Just like that, baseball is done for the year and we turn our attention completely to the game off the field, the hot stove. But first, man, that Game Seven was absolutely incredible. Game for game, I still think it probably ranks behind the Wild Card game in 2014, but in terms of the meaning, I think this was the best game of my lifetime. It had pretty much everything, so I’m just glad we got to witness that end to the baseball season. Of course, the sad thing for Royals fans is it means the Royals are no longer defending World Champions, but we knew it was coming anyway, so now it’s on to the offseason.
- I half-joked on Twitter yesterday that the old Dayton Moore would have made three moves already by the time we woke up the day after the World Series. I say half-joked because that used to sort of be his thing. The Mike Jacobs deal was quick. The Jonathan Sanchez deal was quick. The Ervin Santana deal was quick, though it had to be given the implications with his option that year. There were others I think I’ve blocked out of my mind. Now we see if this is a much more patient Moore who lets the market develop a bit before he jumps in head first. It does seem that he’s changed his ways in that regard, but it’s hard to say if that’s because the Royals played up until the final pitch of the season the last two years and he just wasn’t completely prepared to make a quick move. One possibility is to trade for Derek Holland, who is in basically the same position Santana was after the 2012 season. My vote on that is no. At a cursory glance, velocity is down and ground ball rate is down in spite of his sinker use staying basically the same. I guess he’s a bounceback candidate, but I’d rather the Royals don’t pay $11 million and give up a player to find out. So, Dayton, if you’re reading this and just have to make a move. Don’t trade for Holland.
- Speaking of Holland, Greg Holland will soon be throwing for teams in a showcase. If you had asked me throughout the season what the chances are for a reunion with the Royals, I’d have told you they were pretty darn good. I actually believed the chances he’d sign with the Royals were better than that he’d sign with anyone else. Now, I still think the odds are better that he signs with the Royals than any other team, but the field is probably now favored at this point. You know my thoughts on signing this Holland. I think it’s a move the Royals should make. He likely won’t cost a huge amount and will be the perfect time past Tommy John surgery to be recovered and at least as close to his old self as he’ll probably be. And if he can be 85 percent of what he once was, either he or Kelvin Herrera could be a very, very good closer if the Royals decide to deal Wade Davis. The Royals are looking to upgrade their bullpen depth and would like to do so without breaking the bank. This move just makes sense. I’m hopeful. I’d still bet on the Royals coming away with him.
- I think maybe this should just be a spot where we give you Josh Staumont updates every week. After his latest start in the Arizona Fall League, he’s now 3-1 with a 2.45 ERA in five starts spanning 18.1 innings. He’s given up a ridiculous nine hits while striking out 21 and walking eight. As you might recall, I was pretty skeptical of Staumont as a legitimate contributor to the Royals because of his control issues that he had earlier in his minor league career. I still have concern about that, and eight walks in 18.1 innings in the AFL isn’t going to ease those, but I’m starting to wonder if maybe he couldn’t be a solid bullpen piece from the word go for the big league club with the way he’s handled hitters down there. I’m not sure that’s the best course of action for him because I’d love to see him continue to develop as a starter and contribute in the big leagues as a reliever in the middle of the year if necessary, but I see what he brings to the table and that could be a nasty weapon to add to a bullpen that currently needs some nasty weapons. If he and Matt Strahm started the year in the bullpen and were both as good as I think they could be, that could be devastating to opponents. Of course, there are no guarantees, but I love how difficult Staumont is to hit and get excited thinking about what he could do in 12-15 pitch bursts.
- One name that does intrigue me on the free agent market is Charlie Morton. He hurt himself last year running the bases, so he only made four starts, and it’s not like he’s been great throughout his career, but he did post a 3.26 ERA in 20 starts in 2013 and a 3.72 ERA in 26 starts in 2014. He’s had injury issues all over the place which has led to just 146 games started since 2009, but I kind of like what he brings to the table. His DRA by season since 2013 is 3.40, 3.89, 4.04 and 3.53. He was averaging nearly 95 MPH on his sinker this year before getting hurt, and it’s a good sinker. He has a 55.4 percent career ground ball rate, but it’s been higher than that every year since and including 2011. It was at 62.8 percent in 2016. Given the change in the home run climate in baseball, these sinker pitchers might be the way to go when looking for rotation depth. I don’t think you’d sign Morton expecting more than 20-25 starts or anything better than a number four starter, but that could be a really nice fit that works within the Royals budget.
- If you’re a fan of the hot stove, general manager meetings start on Tuesday, so there should be no shortage of rumors. With the new CBA not yet agreed to, there might be a slow start to the free agent season, but a lot of the talks that occur at the GM meetings end up being brought up later once everything has really gotten going. So I guess what I’m saying is pay attention next week, but at the same time, don’t pay too much attention because you’ll hear all sorts of rumors and it’ll be awhile before any of them come to anything, if they ever come to anything. Still, rumors are fun, so that’ll be nice.