1) Gordon has $12.5MM player option for '16 that as far as I know no one is talking about. Is that because we assume he's going to exercise it or that some other deal will be reached?
2) Alex Rios has a mutual option for 2016. Depending on whether Bubba can maintain his hitting, I could see us jettisoning Rios and plugging Bubba into RF.
3) Currently, the rotation next year looks like 4 spots are set: Duffy, Volquez, Ventura, and Vargas (if he's healthy). They have Brandon Finnegan and Sean Manaea both starting in AA this season and Kris Medlen should be rehabbing his way through this season and maybe available to start next year as well. The question I have, is....
3) Will the Royals make a run at David Price? It would go against almost everything a small market team should do, but he's probably the best FA pitcher available this offseason. Right now, our window with the core players (Moose, Hos, Cain, Escobar, Perez, Gordon, Duffy, Holland) effectively closes after 2017. Price is looking for something like 7yrs, $210MM, so that's 2016 thru 2022. Ventura has options thru 2021. That could be a solid 1-2 punch for 5 years (assuming Yordano can get his stuff under control). If they can buy out 2 years of FA for the core guys, then we could be looking at 4 really great years.
2) Alex Rios has a mutual option for 2016. Depending on whether Bubba can maintain his hitting, I could see us jettisoning Rios and plugging Bubba into RF.
3) Currently, the rotation next year looks like 4 spots are set: Duffy, Volquez, Ventura, and Vargas (if he's healthy). They have Brandon Finnegan and Sean Manaea both starting in AA this season and Kris Medlen should be rehabbing his way through this season and maybe available to start next year as well. The question I have, is....
3) Will the Royals make a run at David Price? It would go against almost everything a small market team should do, but he's probably the best FA pitcher available this offseason. Right now, our window with the core players (Moose, Hos, Cain, Escobar, Perez, Gordon, Duffy, Holland) effectively closes after 2017. Price is looking for something like 7yrs, $210MM, so that's 2016 thru 2022. Ventura has options thru 2021. That could be a solid 1-2 punch for 5 years (assuming Yordano can get his stuff under control). If they can buy out 2 years of FA for the core guys, then we could be looking at 4 really great years.
