of a three-team trade involving the Mets; Kansas City traded OF Franchy Cordero and two players to be named later to Boston and OF Khalil Lee to New York
Notable Minor League Signings
- Hanser Alberto, Brad Brach, Wade Davis (later selected to 40-man roster), Foster Griffin, Jeison Guzman, Erick Mejia, Carlos Sanabria, Ervin Santana, Bubba Starling
Extensions
- Hunter Dozier, 3B: Four years, $25MM guarantee with fifth year club option
- Salvador Pérez, C: Four years, $82MM guarantee with fifth year club option (begins in 2022)
Notable Losses
- Alex Gordon (retired), Maikel Franco (non-tendered), Ian Kennedy, Matt Harvey, Kevin McCarthy, Mike Montgomery, Glenn Sparkman, Randy Rosario, Matt Reynolds, Óscar Hernández
The Royals’ run of consecutive losing seasons reached four in 2020, as they finished 26-34 in the abbreviated slate. That was at least an improvement over 2018-19, during which time Kansas City had the third-worst combined record in the league (better only than the Orioles and Tigers). The Royals view 2020 as a stepping stone, a sign the organization has put those horrible two seasons behind them. Entering the offseason, general manager Dayton Moore said he expected the team to be more competitive in 2021 than it had been in years past.
Moore was also rather forthright about what he saw as the team’s deficiencies. “We definitely need more on-base guys,” the GM told reporters last October. “We need more quality [at-bats] from probably two other spots in that lineup.” Not coincidentally, the Royals’ biggest free agent position player pickup ended up being Carlos Santana. The veteran first baseman is one of the game’s best at taking quality at-bats. Since breaking into the majors in 2010, Santana has reached base at a .366 clip, a mark that ranks 25th leaguewide (minimum 2000 plate appearances).
The Royals inked Santana to a two year, $17.5MM guarantee in December. It was a bit of a surprise to see him command a multi-year deal coming off a .199/.349/.350 line in Cleveland. Despite the mediocre bottom line numbers last year, Santana’s strike zone feel was strong as ever. The switch-hitter walked at an incredible 18.4% clip while punching out just 16.9% of the time, making him one of only seven qualified hitters with more free passes than strikeouts.
Santana was the Royals’ only major league free agent infield pickup, but the club made another important addition on a minor-league contract. Kansas City agreed to a non-roster deal with Hanser Alberto, who had been non-tendered by the Orioles. The 28-year-old seems likely to make the Opening Day roster and push incumbent second baseman Nicky Lopez for playing time. (Before signing Alberto, the Royals pursued Jurickson Profar in free agency, but the latter eventually returned to the Padres on a three-year deal).
Lopez won’t begin the year on the active roster, having been optioned to Triple-A. The Royals could turn to Whit Merrifield, who has bounced between second and the outfield in recent years, at the keystone. Alternatively, Kansas City could move Merrifield to right field on a regular basis and give the second base job to Alberto with Lopez in the minors. Alberto never walks but he makes a ton of contact, resulting in a productive .299/.322/.413 line (95 wRC+) over the past two seasons. Top prospect Bobby Witt Jr. impressed in Spring Training and could also be an option at some point this season. He’ll begin the year in the minors, perhaps at Double-A.
The left side of the infield will be filled internally. Adalberto Mondesi hasn’t consistently performed at the plate but he’s shown flashes of power, good defense and elite baserunning. The 25-year-old will get another shot at a breakout season at shortstop. After breaking in as a third baseman, Hunter Dozier moved to right field last year to accommodate the signing of Maikel Franco. Franco was reasonably productive in 2020, but the Royals non-tendered him rather than pay an arbitration salary projected in the $4.5MM – $8MM range. With Franco gone, Dozier moves back to the hot corner.
The outfield will look quite different than it has in the past. Franchise icon Alex Gordon retired at the end of last season. One of the faces of the Royals’ mid-2010’s playoff runs, Gordon walked away after an illustrious 14-year career in Kansas City. It’ll be difficult to replace his perennially elite left field defense, to say nothing of the unquantifiable impact he had in the locker room and in the community. But Gordon was a below-average hitter in each of his final five seasons, so there’s certainly room for more offense at the position.
