Royal Makeover

[Brandon]

Anyone take notice of the Royals raising their floor to try to be a .500 team next season?  They signed 2 starting pitchers Wacha and Lugo and 2 relievers Chris Stratton and Will Smith and a utility player Garret Hampton and a bat in Hunter Renfroe.  These moves won’t make them a contender but will raise their floor.  They may be a .500 team next year and definitely will be a better opponent when we play them.  They are adding around 400-500 innings and a 20-30 HR bat and some speed to their lineup and bench.  I think they are about done except maybe a few minor tweaks here and there.  But what do you think of the makeover in Kansas City and their pitching staff and team really?  Will they be competitive next season?

[nicksaviking]

I don't think much of the players they got; they're the kind of half-measure moves the Twins were making 5-10 years ago. They got guys to eat innings, but as discussed in another thread, eating innings and winning innings are completely different.

But it's more aggressive than the Royals have been in a long time. The AL Central should still be bad, they could win enough games to look competitive even if they aren't actually a good team.

[DJL44]

Bobby Witt Jr beat the Twins by himself last year. He'll be even more dangerous with better teammates.

[chpettit19]

I like the Lugo and Wacha signings for them. I think "raising their floor" is a good way to describe it. Certainly doesn't make them contenders, but their offseason is at least raising the expectations.

I believe they also brought in Kyle Wright, but I'm not sure what his health status is. He was hurt in 2023 I think. But he's another legit major league pitcher if he's healthy. There's something to be said about simply getting actual major leaguers. Can Witt take another step? Can Pasquantino come back healthy and form a dangerous duo with Witt? Can Melendez take another step or 2 forward? Those are the key questions for that team to really start to push towards that .500 mark.

The Tigers are doing things as well. Not big splash moves, but they're improving. The central is still going to be a bad division, but the Twins only won 87 games last year. They weren't some 100 win powerhouse. I have no doubt they'll make moves, and they have to. Chicago is going down, but Cleveland is always a threat to just find so much pitching that they're a threat, and the Royal and Tigers are at least trying. Division will still be bad, but I don't think it'll be the cakewalk it was in 2023. Twins are going to have to work for it.

[MGX]

I like the moves from both the Tigers & Royals - they're trying to compete. That's what teams should do.

Last year in the pre-season people gave the Marlins zero chance of finishing in the top 3 in the NL East & making the playoffs, yet that's what they did. The D-Backs were given about the same chance of making the playoffs & they made the World Series. I remember a post on here suggesting we could get Gallen because the D-Backs weren't in a position to contend. The Reds fell a little short of the playoffs, but no one expected them to be a .500 team.

As was pointed out above we should also remember who the Twins were last year, an 87 win team who was 1 game under .500 at the end of June (41-42). As a Twins fan I don't want to take anything away from what was accomplished last season, it was great watching them win a playoff series. We need to keep in mind that while the Tigers & Royals have made additions to make there teams making them better we only have subtractions, including a big one with no indication that anything will be done about it. 

We should feel good about the fact we were 46-33 from July on. We should also look at Detroit who was 43-38 during the same time frame & now they've made their team better & again we've done nothing to fill the holes FA has created on our roster.

I hope the Twins younger core can improve this year because we're going to need it.

[Riverbrian]

Kansas City is a major league baseball team with major league players. I won't over look them.

Many pre-season predictions from the experts had both the Rangers and D-Backs with losing records.  

I won't bet against the Royals.

Won't bet on them

But I won't bet against them. 

 

[Rik19753]

5 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

I don't think much of the players they got; they're the kind of half-measure moves the Twins were making 5-10 years ago. They got guys to eat innings, but as discussed in another thread, eating innings and winning innings are completely different.

I think you are selling Wacha and Lugo short. The two of them combined for 250+ innings of a sub-3.50 ERA last year. Even if you bake in some regression due to their age, those are some quality innings the Royals are adding. If the Twins don't end up trading for a legit SP I think these are the kind of guys that they should have added.

That being said, I'm still not impressed with the Royals. They have a long way to go from being a legit contender. It is certainly testing my patience though, as it doesn't feel good to be sitting around while division foes are spending in FA.

[cmoss84]

They will still be 10+ games under .500.

[Brandon]

On 12/15/2023 at 12:14 PM, Riverbrian said:

Kansas City is a major league baseball team with major league players. I won't over look them.

Many pre-season predictions from the experts had both the Rangers and D-Backs with losing records.  

I won't bet against the Royals.

Won't bet on them

But I won't bet against them. 

 

The key takeaway is your going to bet. We just don’t know who for just not against the Royals.  Got it👍