David DeJesus - To Trade, or not to Trade...

With the trade deadline approaching, Kansas City fans are hopeful that players like Jose Guillen can be moved elsewhere for something (ANYTHING) to make way for a young player - maybe even the return of Alex Gordon in his new role as a corner outfielder.  Is that a pipe dream?  Maybe...maybe not.  Guillen is hitting this year, and if KC will pony up a few million dollars towards his salary, I think a trade partner could be found.  I'm not sure the team would receive much of value in return, but it may be valuable enough to give a player in Omaha the chance he won't get as long as Guillen is wearing Royal blue.

The real value on the trade market for the Royals lies with fan favorite (and one of the best, most consistent Kansas City players over the past several seasons) David DeJesus.  And according to rumors, there is interest in DDJ.  An article by Nick Cafardo at Boston.com regarding possible player trades says the following about DeJesus:

A solid offensive player who can play all three outfield positions, he is affordable at $4.7 million, with an option for next season at $6 million. The Red Sox, Yankees, and Padres are possible bidders, but the Royals are said to be asking for more return than is acceptable to the suitors.

Some fans will surely wonder why Dayton Moore would ask for too much...pricing himself out of any trade at all (I've seen the argument online at various fan communities).  Personally, I say "Good for you, Dayton."  Why not shoot for the moon?  Should we settle for whatever a team will give us?  I say no.  We've seen that before (too many times).  Johnny Damon, Jermaine Dye (Neifi Perez, anyone?), Carlos Beltran...the list goes on. 

DeJesus is a valuable player.  He can play defense - and not just league average defense - GREAT defense.  He can play all three outfield positions.  He can hit...and he's on FIRE right now.  Look at the numbers then tell me a team in contention wouldn't benefit from DDJ's services.  You can't tell me that, can you?  He would be a fantastic (and affordable) addition to several teams.  And if Dayton Moore is asking for "too much," well...so be it.  We can always keep him and exercise his option for 2011 (at a very reasonable $6 million).  God forbid we got stuck with the guy because Dayton won't settle for any offer Boston or New York sends his way.  If a big payday isn't in the cards, then I'd rather the Royals keep the player who could easily be their All-Star representative in 2010 (in my opinion).

Not to mention, the only guy more popular on the team is probably Zack Greinke.  Fans love DeJesus, and with good reason, he an approachable and likable guy...who, by the way, plays some damn good baseball.

The teams mentioned above by Cafardo aren't the only interested parties...I would bet plenty of general managers will come calling (the last rumor I saw mentioned the Giants).  DeJesus is a great fit for many teams out there (including the Royals).  Let the bidding begin.

Has it been that long?

Wow...a little over a month since the terrible play of the Royals drove me away from being able to consistently blog.  Amazing how a bad team can suck the productivity right out of a person.

I suppose there is a lot to catch up on.  Hillman's out, Yost is in.  Greinke got his second win!  Gordon is in AAA getting in work as an outfielder.  DeJesus is allegedly on the trade block.  What else?  Oh...Bud Selig is in town today, and will make a pregame announcement to those in attendance.  The word is - Kansas City gets the 2012 All Star Game. 

Aside from that - the Big 12 has 10 teams, and the Big 10 has 12?

Huh?

I have more to say...that will come later this week.  Just wanted to check in.  Will have comments on DeJesus (do we keep him or trade him?), the KC draft, and probably more....

Moves That Make Sense

Well it's been a couple of weeks since I last wrote about Kansas City baseball...and with good cause...every time I think about this team, I get a little bit depressed. 

In the time since that last post, the Royals have made some moves and shuffled some things around.  Most notable is the recalling of Mike Aviles and designation of Alex Gordon.  Ah...Alex Gordon...The Chosen One.  Or maybe not.

Gordon is now making a transition to left field, in an effort, I suppose, to give us a potential power hitting corner outfielder.  Will it work?  I dunno.  But it's worth a shot and I guess better than just throwing in the towel.  In the meantime, though, it's good to see Aviles back with the big league club.  Aviles has shown that he can, in fact, hit major league pitching (something Gordon has yet to prove on a consistent basis).  Aviles gives positional flexibility on defense as well.  Chris Getz not hitting well?  Plug Aviles in at 2B.  Yuni Betancourt underwhelming us at shortstop?  Aviles.  Callaspo playing horrible defense at the hot corner?  Aviles.  Maybe Mike Aviles is the real Chosen One.  At least for now.