The Royals hope that production comes from their top trade pickup of the offseason. In need of a new left fielder and on the hunt for a left-handed bat to better balance the lineup, Kansas City acquired Andrew Benintendi from the Red Sox as part of a three-team deal. They’re buying low on the 26-year-old, who took a bit of a step back from his peak form in 2019 before suffering through a disastrous 2020.
The Royals sent outfielder Franchy Cordero, whose blend of power and speed continues to intrigue teams despite a lengthy injury history and swing-and-miss issues, back to the Red Sox, along with a pair of players to be named later. Outfield prospect Khalil Lee was moved to the Mets as part of the deal. Benintendi is controllable for a pair of seasons, and the Red Sox will pay $2.8MM of his $6.6MM salary in 2021.
In the other corner outfield spot, the Royals could turn to Merrifield regularly with Alberto and/or Lopez at second base. When Merrifield’s on the dirt, Edward Olivares, Nick Heath and prospect Kyle Isbel could work in right. Those players could all be options in center field, as well, but the bulk of time there seems likely to go to a pair of free agent signings. The Royals have long valued speed and range more than most teams, and their moves at the position reflect that. Kansas City signed each of Michael A. Taylor and Jarrod Dyson to low-cost, one-year deals. Neither player offers much at the plate, but they’re high-end defenders and Dyson, in particular, is an excellent baserunner.
Dyson’s addition is also emblematic of another organizational pattern: reacquiring former Royals. Last winter, Kansas City brought back former All-Star closer Greg Holland on a minor-league deal. That proved to be a masterstroke, as Holland tossed 28.1 innings of 1.91 ERA/3.20 SIERA ball, eventually reclaiming his old ninth inning role. The veteran righty is back again, having re-signed on a surprisingly modest $2.75MM contract this offseason.
Holland isn’t the only member of the Royals’ old fearsome bullpen to return. Wade Davis, arguably the best reliever in baseball from 2014-16, will be on the Opening Day roster after signing a minor-league deal over the winter. Davis’ stint with the Rockies was a disaster, and he’s now a couple years removed from being productive. But there’s little risk in bringing him back and hoping for a resurgence. That’s also true of former Oriole bullpen stalwart Brad Brach, a fellow minor-league signee.
The team’s biggest free agent pickup of the winter is another player who once had plenty of success in Kansas City. Mike Minor revived his career with a breakout 2017 season working out of the Royals’ bullpen. That earned him a three-year deal with the Rangers, where Minor stretched back out as a starter. The lefty had plenty of success over his first two years in Texas, earning an All-Star selection in 2019. Minor had a difficult 2020 season in terms of run prevention, pitching to a 5.56 ERA in 56.2 innings. He struck out a career-best 25.9% of opposing hitters, though, and pitched to a 4.20 SIERA that was actually better than in either of his previous two seasons.
The Royals’ front office clearly believes in Minor’s ability to bounce back, as they signed the 33-year-old to a two-year, $18MM guarantee with a 2023 club option. He joins Brad Keller and Danny Duffy as rotation locks. Brady Singer seems likely to open the year in the starting five as well. Jakob Junis and Kris Bubic will almost certainly factor into the rotation at some point (although Bubic will open the year in the minors). Prospects Jackson Kowar and Daniel Lynch are in camp as non-roster invitees, as is Ervin Santana, another former Royal brought back over the winter.
Many teams around the league scaled back payroll this offseason on the heels of last year’s revenue losses. The Royals are an exception, entering 2021 in the same range they were prepared to open 2020. Cot’s Baseball Contracts pegs their projected Opening Day payroll at just under $88MM (not yet including Davis’ $1.25MM salary, which became guaranteed when he earned a spot on the active roster). The Royals opened last season just north of $89MM (before prorating salaries), Cot’s estimates.
Adding Davis to the ledger should put the Royals’ 2021 payroll at or a little above last year’s mark. (If Alberto makes the team, he’d lock in a $1.65MM base salary). That’s still one of the lower figures in the league and around $54MM shy of 2017’s franchise-record outlay of $143+MM. However, that the Royals didn’t dramatically cut costs this winter could bode well for their chances of increasing future spending as they put their rebuild behind them.
