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November 2047 – Offseason

Personnel

Tuesday, November 5th , 2047
Signed Scouting Director Joe Witkowski to a 5-year, $1,250,000 per year contract.

Attachment 1064006

In addition, the Royals appointed two Minor League Coaches:

• AA Hitting Coach – Casey Turgeon
• Rookie (ACL) Hitting Coach – Mario Prenza

Awards

Pat Black missed out on the AL Reliever of the Year despite gaining more (15) 1st place votes than the winner, the Mariners Chris Sisk (12). Juan Anaya finished 5th in the voting.

Franchesco Kelly adds the AL Rookie of the Year to his Batting Title, an MVP short of matching Bobby Nickelberry’s legendary rookie season. AJ. Terry and Tonguar Zimmerman finished 4th and 5th, respectively.

Franchesco Kelly lost out on the MVP title to Toronto’s Fidel Carbajal while in the NL, the Padres F Ernest Buenrostro won a back-to-back MVP Award.

AL Great Glove A.J. Terry KC
NL Great Glove Trovin Houle CIN | Sergio Ruiz ATL
AL Platinum Stick 2B Arturo Oramas KC
NL Platinum Stick LF Juan Minnelli SF
AL Manager of the Year Colin Stewart (8) KC
NL Manager of the Year Matthew Colantonio NYM
AL Reliever of the Year Chris Sisk SEA
NL Reliever of the Year Chris Peterson SF
AL Rookie of the Year 1B Franchesco Kelly TOR
NL Rookie of the Year 2B David Oviedo SD
AL Cy Young Josh Webb (2) CWS
NL Cy Young Mike Poirrier NYM
AL MVP RF Fidel Carbajal TOR
NL MVP CF Ernesto Buenrostro (2) SD

Pre-Arbitration Extensions & Trades

The Royals made no trades heading into arbitration talks, preferring to sign everyone and have the flexibility to trade during Free Agency.

Two multi-year extensions were agreed across the squad, with 2B Arturo Oramas rewarded for his Platinum Bat winning season with an 8-year extension worth $168m. Front loaded with 2048 being worth $28m, down to $18m in his age 31 season before two TO to finish seems a reasonable price to pay - $136m guaranteed is a bet on 17 WAR of value across 6 years on a $8m/WAR basis.

Juan Anaya is rewarded for another strong season, with his post season performances taken into account, with a 4-year, $52m contract. This is again frontloaded with a final year TO, $18m this year down to $10m in year 3. That is a 5 WAR over 3 seasons bet from the Royals.

Monday, November 4th , 2047
Signed 2B Arturo Oramas to a 8-year contract extension worth a total of $168,000,000.
Signed 2B Edgar Mir to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,800,000.
Signed RP Bob Capozziello to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $3,100,000.
Signed 1B Luis Aceves to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $12,300,000.
Signed LF Chris Kern to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $6,300,000.
Signed LF Josh Mangan to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $10,000,000.
Saturday, November 9th , 2047
Signed RP Juan Anaya to a 4-year contract extension worth a total of $52,000,000.

Arbitration & Qualifying Offers

The Royals say goodbye to club legend Curt Bogans, out for another 5 months with a tough route to a bullpen assignment this seemed the best deal for everyone. Should he remain unsigned through his recovery an offer may materialise. Mike Asbury was never going to get the long-term contract he wanted and so the Royals thank him for his contribution to the World Series victory and will see which team matches his demands.

Saturday, November 23rd , 2047
RP Curt Bogans becomes a free-agent.
SP Mike Asbury becomes a free-agent.
RP Steve Mitchell was designated for assignment and placed on waivers.

Trades

The rest of November is very quiet for the Royals as they let new scout Joe Witkowski get up to speed with his scouting. The roster is strong without any additions, but there is an international free agent who may be an interesting option.

International Amateurs

We just completed our monthly private practice with many young international amateur free agents who we hope can aid our club in the coming years. It was great to meet the players in-person and get to know them better, and I was able to improve my scouting assessment on all invitees.

In fact some of the players impressed me, since they showcased a higher potential than I had previously expected from them:

Alexis Pelcastre, 17 year-old 3B out of Dominican Republic
Lean and athletic, Alexis Pelcastre hails from Cristóbal, Dominican Republic. He has an above average ability to put the ball in play and get hits. He has shown signs of raw power that may eventually deliver over-the-fence distance. Pelcastre projects to be an above average big league third baseman.

Ramiro Santana, 16 year-old C out of Venezuela
Ramiro Santana is a long, lean athletic catcher who was born in Los Guayos, Venezuela. He may not compete for batting titles, but still projects to hit for a .270 batting average. He has shown flashes of power and projects to hit an above average number of home runs. Santana probably won't be a star but he should still be a solid contributor.