My one gripe in all of this...Chris Getz hasn't done a lot to impress me outside of the first seven games or so.  The offense did look better before he was injured, and he does play a much better second base than Callaspo, but his bat just isn't looking good right now.  I could argue that maybe Gordon deserves a spot on the roster more than Getz...but if they're serious about the position change for Alex, probably better to do it in AAA.  I don't necessarily like Getz on the roster, but I can see where the organization's hands are a little tied.

Oh.  And Kila is on the roster.  Let's hope they actually let him play rather than sit the bench for two weeks.  That would just be a waste of time for all involved.

Well played, Mauer....

Hilarious.

Canadian Beatdown

I had a bad feeling about this Toronto series.  The Royals Radio pregame show had a discussion about how Toronto was floundering, had a weak lineup, and no real pitching depth in the rotation.  When you're the Royals, that kind of talk gets a Canadian flag thrown over your head while members of the Blue Jays run by and beat you in the stomach with a bar of soap in their socks...Full Metal Jacket style.  And make no mistake about it - after all the years of futility, the Royals are the MLB version of Private Pyle. 

As soon as I heard Scott Podsednik would be out of the lineup, having traveled back to KC to handle a personal matter, I thought we might be in trouble.  He's been the real spark in this lineup, hitting in the two position between DeJesus and Butler.  Then the news came across the airwaves that catcher Jason Kendall would get his first day off - another spark towards the bottom of the order.  The two of them were replaced by Brayan Pena (who had one at bat prior to Monday night's game) and Mitch Maier.  Ouch. 

Not to mention we have another sinkhole in the lineup with Alex Gordon back from his injury.  I have lost all faith in Gordon, and the fact that he's batting .167 (yeah, I know, small sample size so far) and has already struck out twice hasn't changed my tune.

Bannister has his first rough outing to top it all off, and we get an 8-1 loss at the hands of the Blue Jays. 

Looking at various articles this morning, I'm left wondering why Trey Hillman would want to keep Pods out of the lineup again today.  According to an article I found at Yahoo Sports, Hillman says he doesn't like to play guys who are traveling.  Well...okay...but would you rather have Pods in the two hole batting .457, or have to shuffle the lineup and stick Maier back in the bottom of the lineup so he can try to improve on his .100 average?  I say go with the guy hitting .350 points higher...but what do I know?  Yeah...Pods may be a little tired, but I think I'd take my chances.  And if he looks a little sluggish, well, you can always pull him.  Oh wait.  No...your hands are tied there, aren't they Trey?  I almost forgot Dayton Moore has screwed this roster up so badly that you're short handed on the bench because you have to carry 13 pitchers....

Speaking of 13 pitchers - why is Luis Mendoza (22.50 ERA, 3.25 WHIP) still on this roster?  Time to make room for another position player guys.  There is absolutely no point in having this clown continue to to give up three or four hits per outing.  Give your manager the roster flexibility he needs, Dayton.  Recall Aviles, or bring up Kila...do anything but let Mendoza continue taking a roster spot away from a more deserving player.  I think we've all seen enough.

Rupe! There it is....

Is it very exciting?  No.  But heads had to roll...and so, first on the chopping block is Roman Colon.  And in his place?  Right hander Josh Rupe. 

Rupe was with KC this spring and did not impress the powers that be, posting a 6.30 ERA over 10 innings of work.  Since going to Omaha, Rupe has thrown five innings and allowed no runs.  He's given up two hits, struck out four, and walked one. 

Prior to joining the Royals, Rupe was a pitcher in the Texas Rangers' system, logging just over 132 big league innings.  Over that stretch, he's posted a 4.95 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP.  He throws four pitches - fastball, slider, curve, and a change - with the fastball sitting right around 90 MPH. 

For his career, he's done well to induce ground balls, with a 53.6 percent rate...however that rate has dropped since since posting a 66.3 percent rate in 2006.  In his last two trips to the big leagues he's induced grounders at a rate of less than 50 percent, although 2009 was an extremely small sample size of only 4.2 innings (but he tossed 89.1 innings in 2008 and posted a similar number).

