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benp28 · 06-03-2024, 10:56 AM

Development Lab

The plan for the development lab in the 2027 offseason was to use the first round to maximise the potential of those young-ish MLB/AAA level players to gain some incremental improvements for the 2028 season. In the second round, defence will be prioritised for a mix of Major League and Top Prospects.

Round 1 Results

Drew Beam

Worked on: Increased Velocity
Result: No improvement
Impact: Movement -5 Potential (50/50); FB +5 Ability (55/55); Curveball +5 Ability (55/55)

Chase Burns

Pitch Control
Successful
Reduced walk rate; Stuff -5 Potential (60/60); Curveball -5 Ability (65/70); CU -5 (50/55), Cutter -5 Ability (65/70)

Robert Perez Jr.

Quality of Contact
Outstanding
Improved current and potential contact; Gap +5 (50/50); Power +5 Potential (65/70); Eye -5 Ability (45/50)

Matthew Etzel

Quality of Contact
Poor
Loss of power and patience; Avoid K’s -5 (45/45)

Julian Aguiar

Secondary Pitch
Outstanding
Improved slider; Control +5 Potential (65/70)

Will Banfield

Plate Discipline
Successful
Improved pitch recognition

Second Round – Defensive Ability

Nick Loftin 2B

Successful
All aspects; +5 overall 2B Rating, Infield Range, and Infield Error.

Wyatt Langford LF

Successful
All aspects; +5 overall LF Rating and Outfield Arm

Caleb Lomavita C

Successful
All aspects

Jorge Ruiz CF
Poor
No regression

Juan Zubia 3B

Successful
All aspects; +5 Infield Range

Ken Adams RF

Poor
No regression; +5 Outfield Error

Awards

The Royals were shut out of Awards season, although Raimon Gomez was runner up for AL Reliever of the Year, while Bobby Witt Jr. (MVP) and Mason Barnett (Cy Young) both received votes in their respective awards.

AL Great Gloves
NL Great Gloves
AL Platinum Sticks
NL Platinum Sticks
AL Manager of the Year – Reuben St. Amand MIN
NL Manager of the Year – Mike Shildt SD
AL Reliever of the Year – Jovani Moran MIN
NL Reliever of the Year – Keynan Middleton CIN
AL Rookie of the Year – Thatcher Hurd HOU
NL Rookie of the Year – Malcolm Moore MIA
AL Cy Young – Shane McClanahan TB
NL Cy Young – Justin Steele CHC
AL MVP – Gunnar Henderson BAL
NL MVP – Jackson Chourio MIL

Pre-Arbitration Extensions

Signed SP Mason Barnett to a 4-year contract extension worth a total of $36,000,000.

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Signed RP Scott Effross to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $3,800,000.
Signed RP John McMillon to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,950,000.
Signed 2B Nick Loftin to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $4,080,000.
Signed C Ivan Herrera to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $3,120,000.
Signed RP Kevin Kelly to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,550,000.
Signed 1B Robert Perez Jr. to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,560,000.
Signed SP Anthony Veneziano to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,150,000.

Pre-Arbitration Trades

Traded 30-year-old SS Josh Smith to the Arizona Diamondbacks, getting 24-year-old LF Jacob Jenkins-Cowart and 26-year-old LHP Liam Norris in return.

Signed RP Liam Norris to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,100,000.

Traded 28-year-old minor league LF River Town and 21-year-old minor league 1B Ernesto Rosales to the San Diego Padres, getting 26-year-old CF Jakob Marsee and $500,000 in cash in return.

Arbitration

José Miranda was awarded a new one-year contract worth $5,323,200 in salary arbitration. The arbitrator ruled in favour of the player. The team had offered a salary of $4,800,000.

Qualifying Offer

Carlos Hernandez declined the qualifying offer to test free agency.

International Free Agents

It was another weak international free agent pool with the Royals only showing interest in reliever Jorge Villegas, who accepted a MiL contract with a $1.2m option.

