Who’s The Free Agent Here?

For as long as I can remember, when the Royals schedule comes out and I see those away games at Yankee Stadium I’ve been conditioned to just chock it up as three losses. I’m hoping the series gets over as soon as possible, and not be exposed to much hayseed, redneck, or flyover territory comments from self anointed elite in the Big Apple.

That didn’t happen this week. Like always the bullpen picked up some shaky starts from the rotation, and the bats continued to buck the trend of most of baseball and continued to score. After a series like that Royals fans should be wearing their gear, smiling, reminding east coast elitist that their team with a $200 million pay-roll was taken behind the woodshed by a team with a $40 million pay-roll. But that’s after you explained woodsheds to them, and what happens behind them.

However, I realized two hours after winning the series that most Royals fans were worried about Eric Hosmer’s contract extension, or lack of one. The amount of panic I saw on blogs, message boards, and the Twitter had me confused for a moment. I thought it was our website mates, the Cardinal fans that had a beloved first baseman in the final year before free agency.

I hope this conversation doesn’t happen for every prospect that comes up and has a good first week. Think big picture. In 2016 if all these prospects have had the careers we hope they have, there is no way any team will be able to sign them all. Dayton Moore and staff will have to pick and choose who to make long term lucrative contracts too. At this point we have no idea who that should be. Committing large sums of money to Hosmer would be limiting the flexibility of the organization.

Eric Hosmer is under the Royals’ control through the 2017 season. There is no reason to panic. I don’t even think there is a reason to make an extension offer at this point. No one knows the outcome of the new CBA. No one knows what Eric Hosmer thinks. And most of all, no one knows what the rest of these prospects are going to do.

Not only that, if Dayton Moore is successful in building the farm system the way the Braves and Twins have built their farm system there should be an Eric Hosmer coming up every few years. So, Cheer up Royals fans. Enjoy Eric Hosmer, enjoy being a Royals fan. We’re not the fan base who has stars that are free agents at the end of the season, and we’re not the fan base that just lost 2 out of 3 to team that is perceived to be the doormat of the league.