Posted on 30 November 2012. Tags: 6mm, Arbitration, Boston, David Price, Ervin Santana, Excerpt, Excuse, Free Agent, Free Agents, Game Winner, James Shields, Jeremy Guthrie, Jeremy Hellickson, Jon Lester, Names, Outfield, Pitchers, Pun, Royals, Salary Cap, Strikeout, Tampa Bay, Team Option
The Royals need another front of the rotation starter, even after acquiring Ervin Santana and Jeremy Guthrie. With a $70MM “soft” salary cap (which many argue is too low), the Royals say they’re willing to trade top outfield prospect Wil Myers for starting pitching. Names such as Tampa Bay’s James Shields and Boston’s Jon Lester have come up, but so far they’re nothing more than rumors. But is trading a top offensive prospect for starting pitching a good idea in the first place?
If it’s for Shields or Lester, no. Yes, they are good pitchers and better than anyone in the Royals rotation, including Santana and Guthrie. But they’re not worth Wil Myers trade value.
Both Shields and Lester will be free agents in 2014. If Myers stays with the Royals, he’ll likely be a free agent until 2019. Then there’s money. Shields will make $9MM in 2013 and has a $12MM team option. Lester will make $11.6MM in 2013 and has a $13MM team option. Myers will make much less.
Shields pitched 227.2 innings in 33 starts, had a 3.52 ERA with a 3.84 strikeout to walk ratio. Lester pitched 205.1 innings in 33 starts, had a 4.82 ERA with a 2.44 strikeout to walk ratio. Shields is 30 and Lester is 28, but between the two, Shields appears the one most likely to improve. Both pitchers are good and would be an asset to the Royals rotation, but not for Myers.
Now if the Tampa Rays are willing to deal David Price or Jeremy Hellickson for Myers, that might be a good trade. Price is a Super Two player, which makes him arbitration eligible in 2013 and a free agent in 2016. Hellickson is arbitration eligible in 2014 and a free agent in 2017. Price made $4.35MM in 2012 and Hellickson made $489,500 in 2012, so they’re very affordable and would be under club control for at least a few years.
But I don’t see a trade like that happening. Price was a 20 game winner, pitching 211.0 innings over 31 starts with a 2.16 ERA and a 3.47 strikeout to walk ratio. And he was the American League Cy Young Award winner for 2012. Hellickson was no slouch, pitching 177.0 innings over 31 starts with a 3.10 ERA and a 2.10 strikeout to walk ratio. He was the American League Rookie of the Year in 2011.
Of the two, the Rays might trade Hellickson for Myers straight up, but to get Price the Royals would probably have to throw in another high level prospect like a Jake Odorizzi or Jason Adam. And the Rays aren’t rebuilding, so there’s no good reason for them to give up starting pitching for prospects.
If the Royals are so bent on trading for a starting pitcher, maybe they should consider Chicago Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija. Jeff Samardzija? To be honest, I didn’t know much about him either. But Samardzija was the ace of the Cubs, pitching 174.2 innings in 28 starts with a 3.81 ERA and a 3.21 strikeout to walk ratio. Sure, being the ace of the 61-101 Cubs isn’t that impressive. But Samardzija made $2.64MM in 2012, is arbitration eligible in 2013 and a free agent in 2016.
And the best thing is the Royals won’t have to trade Myers to get Samardzija (unless they’re very stupid, which is possible). The Royals could give the Cubs someone like Mike Montgomery or Cheslor Cuthbert for Samardzija and jettison or trade Luke Hochevar to pay Samardzija’s salary. The Royals still have money left to get a free agent pitcher like a Shaun Marcum or Anibal Sanchez. And Myers can take Jeff Francoeur‘s place in right field in 2013. Sounds like a good deal to me.
Posted in Featured, Royals
Posted on 11 July 2012. Tags: 1 Million, 2 Steps, 3b, Baseball Contests, Baseball Season, Bonus Bucks, Dh, Dollar Salary, Fantasy Baseball, Grabs, Joust, Live Scoring, Mlb, Nbsp, Prize Contest, Prizes, Salary Cap, Ss
We have recently partnered with DailyJoust.com to give our users an opportunity to compete in Daily Fantasy Baseball contests the rest of the baseball season starting this Friday July 13th at 7:05pm est.