Rule 5 Draft

With the Minor Leagues still reasonably bereft of talent, there was little need to make many 40 man roster additions in the run up to the Rule 5 Draft. Catcher Caleb Lomavita and DH Hunter Owen were both added along with several replacement level Relievers.

There were only two transactions involving the Royals in the draft:

Lost SP Tanner Bibee (2026 MiL FA) to Miami
Signed 2B/SS Gregory Barrios (2021 IA) from Milwaukee

International Amateurs

In a change of approach, the Royals signed a seven-player class of International Amateurs, highlighted by 16-year-old Venezuelan SS Alfredo Pastora, who received a $3m signing bonus.

Rest of the class was:
SS Alejandro Estrada MEX - $1.3m
LF David Tovar DOM - $450k
2B Jesus Anaya DOM - $400k
3B Alejandro Espinoza VEN - $210k
C Jorge Lona DOM - $190k
CL Ignacio Barrios VEN - $150k

Offseason Trades & Free Agents

Friday, December 31st, 2027

Signed free agent SS Nick Ahmed to a 1-year contract worth a total of $2,500,000.

Monday, January 10th, 2028
Traded 25-year old C Jesus Rodriguez, 23-year old minor league SS Justin Lebron (2026 1st Round pick), 24-year old minor league 3B Murf Gray (2025 4th Round pick), and 26-year old LF Jakob Marsee (retaining 100%) to the Texas Rangers, getting 26-year old LF Wyatt Langford in return.

The performances of Lomavita (added to the 40 man ahead of the Rule 5 draft) made Rodriguez a tradeable piece that saw the Royals upgrade the power in their outfield. Marsee had come over in the River Town trade but Langford is a far superior bat. Giving up 2026 1st round pick Lebron wasn’t too difficult with Witt Jr. locked into SS for years to come while the Royals cashed in on Murf Gray’s stellar A+ season (MVP winner), scouts viewing his chances of making the Majors slim. Retaining Marsee’s contract for the season helped to close the deal.

Langford had signed a 5-year deal in Texas last season worth $40m. Topping out at $10.5m in his age 29 and 30 seasons, this is a very manageable contract for an everyday (gap) power bat.

Saturday, February 26th, 2028

Signed free agent RP Jose Ruiz to a 1-year contract worth a total of $1,900,000.

Tuesday, February 29th, 2028
Signed free agent 1B Luis Garcia to a 3-year contract worth a total of $31,000,000.

Traded 29-year old 1B José Miranda (retaining 100%) to the Pittsburgh Pirates, getting 23-year old RF Angel Rodriguez, 24-year old minor league RHP David Hagaman, and $250,000 in cash in return.

Garcia had sat on the FA list all winter and with Miranda entering the final year of arbitration and looking for $10m+ for a long-term deal, this sign and subsequent trade became interesting. The Royals will overpay ($17m) for Garcia in 2028 but with years two and three both Team Options at $7m the contract has a big potential upside for a player who should be at minimum a younger version of Miranda at a cheaper price. The increase in fan interest from 73 to 74 showed a positive reaction to the signing.

The acquisition of Garcia made Miranda’s trade inevitable, even in a weak market for replacement level, low power first baseman. Rodriguez has an interesting profile with time for a potential increase in contact (40/40) that could make his power (70/75) elite to go with an above average eye (55/55). Hagaman was included as additional arm depth for the Minors, while the Royals absorbed Miranda’s salary in 2028.

Departures

Carlos Hernandez signed a 7 year $144m deal with the Houston Astros, taking his to his age 37 season. A great deal for Hernandez justifying his rejection of the QO, this wasn’t a contract the Royals would have been close to matching and happily accept the supplemental 1st Round pick in the 2028 draft. The lack of fan disappointment showed the sense of this move.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. signed a 4 year $64.8m deal with the Mets. This was a more reasonable deal with some regret shown by the decrease in fan interest from 74 to 73. However, the No Trade clause for a fragile player on an age 30-33 contract has more risk than the Royals would have been willing to take.

Financial Situation

Owner John Sherman was once again generous with his offseason budget review, increasing the team's budget from $172,000,000 to $190,000,000 on January 18.

