Kansas City was the first team to make a huge splash with the trade deadline approaching by acquiring Johnny Cueto from the Reds. The Royals have always been a small market team, so this move took the baseball world by shock and ah, as they were already one of the favorites to bring home the crown in October. However, with Ventura not living up to expectations and Jason Vargas going down for the year, this acquisition was sneaky and smart. But, with Cueto possibly asking for a contract upwards of $150 million this offseason, KC needs to win now in order to possibly get Cueto to think about the rings over money, so that he downsizes his asking price in order for the Royals to afford him.
The 2014 Royals had a legitimate ace in James Shields along with multiple young kids coming up big in the clutch, such as Yordano Ventura, but the rotation wasn’t one of the more solidified rotations of winning teams. Ned Yost was able to wind and dine well enough with the rotation during the playoffs, while Shields underperformed with an ERA above 6, but the bullpen was the real solution to the defensive side of the ball. With an offense below average, not a true ace, and an untouchable pen, the men at the K were able to go all the way to game 7. Usually a championship team has a star-studded ace, an offensive lineup that can create enough run support and hit with RISP, and a lock-down pen; that is now what KC has. 2015 has been a revelation for Kansas City, as their offense has turned around, placing 5th in RBI’s and have a team batting average of .277, while their pen has continued to be stellar. The only problem has been the starting pitching, which currently places 22nd in ERA, yet the team still has the second best record in the MLB. Once into the postseason, the Royals may had run into problems with not much starting pitching, however, now they have an ace, who they need to keep in order to win multiple rings.
With Cueto now at the helm of the rotation, KC’s chances of winning the Fall Classic should be the highest of any team. Johnny Cueto is finally healthy this season, and after coming off of a league leading strikeout season, he should be a good fit in KC, as a power pitcher is what is needed to defeat AL offenses. So far, according to multiple reports, Cueto’s first interaction with the team was good, as Johnny is excited to finally join a winning team. Obviously this addition means that the Royals are going for it all right now, but what are their thoughts on their chances of re-signing their new ace at the end of the year? The franchise may be small market, but as of the last couple of years, they are more willing to open up their wallets, as they did make an attempt at re-singing James Shields this past offseason for just under $100 million. Cueto will be asking for more, but what if KC wins him a ring? History has seen players chase after the money first, but there are stars out there looking for rings as well. Johnny Cueto is yet to receive a huge MLB payday, so free agency this winter will be his calling. Making it to game 7 wasn’t enough a convincer for Shields to stay in the K, but rumors had it about the Royals not being very enthusiastic about re-signing him, so that is maybe why he left. If KC hopes to sign Cueto they need to make him feel like a king and go out and win it all in order to establish that KC is a place where he can win multiple championships, then maybe he and his agent will bring down the price.