Indeed, the Royals have started to fill in the long-term books over the past few weeks. That began with an extension for Dozier that guarantees $25MM and keeps him under club control through 2025. It’s a bet on a bounce back for the 29-year-old, who performed well in 2019 before falling off a bit last year. Dozier had to work back from an early bout with COVID-19, so it’s not unreasonable to believe he can regain some of his lost power with a more normal offseason.
The Dozier extension was a precursor to a more meaningful pact. The Royals locked up Salvador Pérez, who had been scheduled to reach free agency after this season, on a four-year extension covering 2022-25 and including a club option for 2026. The deal guarantees the 30-year-old backstop $82MM and can max out at $93MM over five seasons, making it the largest investment in franchise history.
It was a bit surprising to see Pérez command that level of commitment, particularly a year in advance of free agency. Still, he’s clearly beloved within the organization and by the Kansas City fanbase and is coming off an incredible 2020 season. No one expects Pérez to repeat last year’s .333/.353/.633 slash line over a larger sample, but Pérez is one of the game’s preeminent workhorses behind the plate and has a long track record of outhitting others at the position.
It’s possible Moore and his front office look to hammer out another long-term deal or two in the next few days. They reportedly discussed an extension with Mondesi early in Spring Training. Talks apparently didn’t get very far, but they could revisit those negotiations. Mondesi is controllable through 2023 via arbitration.
There’s a bit more urgency if the front office wants to keep Jorge Soler off the open market. The 2019 AL home run champ is scheduled to be a free agent at year’s end. The Royals had interest in working out an extension with Soler last offseason. It isn’t clear if that’s still the case after he hit just .228/.326/.443 and battled an oblique injury in 2020.
It remains to be seen whether the Royals did enough to seriously contend for a playoff spot this season. Public projections still paint them as something of a longshot, but the fanbase has some reason for hope for the first time in a while. At the very least, the Royals should be more competitive in 2021 than they’ve been over the past few years.
How would you grade the Royals’ offseason? (poll link for app users)
I always forget Soler was on the cubs championship teamThe Royals are closer than a lot of people think. I like what this team is doing. They have a decent young core that’s only growing! They aren’t there yet but I believe soon. They are a team I’m going to paying a lot of attention to this season. I give them a B this off-season. Play ball!
I concur and I think the fact that they extended Perez says they know in the next couple of years they will be ready to go all in.
Also they have the second best team name/uniform in baseball, Mariners a close 3rd.
I don’t think we make the playoffs this year, but I think we spend most of the season on the fringe of contention and aren’t mathematically eliminated until September. End up maybe like 5.5 games out of the playoffs then contend for real in 2022.
lol
Rofl
B
F. If that was what it took to keep Perez then let him hit free agency.
Beni and Santana are solid adds. This is likely to be a bad team, but the FO is actively pursuing Less Bad and ownership isn’t using 2020 as an excuse to cut payroll. I respect that and said B.
C- would be higher if it wasn’t for that AWFUL Salvador Perez extension
Huffing Scotchgard is bad for you! Seek help.
I grade them an A. It’d be a B, but ‘effin Enkinger!
I actually think Kansas City has a chance to actually get better during the season and push rather than fade.
We could very well see a 90s version of the Atlanta Braves pitching staff or the Ray’s version of a few seasons ago coming around soon for KC. Brady Singer gets is first full season and the young guns will look to take turns with half dozen to dozen starts each before seasons end.
in 2015 we were predicted to win only 79 games and we won 95 games. They got us at 74. i think we could get close to 87 or 88 games but i have them at 82-80. I am a big fan of the Royals and think we will be better then las year. las year we were 26-34 (on average on 162 season, is about a 73 game winning pace)
I don’t know a lot about the Royals, but I respect any team that isn’t crying small market/lost revenue. They seem to have a plan and that plan is focused between the lines not on the ledgers. I give it a B. Good luck to Mike Matheny. He is a paint by numbers manager, but he is an old school throw back paint by numbers manager.
“….but I respect any team that isn’t crying small market/lost revenue.”
That’s an interesting comment.
I hadn’t realized it, but it’s been quite some time since I’ve seen a small market team “crying” about revenue. It seems that all have adjusted. The most innovative ideas are coming from small market teams that have to try new ideas out of (financial) necessity.
