Kansas City Royals

As the July 31 MLB non-waiver trade deadline approaches, the Kansas City Royals will explore all of their options as sellers as they look to build for the future.

MLB Network's Jon Morosi reported Saturday that Kansas City second baseman Whit Merrifield has drawn interest from both the Milwaukee Brewers and the Philadelphia Phillies.

Merrifield has just one full season of big league experience under his belt, but the 29-year-old has proved he can swing the bat. After hitting .288 with 19 home runs in 145 games last year, he is hitting .290/.359/.414 with five long balls and 25 doubles in 83 games.

Not only that, but he stole 34 bases in 2017 and has 16 so far this season.

Merrifield provides versatility not only at the plate, but also in the field. He has experience playing first, second, third and all three outfield positions in the majors. He has 56 appearances at second base this season.

Philadelphia is looking to snap a six-year playoff drought and has been exploring all of its options. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported Friday that the Phillies had moved on from the Manny Machado sweepstakes because the Baltimore Orioles' asking price is too steep. Meanwhile, they have also been linked to Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas, per NBC Sports Philadelphia's Jim Salisbury.

This comes after they made big splashes during the offseason by signing Carlos Santana and Jake Arrieta.

Like Philadelphia, Milwaukee also turned some heads during the winter. The Brewers acquired outfielders Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain to give their team a boost. Now, they appear to be looking to solidify their offense with a nice complementary piece.

Both Philadelphia and Milwaukee currently hold at least a share of first place in their respective divisions.

While Merrifield may not have a ton of experience at the big league level, he has shown that he can make an impact with his bat. He has a career .282 average in the leadoff spot, which would help set the table for the likes of Santana or Yelich and Ryan Braun.

Merrifield is still a year away from arbitration and is under club control through the 2022 season.

After being bypassed by all 30 teams during the 2018 Major League Baseball draft earlier this month, Oregon State pitcher Luke Heimlich has drawn interest from one club. 

Kansas City Royals general manager Dayton Moore told reporters the team is exploring the possibility of signing the left-hander. 

"We continue to seek information that allows us to be comfortable in pursuing Luke," Moore said, per Vahe Gregorian of the Kansas City Star. 

Per Danny Moran and Brad Schmidt of The Oregonian, during Oregon State's run to the College World Series last year, it was revealed that Heimlich pleaded guilty to sexually molesting a six-year-old member of his family when he was 15 years old. 

Speaking to Kurt Streeter of the New York Times in May, Heimlich denied committing the crime and said he only pleaded guilty to "quickly dispense with the case and for the sake of family relations."

The 22-year-old Heimlich has been draft-eligible in each of the past two years and was considered a top-100 prospect in 2017 before his criminal record came to light. 

Heimlich appeared in 20 games for Oregon State during the 2018 season. He posted a 2.80 ERA with 154 strikeouts in 125.1 innings.

The Kansas City Royals, who are currently in last place in the American League Central, are reportedly ready to start selling off assets to build for the future. 

Per FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman, the Royals have "quietly" told other teams they will likely be willing to negotiate before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. 

One person suggested to Heyman the Royals could be "open to anything" as opposed to just dumping veterans who will become free agents at the end of this season. 

Kansas City finished a respectable 80-82 in 2017, but franchise cornerstones Lorenzo Cain and Eric Hosmer left during the offseason as free agents. Mike Moustakas returned on a one-year deal worth $6.5 million in March after failing to generate significant interest on the open market despite hitting 38 homers last season.

The Royals' payroll this season is $130.6 million, which ranks 20th in MLB, per Spotrac. Moustakas, Jason Hammel, Kelvin Herrera, Lucas Duda and Jon Jay are among the notable players eligible for free agency after 2018. 

Only the Baltimore Orioles (15-34) have a worse record in MLB than the Royals' 16-33 mark. They are on pace to have the worst winning percentage (.327) in franchise history. 

Kansas City Royals catcher Drew Butera is a man of his word. 

As the Royals shared in a video, Butera made a deal with a young fan named Dagan that if the latter beat cancer he could dye the catcher's hair whatever color he wanted. Butera made the deal when Dagan was going through chemotherapy at the hospital, but he is now cancer free:

https://twitter.com/Royals/status/997584140743589888

The Royals also passed along the initial pact from 2016 that read, "When you kick cancer's butt, you can dye my hair any color you want":

A pact is a pact, @drewbutera.

Stay tuned. 👀 #RaisedRoyal pic.twitter.com/9ZyJ8i1a3u

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) May 18, 2018

Dagan clearly thought pink looked better on Butera than Royals blue.