$8m was put straight into Player Development (now $30m) with the remainder available for any in-season salary acquisition decisions.

Preseason & Spring Training

The Royals went 12-12 during the Spring, matching the Tigers and the Twins in the AL Central. Injury wise, there were only a couple to note:

John McMillon started preseason on IR, with 3-4 months left of rehabbing ahead of him.
Frank Mozzicato (2021 1st Round pick), added to 40-man before the Rule 5 draft, tore his rotator cuff on March 4 and will be out for 8-9 months.

Around the League

Retirements

Kansas City Royal Legend Salvador Perez hung up his glove at the end of the Minor League season. It had been widely debated whether the Royals would retire his number given his service to the club, but controversially there was no announcement from the club.

Tommy Nance retired from professional baseball.
Giancarlo Stanton retired from professional baseball.
Robbie Ray retired from professional baseball.
Christian Yelich retired from professional baseball.
Jeff Johnson retired from professional baseball.
Josh Bell retired from professional baseball.
Patrick Wisdom retired from professional baseball.
Sean Manaea retired from professional baseball.
Liam Hendriks retired from professional baseball.
Vince Velasquez retired from professional baseball.
Jakob Junis retired from professional baseball.
Salvador Perez (AAA) retired from professional baseball.

Contract Extensions

Minnesota Twins: C Ryan Jeffers 6 years $135,200,000.
Texas Rangers: C Logan O'Hoppe 4 years $89,600,000.
St. Louis Cardinals: 2B Nolan Gorman 5 years $142,000,000.
Los Angeles Dodgers: C Will Smith 5 years $179,500,000.
Toronto Blue Jays: SP Ricky Tiedemann 6 years $176,700,000.
Arizona Diamondbacks: SS Jordan Lawlar 8 years $150,200,000.
Cleveland Guardians: 3B Oneil Cruz 3 years $89,400,000.
Cincinnati Reds: 1B Noelvi Marte 4 years $81,300,000.
Arizona Diamondbacks: SP Cristian Mena 5 years $76,140,000.
Boston Red Sox: SS Marcelo Mayer 8 years $205,000,000.
Cincinnati Reds: SP Chase Petty 5 years $37,580,000.
Pittsburgh Pirates: 2B Termarr Johnson 8 years $170,400,000.
Seattle Mariners: C Harry Ford 8 years $210,700,000.
Atlanta Braves: SP Hurston Waldrep 5 years $45,840,000.
Washington Nationals: LF James Wood 8 years $183,900,000.

Free Agent Signings

Los Angeles Dodgers: RP Devin Williams 2 years $57,200,000.
Los Angeles Dodgers: LF Ketel Marte 4 years $72,800,000.
Los Angeles Dodgers: SP Justin Steele 5 years $192,500,000.
Los Angeles Angels: SP Kolby Allard 4 years $84,000,000.
Houston Astros: SP Carlos Hernandez 7 years $144,600,000.
Chicago White Sox: RF Kyle Tucker 4 years $84,000,000.

Major Injuries

Pitchers

Gerrit Cole NYY diagnosed with radial nerve compression, will miss 8 months.
Tyler Herb MIN diagnosed with bone chips in his elbow, will miss 4 months.

Gregory Soto SD diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff, will miss 12-13 months.
A.J. Minter ARI diagnosed with a torn flexor tendon in his elbow, will miss 9 months.
Jonathan Loáisiga MIA diagnosed with a damaged elbow ligament, will miss 11 months.
José Soriano LAA diagnosed with a damaged elbow ligament, will miss 14 months.
Josh Winder NYY diagnosed with a torn labrum, will miss 11-12 months.

Hitters

Dylan Crews WAS has suffered a setback in his recovery. He is not expected to recover for another 5 months.
Seaver King SEA has suffered a setback in his recovery. He is not expected to recover for another 9 months.

Hall of Fame

On January 19, no less than four players were inducted into the Hall of Fame. It was 6th time luck for Carlos Beltran (84.5%), 4th for CC Sabathi (80.3%) while two first balloters made the cut with Albert Pujols (98.7%) and Robinson Cano (82.2%) joining Beltran and Sabathia in the class of 2028.