It’s the larger market teams and the union that cries about small market teams that aren’t spending revenue sharing on salaries, inferring that the owners are “putting the money in their pockets”. Truth seems to be that franchises such as the Rays use the revenue to invest in hardware such as computers and video equipment, then pay (far lower) salaries to people that create processes to identify players that the team can acquire to get better, as well as signal to decision makers when it’s best to cut ties with said players as they’re approaching the level of no longer being cost efficient. Whereas $1-3 million a year for a free agent player or two are viewed as “cheap”, that buys a nice amount of data to make better decisions on what players are available that can help a team.
In the case of the Rays (as well as others), I seldom see comments about the FO needing to accept a “sunk cost” because they squandered lots of money on a multi-year contract for a player that isn’t performing anywhere near the level he’s being paid -i.e. risk / reward.
In case you missed it, Cincinnati cried poor a bit. So did Cleveland.
I follow Cleveland and haven’t heard them cry in quite some time. They seem to have adjusted to their circumstance.
Don’t follow Cincy.
Rays cried small market (posturing or not) when it came to cutting payroll and reds 100% been screaming it all off season at the top of their lungs and they for sure mean it.
There was no revenue sharing last season. And u see the results of that in free agency and trades where big markets, for the most part, spent the lions share even going over the soft cap with some teams.
For example, the Pirates are constantly in a “rebuild” and always make note of their small market status. However, IMO they do it to themselves. Pittsburg may not be NY or LA but they are a city with a dedicated fan base that will support a team worth supporting. Do the Steelers or Penguins have revenue problems? The Pirates ownership has neglected the franchise for 25 years and they want to blame economics. If their ownership invested wisely and put a good product on the field, they would likely see a good return on that investment. In the case of the Rays or the A’s, maybe it’s time to accept the fact that these markets simply won’t support a Major League franchise. The NFL left LA because it wasn’t working out in spite of the size of the market. Sometimes you have to make a hard decision instead of blowing out birthday candles and hoping this year will be different.
I make the comment about crying crying small market/lost revenue because I am a Cardinals fan and the Cardinals ownership routinely cites market size and last years lost revenue as a reason for their lack of aggression in improving the team. These claims ring hollow with much of the fan base because in spite of St Louis being a small MLB city, the Cardinals are top five every season in attendance. I haven’t seen the numbers on TV ratings for Cardinals games but I’m willing to bet they are strong. The Cardinals ownership is definitely committed to being competitive, but basically they don’t see any reason to go above and beyond because the fans show up regardless. 85 wins generates the same profits as 105 wins. This may be good business, but it feels like betrayal as a fan.
Is there another team that improved more this off-season?
NYM, CWS, TOR, SD, STL, and LAD. Imo.
@ stymeedone;
Re: those teams “improving” –
How can we contact you in mid-August?
How did STL improve??
@ Tdat1979;
LOL
Every offseason there seems to be a consensus in the media and with fans that follow the game closely as to which teams improved. The determining factor is that a team spent money on veterans – free agency and/or trades.
More often than not, by mid-May what was taken for granted pre-season doesn’t materialize. Sometimes it’s the players picked up; sometimes it’s the existing players regressing; usually it’s a combination of both.
Most times the teams that show improvement during the baseball season do it because a number of their existing players got better – usually seen in young teams. The Royals are a candidate in this area.
As for older teams like the Mets, Cardinals, and Padres (noted above), oftentimes some of their existing veterans regress – so the obvious “improvement” on paper turns into media and fans pointing fingers.
There is a reason that all the statistical projection companies that make pre-season predictions about teams have been wildly off-base for decades. Yet each year “fans in the know” quote them as if they’re credentialed.
–
(If insurance companies actuarial departments were this bad, insurance companies would have gone out of business centuries ago. Unlike the scam where everyone quotes one another and assures the public, when the profit – or loss – motive is introduced, companies self-police by doing audits in order to determine where the shortcomings occurred. Then they ever-correct their algorithms – a Total Quality Management / Continuous Improvement process – as they attempt to get better at forecasting. MLB front offices do the same.
I’d suggest that the teams the media / fans forecast as being improved each year are quite different them the ones MLB front offices are forecasting……because if their track records were that awful, management would be firing some employees and/or disbanding the departments.)