However, a few invitees left me disappointed as they did not appear to match my previous assessment, although they may still end up being future stars:

Bruce Anglesey, 16 year-old RHP out of Australia
Born in Sunshine Coast, Australia, Bruce Anglesey is a real worm killer who will generate a high number of groundballs. He throws five pitches, with his bread and butter pitch a slider that lacks consistency. As he matures he'll need to improve his command and cut down on his walks. Anglesey possesses great talents and seems destined to eventually break out in a starter's role.

And other players that I was able to further assess were:
Julio Alvarado, 16 year-old C out of Dominican Republic
Juan Ochoa, 16 year-old RHP out of Panama
Jorge Ledesma, 16 year-old CF out of Dominican Republic
Arturo Moreno, 16 year-old C out of Venezuela
Jesus Quintero, 16 year-old CF out of Panama
Biagio Torrisi, 16 year-old 3B out of Venezuela
Sergio Villalpando, 16 year-old 1B out of Venezuela

Fall League News

Joe Teichner kept the Austin War Dogs hitters off balance all game long, as the Virginia Beach Maulers pitcher blanked the War Dogs, 7-0.

Teichner gave up 3 hits, struck out 10, and walked 0. In the postgame press conference, the left-hander was reluctant to talk about the outing at length.

"It was a nice win in a long season," he said. "I don't want to dwell too much on it."

It was a long day at the plate for the Glendale Desert Dogs at Desert Dogs Grounds. They never figured out Virginia Beach Maulers starter Joe Teichner and were shut out, 2-0. The left-hander baffled the Desert Dogs the entire game, yielding no runs and giving up 1 hit in a well-pitched outing. Teichner also totaled 10 strikeouts and 1 walk in the game.

Around the League

Retirements

Los Angeles Dodgers: CF Juan Soreni retired from professional baseball.
Los Angeles Dodgers: SP Mike Hoffer retired from professional baseball.
Miami Marlins: SP B.J. Heaton (AA Pensacola) retired from professional baseball.

New York Yankees: C Luis Flores retired from professional baseball.
Boston Red Sox: 3B Gabe Baer retired from professional baseball.
Philadelphia Phillies: RF Ha-joon Im retired from professional baseball.
Minnesota Twins: LF Josh Gudex retired from professional baseball.
Arizona Diamondbacks: SP Dave Hilliker retired from professional baseball.
Chicago Cubs: C Jelani Hass retired from professional baseball.
Washington Nationals: CL Chad Jackson retired from professional baseball.
Los Angeles Dodgers: SP Julio Barrera retired from professional baseball.
Los Angeles Dodgers: 3B Juan Sosa retired from professional baseball.
Miami Marlins: 2B Luis Castillo retired from professional baseball.
2B Bobby Pickens retired from professional baseball.
Houston Astros: C Juan Abrego (AA Corpus Christi) retired from professional baseball.
RF Jorge Vaca retired from professional baseball.
2B David Ojeda retired from professional baseball.
2B Eddie Edwards retired from professional baseball.
SP Eric Koenig retired from professional baseball.
Houston Astros: C Frank Daza (AA Corpus Christi) retired from professional baseball.
RP Ben Kosiba retired from professional baseball.
2B Jamie Kahre retired from professional baseball.
SP Peyton Whimster retired from professional baseball.
RP Joey Spallone retired from professional baseball.
Milwaukee Brewers: 1B Juan Soto (AA Biloxi) retired from professional baseball.
RP Juan Leal retired from professional baseball.
Cincinnati Reds: RP David Palafox (AAA Louisville) retired from professional baseball.
RP Joe Osborne retired from professional baseball.
RP Ken Guardino retired from professional baseball.
Washington Nationals: C Julio Mercado (R Washington (FCL)) retired from professional baseball.
RP Andres Molina retired from professional baseball.
LF Esteban Ovalle retired from professional baseball.
RP Alejandro Castro retired from professional baseball.

December 2047 - Offseason

International Amateurs

We just completed our monthly private practice with many young international amateur free agents who we hope can aid our club in the coming years. It was great to meet the players in-person and get to know them better, and I was able to improve my scouting assessment on all invitees.

In fact some of the players impressed me, since they showcased a higher potential than I had previously expected from them:

Bruce Anglesey, 16 year-old RHP out of Australia
Born in Sunshine Coast, Australia, Bruce Anglesey is a real worm killer who will generate a high number of groundballs. He will lean heavily on an excellent splitter, which is the best of his five pitches. He locates his pitches well and has average stuff. Anglesey has front of the rotation potential.

Sergio Villalpando, 16 year-old 1B out of Venezuela
Sergio Villalpando is a big 6-foot-3, 200-pound first baseman from Turmero, Venezuela. He has the power potential of a prototypical clean-up hitter. He exercises very good patience at the plate. One of his offensive shortcomings is that he fails to make contact regularly. Villalpando could develop into a productive regular on a contending team.