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06-03-2024, 10:56 AM	#16
benp28 Major Leagues Join Date: Apr 2024 Posts: 464	2027 Offseason Development Lab The plan for the development lab in the 2027 offseason was to use the first round to maximise the potential of those young-ish MLB/AAA level players to gain some incremental improvements for the 2028 season. In the second round, defence will be prioritised for a mix of Major League and Top Prospects. Round 1 Results Drew Beam Worked on: Increased Velocity Result: No improvement Impact: Movement -5 Potential (50/50); FB +5 Ability (55/55); Curveball +5 Ability (55/55) Chase Burns Pitch Control Successful Reduced walk rate; Stuff -5 Potential (60/60); Curveball -5 Ability (65/70); CU -5 (50/55), Cutter -5 Ability (65/70) Robert Perez Jr. Quality of Contact Outstanding Improved current and potential contact; Gap +5 (50/50); Power +5 Potential (65/70); Eye -5 Ability (45/50) Matthew Etzel Quality of Contact Poor Loss of power and patience; Avoid K’s -5 (45/45) Julian Aguiar Secondary Pitch Outstanding Improved slider; Control +5 Potential (65/70) Will Banfield Plate Discipline Successful Improved pitch recognition Second Round – Defensive Ability Nick Loftin 2B Successful All aspects; +5 overall 2B Rating, Infield Range, and Infield Error. Wyatt Langford LF Successful All aspects; +5 overall LF Rating and Outfield Arm Caleb Lomavita C Successful All aspects Jorge Ruiz CF Poor No regression Juan Zubia 3B Successful All aspects; +5 Infield Range Ken Adams RF Poor No regression; +5 Outfield Error Awards The Royals were shut out of Awards season, although Raimon Gomez was runner up for AL Reliever of the Year, while Bobby Witt Jr. (MVP) and Mason Barnett (Cy Young) both received votes in their respective awards. AL Great Gloves NL Great Gloves AL Platinum Sticks NL Platinum Sticks AL Manager of the Year – Reuben St. Amand MIN NL Manager of the Year – Mike Shildt SD AL Reliever of the Year – Jovani Moran MIN NL Reliever of the Year – Keynan Middleton CIN AL Rookie of the Year – Thatcher Hurd HOU NL Rookie of the Year – Malcolm Moore MIA AL Cy Young – Shane McClanahan TB NL Cy Young – Justin Steele CHC AL MVP – Gunnar Henderson BAL NL MVP – Jackson Chourio MIL Pre-Arbitration Extensions Signed SP Mason Barnett to a 4-year contract extension worth a total of $36,000,000. Signed RP Scott Effross to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $3,800,000. Signed RP John McMillon to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,950,000. Signed 2B Nick Loftin to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $4,080,000. Signed C Ivan Herrera to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $3,120,000. Signed RP Kevin Kelly to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,550,000. Signed 1B Robert Perez Jr. to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,560,000. Signed SP Anthony Veneziano to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,150,000. Pre-Arbitration Trades Traded 30-year-old SS Josh Smith to the Arizona Diamondbacks, getting 24-year-old LF Jacob Jenkins-Cowart and 26-year-old LHP Liam Norris in return. Signed RP Liam Norris to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,100,000. Traded 28-year-old minor league LF River Town and 21-year-old minor league 1B Ernesto Rosales to the San Diego Padres, getting 26-year-old CF Jakob Marsee and $500,000 in cash in return. Arbitration José Miranda was awarded a new one-year contract worth $5,323,200 in salary arbitration. The arbitrator ruled in favour of the player. The team had offered a salary of $4,800,000. Qualifying Offer Carlos Hernandez declined the qualifying offer to test free agency. International Free Agents It was another weak international free agent pool with the Royals only showing interest in reliever Jorge Villegas, who accepted a MiL contract with a $1.2m option. Rule 5 Draft With the Minor Leagues still reasonably bereft of