I am looking at the teams transactions in the offseason as being how the team improved. Yes, young players hopefully get better. For that to happen, the team does nothing, transactional. The teams that make actual moves are the ones that did something to improve, which is what I was responding to. Kansas City did a nice job adding entertainment to the product and will be fun to watch. Other teams did more, but started in a better position. I will be here in the fall. It well maybe that the teams I listed won’t have the year envisioned. Right now, it doesn’t change who did more to try to improve.
Most teams, like most other businesses, have short-term, intermediate-term, and long-term business plans.
Teams that are in a rebuild type process are already committed to some players that may not be that good this year, but they’re not going to try to “improve” by bringing in veteran players to impede the progress of younger guys they’re growing.
The teams you brought up – NYM, CWS, TOR, SD, STL, and LAD – all believe that they’re in some sort of contention this year (Mets and Cardinals seem long in the tooth to me). So they brought in veterans via free agency and trades in areas that they were lacking in. There’s nothing wrong with that – they found spots that were weak, had no players in their organization to do well in them, so they went outside.
A team like the Royals – a few years into a long term rebuild – are awaiting young players they drafted and traded for to get up from the minors. Some have done so the past few years and they’re continuing their growth in the majors. Additionally, it’s pitching that matters, and pitchers tend to adapt to the ML level after the position players. So their FO is being patient.
My point is that it’s not just the Royals. Most teams have considerations and they’re doing what is best for them. An organization like the Rockies is obviously mis-run. Teams like the Rangers tried rebuilding, it failed, and they’re regrouping. The Reds did something I haven’t seen in a long-time – they didn’t have a foundation or a large budget, but the “went all in” as guys like you think should be done. Trading off prospects and giving large contracts to questionable “name” veteran free agents for the 2020 season. They’re now financially up a creek with a poor farm system, and their feet planted firmly in the air. Much as they might want to “improve” they have no assets of value (players to trade or cash) to do so. They’re where the Orioles were for years until they finally accepted the inevitable.
Improvement in a team from one year to the next primarily comes from players under contract to the organization. Always has. Always will.
not as good as we did (Kansas City). STL did not sign Carlos Santana or Mike Minor durin the off season and the only good person they signed was Nolan Arenando
Surprise contributions from Witt, Kowar and Lynch, along with Mondesi fully living up to potential and Benentendi coming back into form and the Royals could surprise…a lot of ifs for it to happen in 2021, but I’m a lot more hopeful for 2022. This year will likely be growing pains.
The Royals definitely tried to improve without spending a lot. They added on base skills, speed, a #3/#4 starter, and more bullpen pieces. The only losses are Gordon and Kennedy who were both expensive and ineffective. They definitely have a shot of a .500 season.
we dont have to worry abt a LF anymore. Andrew Bennitendi is jus as good or close. but he is young and has a long way to go.
Royals killed it in the draft on their down years ! Witt and Lacey will be cornerstones of the next contending royals team and they also drafted a slew of high floor college proven pitchers like Singer.
By 2022 they’ll have as many stars on their roster as white sox and they’ll be all home grown for the most part. Who’s better at building through the draft than the royals ??
I grade our off-season an A because we signed and did trades and got absolute monsters and verterans. Hooked Carlos Santana and Mike Minor for 2 years and over 15M. Also signed Wade Davis and Greg Holland for a closer and bullpen. We got Andrew Bennitendi from the Red Sox to replace Gordons spot. We filled up our CF spot by Michael Taylor, he is very fast and has a good bat when he played for the Nats and have J.Dyson as a back up. We extended C Perez for 4 years, 82M. Think he deserves more like at least 145M but that’s ok and extended 3B Dozier for 4 years, 25M. Also think he should get a lil bit more like 40M. We have Soler as our DH that hit 48 HR’s in ’19. Merrifield will have RF. Lopez will take 2nd. He is also young but he will have his prime year wit us for sure. Mondesi will have SS. He’s very fast and will lead the AL maybe even the entire league in SB’s. We will also have a decent rotation and bullpen this year too. Hope it all plays out like I think. Think they will be above .500 at 82-80 to end the season in ’21. Anyone Agree???