Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.Over the last few years there has been a familiar refrain coming out of the City of Fountains: this is the year that the Kansas City Royals will finally be competitive. Yet it just hasn't happened. In fact, since the team won it's lone World Series back in 1985, they've finished over .500 only six times, and only once since the strike season of 1994.
So if general manager Dayton Moore is going to put together a winning ballclub, it's obvious he has quite a bit of work to do. Still, there is talent on this Royals roster, so Moore might not have to make as many moves this winter as you would think.
Who Might Leave
Miguel Olivo, C; Coco Crisp, OF; Sidney Ponson, SP; Bruce Chen, RP; Ron Mahay, RP; Jamey Wright, RP; Lenny DiNardo, RP; Yasuhiko Yabuta, RP
Shopping List
Both Dayton Moore and team owner David Glass have both gone on record saying that the team is looking to make more trades this winter in lieu of shopping in free agency, which is somewhat odd seeing as how they already made the first free-agent signing of the winter when the picked up reliever Brad Thompson on Thursday afternoon. That move aside, expect a lot more deals like the one the team made when they sent Mark Teahen to the White Sox for Chris Getz and Josh Fields.
As for what the team needs to add this winter, there aren't many areas where they don't need some help. Cy Young winner Zack Greinke, Billy Butler, Joakim Soria and Alex Gordon aside, there really isn't anyone on the roster the team couldn't live without or upgrade over. Now that they've added Getz, expect the Royals to continue pursuing a deal with the Dodgers for A.J. Ellis, with Alberto Callaspo possibly heading out west in exchange.
The two biggest trade chips the team has are probably Gil Meche and David DeJesus. They would no doubt love to move Jose Guillen in a trade but aren't likely to find a dance partner. The Royals could use Meche and DeJesus much the same way they used Teahen, though,, dumping a couple larger salaries to acquire younger, cheaper talent.Money Matters
The Royals have never been big spenders but in the years since Dayton Moore took over, the payroll has increased. It went from $47 million in 2006 to $67 million, $58 million and $70 million in the successive seasons. Considering the moves we've already seen the team make this winter, however, don't expect to see a number higher than last year's $70 million in 2010.
We can't know for sure if the Royals are one of the teams that Bud Selig was talking about when he admitted some teams lost money in 2009, but it's possible they may have when factoring the cost of renovating Kauffman Stadium. Whether or not the additional revenue created from those changes will go to the payroll remains to be seen.
As mentioned earlier, if they could find a taker for Jose Guillen and $12 million he's owed for 2010, they'll jump at the chance. They may try and move the $24 million they still owe Meche but it's more likely they'd prefer to keep him around as he provides some depth to the starting rotation.
Offseason Goals
The Royals have a lot of free agents in their bullpen who aren't likely to be in Kansas City next season, so finding arms to help bridge the gap from the starters to Soria should be a priority. In a division as tight as the AL Central is just about every season, a solid bullpen can take you a long way. Other than that, the team needs to get stronger in the outfield and maybe find a power bat to add to the middle of the lineup so Butler has protection.