talent, there was little need to make many 40 man roster additions in the run up to the Rule 5 Draft. Catcher Caleb Lomavita and DH Hunter Owen were both added along with several replacement level Relievers. There were only two transactions involving the Royals in the draft: Lost SP Tanner Bibee (2026 MiL FA) to Miami Signed 2B/SS Gregory Barrios (2021 IA) from Milwaukee International Amateurs In a change of approach, the Royals signed a seven-player class of International Amateurs, highlighted by 16-year-old Venezuelan SS Alfredo Pastora, who received a $3m signing bonus. Rest of the class was: SS Alejandro Estrada MEX - $1.3m LF David Tovar DOM - $450k 2B Jesus Anaya DOM - $400k 3B Alejandro Espinoza VEN - $210k C Jorge Lona DOM - $190k CL Ignacio Barrios VEN - $150k Offseason Trades & Free Agents Friday, December 31st, 2027 Signed free agent SS Nick Ahmed to a 1-year contract worth a total of $2,500,000. Monday, January 10th, 2028 Traded 25-year old C Jesus Rodriguez, 23-year old minor league SS Justin Lebron (2026 1st Round pick), 24-year old minor league 3B Murf Gray (2025 4th Round pick), and 26-year old LF Jakob Marsee (retaining 100%) to the Texas Rangers, getting 26-year old LF Wyatt Langford in return. The performances of Lomavita (added to the 40 man ahead of the Rule 5 draft) made Rodriguez a tradeable piece that saw the Royals upgrade the power in their outfield. Marsee had come over in the River Town trade but Langford is a far superior bat. Giving up 2026 1st round pick Lebron wasn’t too difficult with Witt Jr. locked into SS for years to come while the Royals cashed in on Murf Gray’s stellar A+ season (MVP winner), scouts viewing his chances of making the Majors slim. Retaining Marsee’s contract for the season helped to close the deal. Langford had signed a 5-year deal in Texas last season worth $40m. Topping out at $10.5m in his age 29 and 30 seasons, this is a very manageable contract for an everyday (gap) power bat. Saturday, February 26th, 2028 Signed free agent RP Jose Ruiz to a 1-year contract worth a total of $1,900,000. Tuesday, February 29th, 2028 Signed free agent 1B Luis Garcia to a 3-year contract worth a total of $31,000,000. Traded 29-year old 1B José Miranda (retaining 100%) to the Pittsburgh Pirates, getting 23-year old RF Angel Rodriguez, 24-year old minor league RHP David Hagaman, and $250,000 in cash in return. Garcia had sat on the FA list all winter and with Miranda entering the final year of arbitration and looking for $10m+ for a long-term deal, this sign and subsequent trade became interesting. The Royals will overpay ($17m) for Garcia in 2028 but with years two and three both Team Options at $7m the contract has a big potential upside for a player who should be at minimum a younger version of Miranda at a cheaper price. The increase in fan interest from 73 to 74 showed a positive reaction to the signing. The acquisition of Garcia made Miranda’s trade inevitable, even in a weak market for replacement level, low power first baseman. Rodriguez has an interesting profile with time for a potential increase in contact (40/40) that could make his power (70/75) elite to go with an above average eye (55/55). Hagaman was included as additional arm depth for the Minors, while the Royals absorbed Miranda’s salary in 2028. Departures Carlos Hernandez signed a 7 year $144m deal with the Houston Astros, taking his to his age 37 season. A great deal for Hernandez justifying his rejection of the QO, this wasn’t a contract the Royals would have been close to matching and happily accept the supplemental 1st Round pick in the 2028 draft. The lack of fan disappointment showed the sense of this move. Jazz Chisholm Jr. signed a 4 year $64.8m deal with the Mets. This was a more reasonable deal with some regret shown by the decrease in fan interest from 74 to 73. However, the No Trade clause for a fragile player on an age 30-33 contract has more risk than the Royals would have been willing