Mike Moustakas didn't land a job until March 8, when the Kansas City Royals re-signed the third baseman on a one-year, $5.5 million deal with a mutual $15 million option for 2019 and a $1 million buyout.

That means, conceivably, the Royals snagged a two-time All-Star entering his age-29 season for $6.5 million. Did we mention he hit 38 home runs last year?

It was a bargain then. A month-and-change later, it's looking like highway robbery.

And it's making absolute fools out of the clubs that passed on Moustakas in the frigid, stingy winter of 2017-18.

Entering play Monday, Moustakas was hitting .318 with a .953 OPS and owned a 14-game hitting streak. Add six home runs and 17 RBI in 20 contests, and you've got an elite hitter pulling a role player's salary.

He's even bucking the biggest knock against him. Moustakas' career .306 on-base percentage leaves something to be desired. So far this season, his OBP sits at .341.

"Just trying to see the ball and get good pitches to hit," Moustakas said, per Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com. "Trying to hit the barrel. I've been taking pretty good at-bats since Opening Day." 

That's an understatement. Per FanGraphs, Moustakas had made hard contact on 50 percent of his batted balls as of Sunday, compared to a career average of 29.3 percent. He's swinging with increased authority, to put it mildly.

One possible explanation is his right knee, which he injured in 2016 and reaggravated on a hit-by-pitch last season, as Maria Torres of the Kansas City Star elucidated. 

"Anytime I would run or put pressure on it, it would tighten up or swell up, and I wasn't able to get a couple of days, which I needed, or just a week that I needed to just sit and let it relax," Moustakas said of the knee, per Torres.

Now, clearly, Moose is galloping free.

Moustakas rejected the Royals' offseason qualifying offer of $17.5 million, meaning he came with draft-pick-compensation baggage for any squad that signed him. In a winter when elite free agents withered on the vine and teams crammed their budgets into mattresses to remain under the luxury tax or save for the fabled 2018-19 free-agent class, it was enough to shove him into the cold.

In the end, he crawled back to Kansas City for less money.

There was word of a three-year, $45 million offer from the Los Angeles Angels, according to Sam Mellinger of the Kanas City Star.

Moustakas' agent, the infamous Scott Boras, shot that down, per Mellinger: "There was never a multiyear contract offer made to Mike Moustakas by the Angels or any other major league team."

Perhaps that's Boras being Boras. Given the paucity of big contracts doled out overall, however, it rings true.

According to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, Moustakas may have been damaged by perceptions about his physique.

"He's a bad-bodied guy," an unnamed rival coach said, per Heyman. Sometimes, obviously, the eyeball test is flawed.

Look at a team like the Baltimore Orioles, who are ostensibly attempting to contend in the American League East. At present, Tim Beckham and his .175 average top the Orioles' third base depth chart.

Or consider the San Francisco Giants, who traded a decent cache of prospects to the Tampa Bay Rays for 32-year-old third baseman Evan Longoria and the bulk of the $86 million remaining on his contract, which runs at least though 2022.

Would either of those teams take Moustakas and his 2018 production at one year and $6.5 million? You bet your sweet hot corner. 

Sure, the season is young. Hindsight is 20/20. Yet, Moustakas is standing tall as the poster boy of an offseason that undervalued legitimate difference-makers.

He's also plying his trade for the Royals, who sit at 5-15. The feel-good story of K.C. bringing him back to the only franchise he's ever known could quickly curdle into a July trade-deadline swap.

It's too early to say the Royals are destined for a rebuild, but...the Royals are destined for a rebuild.

If and when Moustakas is dealt, he'll get a chance to re-enter the postseason crucible and increase his value for the coming offseason, when he should command far more respect and dollars.

If he keeps raking like he has, Moose won't need to wait till March to land a job. And he won't get robbed again.

   

All statistics and contract information current through Sunday and courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs.

A piece of ice broke the windshield glass of the Kansas City Royals team bus and injured the driver Sunday night, but reliever Blaine Boyer was there to help out in the emergency, per ESPN.

The pitcher grabbed the wheel to keep the bus under control and avoid disaster.

Rustin Dodd of the Athletic provided additional details and a view of the windshield:

If things weren’t going bad enough, a huge chunk of ice flew off one of the Royals’ team buses and slammed into the windshield of the other last night. The shards hit the bus driver and reliever Blaine Boyer had to grab the wheel. The driver was OK. pic.twitter.com/b1kdSxqDQG

— Rustin Dodd (@rustindodd) April 16, 2018

The team bus was traveling from the airport to their hotel in Toronto ahead of their series against the Blue Jays.