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Posted in Fantasy, Featured, I-70 Baseball Exclusives
Posted on 12 April 2012. Tags: 3b, 50 Million, Blown Away, Buddies, Cash Payouts, Credit Cards, Excitement, Fantasy Baseball League, Fantasy Baseball Leagues, Free Contest, Freeroll, Good Luck, Instant Cash, Live Scoring, Mlb, Opponents, Paypal, Real Money, Salary Cap, Single Day
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Posted in Cardinals, Featured, Royals
Posted on 29 April 2011. Tags: Baseball City, Baseball Fan, Bud Selig, Cardinals, Dinner Table, Drift, Joke, Light Years, Lucky Strike, Major League, Mlb, Net Worth, New York Yankees, Piggy Banks, Pinstripes, Playoff Berth, Royals, Salary Cap, True Statement, Valuable Team
How much are the New York Yankees actually worth? According to last years numbers they are worth around $1.6 billion. The Cardinals, who claim 6th place in the league with $488 million, are still light years away from the men in pinstripes. In St. Louis, being the 8th most valuable team in baseball makes sense. It’s really no surprise, but still sustaining that much value doesn’t compare to the overall control the Yankees have. To compare the Royals is a joke really. $341 million, which ranks 24th among the 30 Major League teams. The Yankees, obviously the most valuable team in baseball, brought in the most annual revenue last year at $441 million.
So at the growing trend, the Yankees can single handedly purchase any one team out of the 17 Major League Teams whose net worth is under $441 million.
IN ONE YEAR.
Then in the end, wouldn’t it be a true statement to say that the Yankees have FULL control of over 56% of the league? According to the numbers (which are found here), this MUST be true.
As a commissioner, I think that Bud Selig would eventually catch the drift that statistics such as these are a little preposterous. If you know anything at all about how the revenues in the MLB and NFL work comparatively, you know that there really isn’t much to compare at all. Mainly due to the fact the MLB is vacant of a salary cap.
Sure these stories always come from a bitter and maddened baseball fan from a small market that of whom eats the crumbs and slippery fruits that fall from the Yankees dinner table. – Only to survive. Yeah, I’m frustrated. So much so that it doesn’t really bother me anymore. Losing isn’t shocking in a small market baseball city, it’s for the most part expected.
Once every year there are two or three teams that fall on the better side of the equation, the richer side of luck that lends them a winning season.
Still no lucky strike in KC.
Just one playoff berth, that’s all we ask. That’s it. We won’t expect more the next year, we won’t think we are better than everyone else……… we will be grateful. You won’t find us bragging. We are just tired of being pushed around. We are tired of being the most patient subject in the doctor’s waiting room. No more waiting. We are the best at waiting.
Waiting, in Kansas City, is our specialty. Our best act.
Most fans in New York can’t stand……….. Patience.
Revenue is derived from three major sources in Major League Baseball. -Television, licensed goods, and ticket sales. Its obvious to see the major reasons why teams like the Yankees will always have the advantage over the Royals. That’s not my complaint. If you have a larger audience, you make more money.
It isn’t about who has the most money as the owner. David Glass could buy Starbucks, throw it away, then buy Subway and be just fine. Money at a personal ownership level isn’t the issue for revenue absorption in the MLB.
It’s easy to digest here. If there is no salary cap (which there isn’t) then it all falls into one pot. Teams like the Yankees eventually disperse some of their revenue to the rest of the jokers in the league, but we are still far from equality.
If (team A) lives in a big time city and (team B) lives in a smaller city then (team A) will have more room to buy better players and have an overall larger budget.
The top 10 MLB teams by payroll
New York (AL), Boston, Chicago (NL), Philadelphia, New York (NL), Detroit, Chicago (AL), Los Angeles (AL), San Francisco
Bottom 10
Pittsburgh, San Diego, Oakland, Texas (Arlington), Florida (Miami), Arizona, Cleveland, Washington, Toronto, Tampa Bay
The Royals are next on the list. $71,923,471………..compared to that of New York’s $206,333,389
Now just because you don’t have the funds to buy and pay players like Yankees, that doesn’t mean you can’t win. The Rangers, whose payroll was $55,250,545 (the forth lowest in the league) won the AL Pennant and made it the their first World Series.
This is where a headstrong front office comes into play. When you can’t afford to win, the only other way to survive is to have the best minds in baseball to do what they can to resuscitate the organization. In the case of the Rangers, they had great personnel that made the best of what they had.
The Cardinals sit comfortably and most likely always will. The dedicated fan base will always be there, and there will always be some type of ownership that will keep the team in good hands. The Busch sponsorship doesn’t hurt either. The Royals situation is a tad bit shaky. The minor league system for the Royals is considered the best in baseball. Although we don’t have money to buy at best of the best, I hope this is an indicator that the Royals have the proper wisdom behind the meeting tables to save this franchise that is so deathly ill.
Posted in Cardinals, Royals
