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Carlos Peguero’s Release Signals new Era for Kansas City Royals

By John Viril

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The Kansas City Royals released minor league outfielder Carlos Peguero Friday, helping clear space on the team’s 40-man roster. I know many of you are asking, “Who the heck is Carlos Peguero?” Others are wondering, “What’s the big deal?”

Letting go an over-aged prospect who hit for a .912 OPS in AAA Omaha last season is a signpost for a new era in Kansas City. The Royals now EXPECT (rather than hope) to win.

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That’s is a world of difference from the recent past.

The move is something of a surprise, given earlier reports that the Kansas City front office had considered utilizing the 28-year-old Peguero as the left-handed half of a platoon to fill their right field hole. That plan fell to the wayside after the Royals agreed to a 1-year, $11 million contract with Alex Rios.

That deal left Carlos Peguero expendable, despite his outstanding .266/.349/.563 season at AAA Omaha that included 30 home runs in 418 plate appearances. Peguero also earned a September call-up which consisted of a mere 10 plate appearances.

In the past, Peguero would probably have gotten a job with the big club, simply because the team could not afford to miss the opportunity to see if he was, perhaps, a late-bloomer.

Instead, Alex Rios indicated that Kansas City’s chances to make the playoffs in 2015 heavily influenced his decision to sign with the Royals. With the club clearly in the “contention” part of the “process”, Kansas City Royals general manager Dayton Moore has opened the team’s wallet (or has been able to persuade owner David Glass to do so) more than ever before.

Relying on prospects with a questionable pedigree is no longer part of the Kansas City business model.

Carlos Peguero is probably one of the dreaded “AAAA” players that pundits talk about: too good for AAA, but not capable of holding down a big league job. Sometimes, the Carlos Peguero’s of the world break out and establish themselves as premium major league players. Yet, the Raul Ibanez‘s, the Jose Bautista‘s, and the J.D. Martinez‘s of the world are few.

Usually, when a guy hasn’t won a big league job by his 28th birthday, he’s never going to do it.

It’s nice realizing that the Kansas City Royals no longer require lightning to strike multiple spare parts in order to have any hope of a winning season.

Welcome to the other side, Royals’ fans.

Next: Top 2B in Kansas City Royals team history

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