GO ROYALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[WSPanic]

Sale pitched 9 innings on 7/6 and 7 innings on 7/11.

I hate Ventura and the White Sox as much as anything in baseball, but throwing one of the best young AL pitchers in an exhibition game on two days rest isn't necessary.

[beautyfromashes]

Sale pitched 9 innings on 7/6 and 7 innings on 7/11.

I hate Ventura and the White Sox as much as anything in baseball, but throwing one of the best young AL pitchers in an exhibition game on two days rest isn't necessary.

You mean like Dallas Keuchel who also pitched 7 innings on 7/11 but started and pitched 2 innings in the ASG while also pitching for a team in a pennant race? Sale couldn't throw 15 pitches before not having to pitch again until Sunday, 5 days later?

[WSPanic]

Sale pitched 9 innings on 7/6 and 7 innings on 7/11.

I hate Ventura and the White Sox as much as anything in baseball, but throwing one of the best young AL pitchers in an exhibition game on two days rest isn't necessary.

You mean like Dallas Keuchel who also pitched 7 innings on 7/11 but started and pitched 2 innings in the ASG while also pitching for a team in a pennant race? Sale couldn't throw 15 pitches before not having to pitch again until Sunday, 5 days later?

And I wouldn't have a problem if Hinch asked to not have Keuchel pitch. Young arms like theirs are too rare and too valuable to screw around on an ASG. If Yordano was having a Keuchel-like year and pitched on the 11th, I wouldn't want him anywhere near that game.

[mean]

Well, the Royals are renting Cueto for the rest of the season. Seems like a pretty good deal.

Probably a bit early, not even being August yet, to start speculating about potential October rotations. But what the hell, right? This is the internet. It's what we do. So I assume Cueto and Volquez are locks barring injury or something. Who else do you stick in there? Ventura and Duffy I guess?

[shinatoo]

The way ventura has been pitching his first innings I almost want him in the pen.

[grovester]

I'd pick Guthrie over Ventura today. Got to keep the team in the game. Maybe Venture gets his head straight between now and then.

[mean]

...and now Zobrist. Dayton Moore seems to be bound and determined to win the WS this year.

Nice to see the Royals being so aggressive, bringing in a "True Ace" and a 2x All-Star utility man to fill in a couple of the most obvious holes. Zobrist should be able to alternatively cover for Gordon's absence and Infante's offensive issues. But for the farm-watchers, think it's worth it? I don't know enough about the guys that got shipped to know whether these 2-3 month player rentals are good deals. Finnegan seemed clearly expendable given the wealth of arms in the 'pen, but I don't know much about the other guys outside of hearing their names occasionally on sports talk or during Royals broadcasts.

Also, I just happened to notice the mildly interesting coincidence that with the addition of Cueto, 3/5 of the Royals presumptive starting rotation moving into August are Dominican-born.

[brewcrew1000]

Also, I just happened to notice the mildly interesting coincidence that with the addition of Cueto, 3/5 of the Royals presumptive starting rotation moving into August are Dominican-born.

I thought Cueto being dominican born is a huge plus to possibly re-signing him. I think he could actually help Ventura mature and he is probably good friends with Volquez since he was a former Red. I think having similar players from similar backgrounds really helps with chemistry and it build friendship like when going out after the games, hanging out in the hotels, etc. If the Royals had a pitching staff of all John Rocker types do you think Cueto would really like it here?

[mean]

Wait, what? Do you really think there's any chance the Royals re-sign Cueto? I've been assuming this was a for-sure rental to shore up the rotation for October with zero chance of signing him long-term. Considering Cueto has to be looking for at least 7-8 years and $150-$200 million, how many teams not named the Royals 1) need an ace, and 2) can afford that? I don't see Dayton giving that kind of contract to anyone, even to the greatest pitcher in the history of baseball. I don't even think they'll re-sign Gordon after this year, and he's been the face of the franchise for years. Giving up a huge contract to Cueto seems to go against The Royals Way.

[WSPanic]

I think Cueto will simply demand too much money. I don't disagree that the synergy with all three (Voltron/Yordano/Cueto) being from the DR is great - I just don't think it will have any impact on next year.

[pash]

.

[WSPanic]

And aside from any desire to win baseball games, there's at least one big reason to think the Royals will be wise enough to reinvest a lot of that money in talent to help them keep winning beyond the next year or two: their local TV contract is up in 2019, and they might easily double or even triple its annual payoff of $20MM if they can keep people tuned in like they are this year.

I know they're a different animal, but the Cardinals just signed a $1 Billion/15 year TV deal. So, hopefully we can up ours a bit. Would like to think we could double ours. Tripling it would put us on par with St. Louis - and I think that's a bit optimistic.

I was surprised to learn the Cards last TV contract was worse than our current deal.

[mean]

That doesn't mean they'll sign Cueto, but they'll sign Gordon if they think he's worth his price tag.

Well sure, maybe they can sign Gordon, financially speaking, but I'm not sure they would be willing to make the kind of deal necessary to retain his services if some other team is willing to sign him to a deal that will almost certainly be bad for the team in its last several years. He'll be 32 next season, and you gotta think someone will be stupid enough to offer him 7-8 years and somewhere near $100 million. I don't think that team will be the Royals, and in fact, if that's the kind of deal he gets, I hope it isn't the Royals. If they can re-sign him for 4 years and whatever millions of dollars, I'd love to see that deal done, but I just don't think that's going to happen. Someone is almost certainly going to pay Gordon into his late 30s for what he did in his late 20s, and I suspect they're going to regret it. Don't they almost always? This seems like a very familiar song.

[pash]

.

[mean]

I agree, and it is refreshing that the Royals should be able to keep at least a subset of their guys moving forward. My opinion on what Gordon could get as a FA is based in the (admittedly unproven) theory that there is / will be a paradigm shift in MLB where elite fielding talent becomes increasingly valuable due in no small part to the success of the Royals the past few years. I'm assuming that someone will take the risk that Gordon remains defensively elite past 35 or so, but that may very well not be a risk anyone is willing to take. Frankly, I hope not, because I'd much rather see him stay a Royal on a shorter term deal.

It's also entirely possible that my assessment of Gordon's likelihood to return after this season has been unfairly biased by the past 20-odd years of Royals history and I'm just being dumb.

[grovester]

Gordon also seems like the kind of person who would take a shorter, less lucrative deal.

[WSPanic]

Gordon also seems like the kind of person who would take a shorter, less lucrative deal.

He may take a "less lucrative" deal (hometown discount), but I would not expect that concession to include a shorter deal. I would expect the opposite. If it's a shorter deal, the dollars will be increased.

There's no player that would sign a shorter, less lucrative deal with anyone - nor should they. And the Players Union probably wouldn't let him.

[grovester]

You are correct, I meant to put an or in there.

[Unknown JimmyD]

i hope toronto doesn't make the playoffs. if they do, it'll likely be as a wild card, and i don't like our chances against them if we have to play them in a series. they just have our number this year.

[WSPanic]

i hope toronto doesn't make the playoffs. if they do, it'll likely be as a wild card, and i don't like our chances against them if we have to play them in a series. they just have our number this year.

I wouldn't count them out of the AL East race. 6 games out with two months left is hard - but not impossible. With their trade line additions, it's hard to imagine them losing too many games. And they have 12 left head to head with the Yankees. Should be fun to watch.