Kansas City Royals: Evaluating the 2017 Payroll
By Joel Wagler
Dayton Moore and the Kansas City Royals are going to have to be creative in putting together the 2017 roster.
If you are looking for the Kansas City Royals to make a big splash this offseason with a key free agent signing, you are probably going to be sadly disappointed.
According to Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star, the Royals need to cut payroll, not add to it. After Dayton Moore had addressed the press on Tuesday, Dodd wrote:
"Moore said the club had been living above its means in payroll and that the team’s 2017 spending would likely “regress a little bit” after a record high in 2016."
The Royals spent money in hopes of making it back to the playoffs for a third straight season. Unfortunately, a variety of things went wrong, including injuries to several key players. The Royals finished at a disappointing 81-81.
The problem that arises is the Royals are already committed to a hefty payroll. According to Spotrac.com, if all options are picked up, the team’s commitment for the 2017 season is already at $143.7 million BEFORE the arbitration eligible players are figured in.
These arb-eligible players include Eric Hosmer, Danny Duffy, Kelvin Herrera, Dillon Gee, Jarrod Dyson, Tim Collins, Daniel Nava, and Tony Cruz. If the team submits offers to all of these players, it could be an additional $30 million.
Of course, not all of the players that have options or are arbitration eligible will be back next year. There will be some weeding out.
Let’s take a look at some of these players and guess whether they’ll be back or not. Then we will break down the payroll.