"I think the Royals could use a legitimate starter who can slot at least toward the top of the rotation." As you refer to, trading for Shields to be the veteran bell cow of the 2014 team made a difference to the young staff. Thus, I think you are right on target with the idea that Dayton Moore will look to do something similar this off-season as he surveys the young rotation. It worked once, so why not? If you don't see a target in free agency, perhaps go the trade route again. Maybe pair up Minor, Santana, Alberto, Taylor, Junis, or Gallagher with one of the promising young arms and a lottery ticket, similar to the Shields deal.
I agree with you, David, about the importance and reasons for the importance of winning now. But, much more importantly, Dayton Moore agrees with you. I hope the call ups and rest of the season can continue the positive trend of seeing what we have in who we have that can be part of our next winning team, or at least showcasing them so we can trade them for someone who can be - and, hopefully, without emptying our cupboard, so that we can get closer to the goal of having a farm system that can help even out some of the lows after the next set of highs.
I agree with you on the need for a front-end starter. That's essential to avoid the long losing streaks we seem to have every season. But who fits that description that's going to be available in the off-season? And I just don't get the infatuation with Dozier. He's hit around .200 all season, and that's not a player you can build around after that kind of drop-off. His at-bats should be going to someone else. Rivera is OK on defense at 3rd base, but does he provide enough offense? Is Benintendi the .280 hitter we saw before his injuries, or the .250 hitter we've seen since? I see more than just a few holes on this team. I see too many for them to be contending before 2024.
"I think the Royals could use a legitimate starter who can slot at least toward the top of the rotation." As you refer to, trading for Shields to be the veteran bell cow of the 2014 team made a difference to the young staff. Thus, I think you are right on target with the idea that Dayton Moore will look to do something similar this off-season as he surveys the young rotation. It worked once, so why not? If you don't see a target in free agency, perhaps go the trade route again. Maybe pair up Minor, Santana, Alberto, Taylor, Junis, or Gallagher with one of the promising young arms and a lottery ticket, similar to the Shields deal.
I agree with you, David, about the importance and reasons for the importance of winning now. But, much more importantly, Dayton Moore agrees with you. I hope the call ups and rest of the season can continue the positive trend of seeing what we have in who we have that can be part of our next winning team, or at least showcasing them so we can trade them for someone who can be - and, hopefully, without emptying our cupboard, so that we can get closer to the goal of having a farm system that can help even out some of the lows after the next set of highs.
I agree with you on the need for a front-end starter. That's essential to avoid the long losing streaks we seem to have every season. But who fits that description that's going to be available in the off-season? And I just don't get the infatuation with Dozier. He's hit around .200 all season, and that's not a player you can build around after that kind of drop-off. His at-bats should be going to someone else. Rivera is OK on defense at 3rd base, but does he provide enough offense? Is Benintendi the .280 hitter we saw before his injuries, or the .250 hitter we've seen since? I see more than just a few holes on this team. I see too many for them to be contending before 2024.