Royals News: Dayton Moore is making moves ahead of Winter Meetings
Royals news surrounds how Dayton Moore and the Kansas City Royals have made several moves leading up to Winter Meetings.
MLB Winter Meetings start next week, but Dayton Moore of the Kansas City Royals has gotten a head start on bringing in players for the 2021 season. Moore has inked both Mike Minor and Michael A. Taylor in the past week while also agreeing on a contract for Jakob Junis.
Minor was with the Royals in 2016 and 2017 but didn’t pitch for the Royals at all in 2016. When he finally took the mound in 2017, it was the first time Minor had pitched in a major league game since 2014. He revived his career as a reliever for the Royals in 2017 and now he’s returning to Kansas City on a two-year deal.
Taylor is more than likely going to be a utility outfielder, but he gives the Royals depth in the outfield. It’ll be a crowded outfield for the Royals as of now, as they have eight total outfielders on their 40-man roster. Taylor isn’t necessarily a lock to make the Opening Day roster, but he’s very much the kind of player that Moore likes to bring in on one-year “prove it” deals.
Lastly, the Royals gave Junis a new contract, who was arbitration-eligible. The Royals moved Junis to the bullpen this past season and he’ll more than likely remain in the pen for the 2021 season and beyond.
Per source, the Royals and RHP Jakob Junis have agreed to a guaranteed one-year, $1.7 million deal. Junis had enough service time to be arbitration-eligible for the first time this year.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) December 1, 2020
Check out what’s trending in Royals news from around FanSided.
- Royals Rumors: Mike Minor returns to Kansas City for second stint [KC Kingdom]
- Royals Rumors: Michael A. Taylor gives Royals another outfielder [KC Kingdom]
- It’s a good sign Dayton Moore sounds aggressive [David Scharff, Kings of Kauffman]
"Luckily Dayton Moore seems a bit different this offseason. Just from things he has said, he sounds much more aggressive. This is odd because Dayton Moore and aggressive don’t usually go in the same sentence unless “is not” is between them."
Here’s what’s trending in Royals news throughout the rest of the web.
- What the Mike Minor signing means [Josh Keiser, Royals Review]
- Royals sign Michael A. Taylor [Steve Adams, MLB Trade Rumors]
Moore was adamant after the shortened 2020 season ended that he was no longer focused on rebuilding. Moore is ready for the Royals to start winning and contending for a World Series title. It might not happen in these next few years, especially with how much tougher the division is going to be, but Moore is making moves to help the Royals be more competitive in 2020.
Potential Trades Involving Salvador Perez. dark. Next
If Dayton Moore truly is taking a more aggressive approach, the Kansas City Royals likely are far from adding talent this offseason.