Most disturbing though, is his K/BB rate, which is low at 1.17.

Still though, at least they're trying to shake it up a bit.  Will this move pay dividends?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  But it's better than doing nothing, and allowing Colon - who has only managed to get through two innings in five games while posting an 18.00 ERA - to take the mound again in a high pressure situation.

If Rupe can just be a "normal" mediocre reliever and post an ERA close to his career mark, well, let's just say 4.95 is a hell of a lot more tolerable than what Colon's managed thus far.

Let's just hope this is only the first step taken in an effort improve what has so far been a colossally bad bullpen.

Playing Cards with Orlando Hudson

Hey Orlando.  Good to see you.  Glad you could make it to poker night.  What's that?  You've got your own deck?  Complete with race cards I see....

I'm sure we've all seen the Orlando Hudson story by now.  According to Hudson, Jermaine Dye remains a free agent more than one week into the 2010 season because he's black.  That's some claim.  And I'm not going to completely rip Hudson for coming out and saying it...his perception is driving his comments.  Perception equals opinion, and opinion can't be wrong, can it?  People get paid all over this great nation to share their opinions on sports, politics, finance, etc.  Doesn't mean it's fact...but some opinions do carry weight - and any time there is even a hint of racism (perceived or otherwise) I suppose there is call for alarm.

Now if it seems I'm taking this lightly, I apologize.  I am not a racist, nor do I condone racism in any way.  And this topic is such a slippery slope, I really don't like commenting on it...but in this case, I feel like I should.  Let's get started.

Using the Jermaine Dye situation (if it can really be called a "situation") as his example, he calls baseball out for not signing African-American ballplayers.  Last season, with the White Sox, Dye made $11 million dollars.  His production dropped.  He got a year older (as people tend to do).  So...how much is a 36 year old outfielder - one who hit .250 (a 42 point drop from 2008) with well below average range in the OF worth?  Last season, in addition to the negative factors I just mentioned, Dye's SLG dropped nearly 100 points.  His home run total, RBI total, and number of runs scored all decreased (granted, RBI and runs are kind of arbitrary stats, dependent on other batters as well, but they're still numbers players/agents use as negotiating tools).  He hit 41 doubles in 2008.  In 2009?  19.  So far, of all the factors I've mentioned, the only increase has been in age (which is generally a negative).

On the positive side, he did draw 20 more walks in 71 less plate appearances.  He's a good guy.  He's a veteran presence...a leader in the clubhouse.  He still managed to hit 27 homers, so he's got some pop left in his bat.  He'd probably be a great DH, or a guy who could play RF once or twice a week in a pinch.  But his skill set is declining.  It happens.  And when that happens?  You guessed it...decrease in value.

Let's be clear about one thing.  It's not that teams aren't offering Dye any money at all.  The offers have come in - but for less money.  In fact, in a quote from Rotowire found on his player page at Fangraphs.com (where I'm looking up all these stats I'm throwing at you), Dye says:

"There have been offers, just nothing worth it."

He has allegedly turned down offers from the Angels, Cubs, and Blue Jays.  He has drawn interest from other teams as well...but nothing has materialized.  The Nationals are interested, but how much will they offer?  Enough to get Dye to sign on the dotted line?  Point is...teams are offering him jobs.

What it seems to boil down to for me - and again, I'm not criticizing anyone for any comments or perceptions of racism - is there isn't much of a market for a 36 year old outfielder with declining skills at the plate and in the field.  White, African-American, Latin-American, or otherwise.  Dye's contract expired and the White Sox let him walk.  He's refused to sign for his market value.  He has every right to decline offers and hold out for the best deal possible, but the market will dictate what offers come his way, not the color of his skin.  Markets shift all the time...and right now, teams seem like they're trying to get younger more often than not by building through the draft and promoting home grown talent. 

And to be fair, there are white players who have taken pay cuts, or are without contracts, too.  Jim Edmonds currently plays for $850,000.  Jarrod Washburn is out of work.  Jim Thome signed for $1.5 million. 

It seems to me that if Dye is a victim of anything, it's less racism and more drop in productionism.