to take. Financial Situation Owner John Sherman was once again generous with his offseason budget review, increasing the team's budget from $172,000,000 to $190,000,000 on January 18. $8m was put straight into Player Development (now $30m) with the remainder available for any in-season salary acquisition decisions. Preseason & Spring Training The Royals went 12-12 during the Spring, matching the Tigers and the Twins in the AL Central. Injury wise, there were only a couple to note: John McMillon started preseason on IR, with 3-4 months left of rehabbing ahead of him. Frank Mozzicato (2021 1st Round pick), added to 40-man before the Rule 5 draft, tore his rotator cuff on March 4 and will be out for 8-9 months. Around the League Retirements Kansas City Royal Legend Salvador Perez hung up his glove at the end of the Minor League season. It had been widely debated whether the Royals would retire his number given his service to the club, but controversially there was no announcement from the club. Tommy Nance retired from professional baseball. Giancarlo Stanton retired from professional baseball. Robbie Ray retired from professional baseball. Christian Yelich retired from professional baseball. Jeff Johnson retired from professional baseball. Josh Bell retired from professional baseball. Patrick Wisdom retired from professional baseball. Sean Manaea retired from professional baseball. Liam Hendriks retired from professional baseball. Vince Velasquez retired from professional baseball. Jakob Junis retired from professional baseball. Salvador Perez (AAA) retired from professional baseball. Contract Extensions Minnesota Twins: C Ryan Jeffers 6 years $135,200,000. Texas Rangers: C Logan O'Hoppe 4 years $89,600,000. St. Louis Cardinals: 2B Nolan Gorman 5 years $142,000,000. Los Angeles Dodgers: C Will Smith 5 years $179,500,000. Toronto Blue Jays: SP Ricky Tiedemann 6 years $176,700,000. Arizona Diamondbacks: SS Jordan Lawlar 8 years $150,200,000. Cleveland Guardians: 3B Oneil Cruz 3 years $89,400,000. Cincinnati Reds: 1B Noelvi Marte 4 years $81,300,000. Arizona Diamondbacks: SP Cristian Mena 5 years $76,140,000. Boston Red Sox: SS Marcelo Mayer 8 years $205,000,000. Cincinnati Reds: SP Chase Petty 5 years $37,580,000. Pittsburgh Pirates: 2B Termarr Johnson 8 years $170,400,000. Seattle Mariners: C Harry Ford 8 years $210,700,000. Atlanta Braves: SP Hurston Waldrep 5 years $45,840,000. Washington Nationals: LF James Wood 8 years $183,900,000. Free Agent Signings Los Angeles Dodgers: RP Devin Williams 2 years $57,200,000. Los Angeles Dodgers: LF Ketel Marte 4 years $72,800,000. Los Angeles Dodgers: SP Justin Steele 5 years $192,500,000. Los Angeles Angels: SP Kolby Allard 4 years $84,000,000. Houston Astros: SP Carlos Hernandez 7 years $144,600,000. Chicago White Sox: RF Kyle Tucker 4 years $84,000,000. Major Injuries Pitchers Gerrit Cole NYY diagnosed with radial nerve compression, will miss 8 months. Tyler Herb MIN diagnosed with bone chips in his elbow, will miss 4 months. Gregory Soto SD diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff, will miss 12-13 months. A.J. Minter ARI diagnosed with a torn flexor tendon in his elbow, will miss 9 months. Jonathan Loáisiga MIA diagnosed with a damaged elbow ligament, will miss 11 months. José Soriano LAA diagnosed with a damaged elbow ligament, will miss 14 months. Josh Winder NYY diagnosed with a torn labrum, will miss 11-12 months. Hitters Dylan Crews WAS has suffered a setback in his recovery. He is not expected to recover for another 5 months. Seaver King SEA has suffered a setback in his recovery. He is not expected to recover for another 9 months. Hall of Fame On January 19, no less than four players were inducted into the Hall of Fame. It was 6th time luck for Carlos Beltran (84.5%), 4th for CC Sabathi (80.3%) while two first balloters made the cut with Albert Pujols (98.7%) and Robinson Cano (82.2%) joining Beltran and Sabathia in the class of 2028.