The driver, Fred Folkerts, sustained a cut on his face but his injuries were not considered serious. Meanwhile, Boyer gave him all the credit for remaining focused during the chaos.

"He was a stud," Boyer said of the driver, per ESPN. "That guy Fred was a trooper. He had shards in his face, and he was locked in on trying to get the bus slowed down."

The weather has been a major problem for the Royals in recent days. In addition to the problems in transit, the team had its game against the Angels Sunday postponed due to cold weather, while Monday's game was postponed due to damage to the roof at the Rogers Centre.

Falling chunks of ice from the nearby CN Tower reportedly caused the damage, per Alexandra Jones of the Toronto Star.

While the cancelations have been an inconvenience in the Royals' schedule, at least the team is safe thanks in part to Boyer's actions.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez will miss four to six weeks after suffering a Grade 2 MCL tear while carrying his luggage Tuesday, manager Ned Yost announced Wednesday.

Perez, who was set to be the team's Opening Day catcher, hurt his knee after slipping with the luggage. He was diagnosed with the MCL tear Wednesday.

Perez told reporters he missed a step and his knee hyperextended to cause the injury.

"I feel sad. I've put a lot of work into this year and to be behind home plate tomorrow, and I'm not going to be there," Perez said. "... Now I just need to get well and get ready."

Perez, 27, hit .268/.297/.495 with 27 home runs and 80 RBI last season. His 129 games played were his fewest since 2012, but he nonetheless set a career high in home runs—his third straight with 20-plus.

Drew Butera will likely begin the season as the Royals' Opening Day starter at catcher. Butera is more of a defensive backstop, so Kansas City's offense may struggle out of the gate. 

The Kansas City Royals had a famous face in their dugout prior to Wednesday's spring training game against the Chicago Cubs.

Per the Associated Press, actor Jim Caviezel filled in as the Royals bench coach for a team photo with Dale Sveum absent because of a doctor's appointment for a stiff neck.

"I think it's more humbling for me to pop into a picture and impersonate some guy," he said. "I enjoyed it, just getting into a team photo. How many times would you ever be on a MLB field?"

Caviezel, who starred in the CBS television series Person of Interest, received an invitation to Kansas City's spring camp from Mike Sweeney. He also took part in batting practice with the team.

Royals starting pitcher Ian Kennedy had some fun with Caviezel's most famous role in The Passion of The Christ after the game.

"Jesus was in our dugout, watching over us a little bit," Kennedy said.

Kansas City Royals outfielder Jorge Bonifacio was suspended for 80 games without pay Saturday after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.

According to Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Bonifacio tested positive for Boldenone.

The 24-year-old had a productive rookie season with the Royals in 2017, as he hit .255 with 17 home runs and 40 RBI in 113 games.

In spring training this year, Bonifacio was making a strong case to be a middle-of-the-order bat with a .333 batting average, one homer and seven RBI.

Bonifacio was penciled in as Kansas City's starting right fielder, but it will be forced to consider other options.

Moving Jorge Soler from designated hitter to right field is a possibility, as is playing one of Jon Jay or Paulo Orlando at the spot while the other mans center field.

The Royals lost two of their biggest offensive contributors in free agency, as Lorenzo Cain joined the Milwaukee Brewers and Eric Hosmer signed with the San Diego Padres.

Kansas City is looking to bounce back in 2018 after going 80-82 and missing the playoffs by five games last season.

The Kansas City Royals retained a fan favorite by re-signing third baseman Mike Moustakas to a one-year contract, the team announced Saturday. 

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports first reported the deal Thursday and noted the pact has a mutual option for a second season. Per Passan, Moustakas' contract will guarantee him $6.5 million but has the potential to reach $22.7 million.

The 29-year-old is coming off the best year of his career, setting new highs with 38 home runs, 85 RBI and an .835 OPS.

He also appeared in 148 games just one season after a knee injury limited him to 27 contests.

Moustakas had been a key player in the Royals lineup since making his debut in 2011, helping the squad develop into a legitimate contender. The team went to the World Series in 2014 and won in 2015, with the third baseman hitting .304 in the five-game series.

He nearly doubled his best home run output last season, earning his second All-Star selection while keeping the Royals in the playoff hunt—although the squad fell short of the postseason for the second year in a row.

Now Kansas City will hope the latest power surge wasn't a fluke. While there are questions about his on-base percentage and consistency, he remains an impact player in the middle of the lineup.

Although the American League Central has gotten tougher over the past couple of years, keeping one of the team's biggest free agents should help keep it afloat.