However, a few invitees left me disappointed as they did not appear to match my previous assessment, although they may still end up being future stars:

Arturo Moreno, 17 year-old C out of Venezuela
Arturo Moreno is a long, lean athletic catcher who was born in Caracas, Venezuela. Even with a still-developing body he consistently displays plus raw power and quickening bat speed. He has above average contact skills with a smooth swing, quick hands and good pitch recognition and he could hit for a .270 batting average. He should demonstrate good plate discipline. Moreno could develop into a productive regular on a contending team.

And other players that I was able to further assess were:
Jorge Ledesma, 16 year-old CF out of Dominican Republic
Juan Ochoa, 16 year-old RHP out of Panama
Julio Alvarado, 16 year-old C out of Dominican Republic
Alexis Pelcastre, 17 year-old 3B out of Dominican Republic
Jesus Quintero, 16 year-old CF out of Panama
Ramiro Santana, 16 year-old C out of Venezuela
Biagio Torrisi, 16 year-old 3B out of Venezuela

Rule 5 Draft Trades & 42-man Changes

The Royals had an active December, cleaning up their 42-man roster and preparing for the Rule 5 Draft.

Five trades, seven new names on the 42-man roster, and four players lost in the Rule 5 Draft is quite a turnover at the top of the organisation but Stewart is confident the Royals are stronger for it.

The majority of the trades were of players that were going to be Rule 5 eligible, had not broken into the Kansas City roster, and who had players above and below them with more upside or current ability.

However, two trades did see the Royals move on from MLB Champions. Firstly, C Nelson Canjura’s time was always going to run out with the #1 prospect in baseball finishing the season at AAA and he moves to the Rangers, with two MLB ready prospects Kevin Simpson and Andino Chigi, and $5m in cash. The Royals pick up prospect Ismael Casarez in return, a LF who the Royals new scout rates much higher than OSA so hopefully is the first return from Joe Witkowski.

The second major, and more controversial, trade see the Royals thank and say goodbye to OF Chris Kern and 3B DeMario Zamano. Both played crucial roles in the Royals 2047 World Series victory but were squeezed out as the Royals look to the future, Kern by Domingo Carrillo and Zamano by Joe Hyatt. The Royals add a couple of lower level prospects and will retain 45% of Chris Kern’s contract to make a deal with division rival the White Sox. The return is RHP T.J Nooks, under contract for three years through the rest of his 20s, but with Chicago picking up 45% of his salary, the Royals will not pay more than $12.2m in any season. Nooks led the AL in ERA in 2047, and is a 4-pitch ace with plus stuff, movement, and control, including plus-plus HRA. His stamina, at 45, is lower than the Royals would have liked but Stewart is confident Nooks will fit in at the top of the Royals rotation.

On the day of the Rule 5 draft, the Royals lost four players although only two, SP Jake Clark and 3B Juan Medina would be considered prospects and neither had a route to the big leagues in the coming season.

Trades

Wednesday, December 11th , 2047
Traded 24-year old minor league CF Max Schwind, 22-year old minor league CF Alvaro Mohedano, and 21-year old minor league RF Cornélio Canilliac to the Chicago Cubs, getting 18-year old minor league 2B Jesus Mendizabal in return.
Traded 24-year old minor league CF Kevin Simpson, 25-year old C Nelson Canjura, 22-year old minor league 3B Andino Chigi, and $5,000,000 in cash to the Texas Rangers, getting 17-year old minor league RF Ismael Casarez in return.
Traded 25-year old minor league LF Chad Ketcham (retaining 100%) to the Chicago White Sox, getting 19-year old minor league 2B Jorge Melgozaand $5,000,000 in cash in return.
Thursday, December 12th , 2047
Traded 24-year old minor league LHP David San Juan and 18-year old minor league 2B Federico Bejarano to the New York Yankees, getting 21-year old minor league RHP Ken Logan in return.
Friday, December 13th , 2047
Traded 30-year old LF Chris Kern (retaining 45%), 24-year old LF DeMario Zamano, 23-year old minor league 3B Amari Townsel, and 21-year old minor league CF Mauricio Ramos to the Chicago White Sox, getting 26-year old RHP T.J. Nooks (retaining 45%) in return.

42-man Roster Additions

Sunday, December 1st , 2047
Placed C Nelson Saiz on the secondary (42-man) roster.
Wednesday, December 11th , 2047
Placed LF Ken Crome on the secondary (42-man) roster.
Placed RF Eric McCabe on the secondary (42-man) roster.
Placed CL Ed Lauer on the secondary (42-man) roster.
Friday, December 13th , 2047
Placed SP T.J. Nooks on the active roster.
Placed 2B Branson Huot on the secondary (42-man) roster.
Tuesday, December 24th , 2047
Placed LF Tiago Duro on the secondary (42-man) roster.

Rule 5 Draft Transactions

Tuesday, December 24th , 2047
Lost 3B Juan Medina in the Rule 5 Draft to the Cincinnati Reds.
Lost SP Rodolfo Arroyo in the Rule 5 Draft to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Lost SP Jake Clark in the Rule 5 Draft to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Lost SP Mike Mattson in the Rule 5 Draft to the Los Angeles Dodgers.