Daily Clips
March 12, 2018
LOCAL
Bonifacio apologizes: 'I made a mistake'
March 11, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Boni's suspension alters Royals' logjams
Roster in a state of flux, with decisions looming for infield, outfield and bullpen composition
March 11, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Indians 3, Royals 1: Karns sharp but offense slow in fourth straight loss
March 11, 2018By Maria Torres/KC Star
Royals counting on outfield depth to navigate first half without Jorge Bonifacio
March 11, 2018By Maria Torres/KC Star
NATIONAL
After 'system failure,' Mike Moustakas, others try moving on from grim winter
March 11, 2018By Bob Nightengale/USA Today Sports
Olney: Nobody may want an offseason do-over more than Scott Boras
March 11, 2018By Buster Olney/ESPN.com
Phillies agree to multi-year deal with Arrieta
March 12, 2018By Todd Zolecki/MLB.com
MLB TRANSACTIONS
March 12, 2018 •.CBSSports.com
LOCAL
Bonifacio apologizes: 'I made a mistake'
March 11, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Royals outfielder Jorge Bonifacio, suspended Saturday for 80 games by Major League Baseball for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug, did not take questions from reporters Sunday morning but did speak briefly.
"I made a mistake," Bonifacio said. "And I take responsibility for the mistake I made. I want to say sorry to all the fans, to the team, the coaches, the GM and the owner of the team. I just want to keep working hard to help the team when I come back."
Bonifacio was suspended for testing positive for boldenone, a steroid developed mainly for veterinary use.
Bonifacio, 24, will be allowed to continue to practice with the Royals this spring, then likely will remain in Arizona for extended spring camp. He will be eligible to be reinstated in early July but will be permitted a 15-day rehab assignment in the Minors prior to that.
Nolasco: "I was getting bored"
Veteran right-hander Ricky Nolasco, 35, signed as a non-roster invitee earlier in the week, said he was basically losing his patience sitting at home this offseason.
"It was very weird," he said. "We were talking to different teams and [the Royals] were the best fit. I was getting bored at home and wanted to get back into the routine."
Nolasco started 33 games for the Angels last season and logged 181 innings. Still, the market for him was dry.
"Didn't see this coming," Nolasco said. "A lot of guys didn't see this coming. Definitely some things that need to be fixed [with free agency]. But I'm over it. I'm here."
Camp battles
• Not that there was a huge doubt, but right-hander Nathan Karns, coming off thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, appears to have proven he's all systems go for the rotation. Karns went three innings Sunday and gave up two runs but walked none and struck out four. His velocity hit 95-96 mph in the first inning.
"I probably need to take it down a notch and get a little more [late life] on it," Karns said.
• Ramon Torres, battling for the utility infielder role, had a hit in the Royals' 3-1 loss to the Indians on Sunday. Torres raised his spring average to .381.
Injury update
Outfielder Paulo Orlando is out three to six days because of a grade one hamstring strain that occurred while lunging for a line drive Saturday.
Infielder Adalberto Mondesi continues to sit out with what now is being described as a shoulder impingement. He is able to take batting practice but will not throw until later in the week. He is scheduled to DH on Monday in the first game of a doubleheader.
Up next
The Royals will play a rare day-night doubleheader Monday at Surprise Stadium. At 2:05 p.m. CT, the Royals will play the Padres as right-hander Jakob Junis takes the mound. Right-handers Blaine Boyer, Sam Gaviglio, Seth Maness and Kevin McCarthy also are expected to throw.
At 8:05 p.m. CT, the Royals will play the Rangers with Rule 5 right-hander Burch Smith set to start. Righties Miguel Almonte and Trevor Oaks and lefties Tim Hill and Eric Stout also are expected to throw. This game will be on MLB.TV.
Boni's suspension alters Royals' logjams
Roster in a state of flux, with decisions looming for infield, outfield and bullpen composition
March 11, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
The Royals' outfield logjam may have cleared up a bit with the news of Jorge Bonifacio's 80-game suspension for taking a performance-enhancing drug.
But not as much as you might think, according to manager Ned Yost.
"Right now, we have so much in flux," Yost said. "We don't know how many infielders we'll keep. We don't know about outfielders or the bullpen, [either]."
Yost and his staff are debating whether to keep four or five outfielders, five or six infielders, or seven or eight bullpen arms.
Bonifacio would likely have been the Opening Day starter in right field, with the plan to get him 500-600 plate appearances this season. Now, right field will probably be filled by either Jon Jay or Jorge Soler -- though Soler prefers to play in left field.
If Jay is in right and Soler in left, Alex Gordon could start the season in center field. But moving Soler or Jay to DH won't be as easy due to Friday's other development -- the signing of third baseman Mike Moustakas, which will push Cheslor Cuthbert to DH on a fairly regular basis.
Paulo Orlando, who likely now has a spot guaranteed because of Bonifacio's suspension, could also see time in center field -- which would push Gordon back to left, where he has won five Gold Gloves. And that, in turn, would push either Soler -- whom the Royals also are trying to get 500-600 plate appearances -- or Jay to DH.
But the DH spot is getting logjammed, as well, and not just because of Cuthbert's presence.
"Cuthbert, [first baseman Lucas] Duda, and Moose will take some of those DH at-bats, too," Yost noted.
If the Royals opt to carry five outfielders, the fifth spot could open up competition between non-roster invites Michael Saunders and Tyler Collins.
A fifth spot among the outfielders could also open up if the Royals decide to carry five infielders, instead of six. Right now, Ramon Torres, who has options, is competing with veteran Ryan Goins, a non-roster invitee, for the sixth spot as a utility infielder.
"We can't say anything with truthfulness or certainty, right now," Yost said.
The Royals could open up a spot for a sixth infielder or a fifth outfielder if they carry seven bullpen arms instead of eight. But that will be a challenge because they have two Rule 5 players in Burch Smith and Brad Keller, who must be kept on the 25-man roster all season or be returned to their original clubs. Those bullpen spots could be filling up fast -- with locks Kelvin Herrera and Brandon Maurer and close-to-lock Kevin McCarthy, plus two more pitchers out of options in Brian Flynn and Wily Peralta.
"Those are all the things we're discussing," Yost said.
Indians 3, Royals 1: Karns sharp but offense slow in fourth straight loss
March 11, 2018By Maria Torres/KC Star
The Royals trailed early against the Cleveland Indians and dropped a 3-1 contest on Sunday afternoon at Surprise Stadium. It was their fourth loss in a row.
The game
While pitchers held the Indians to eight hits, only one of which came with runners in scoring position, Royals hitters were slow to get anything going. They were held to one single from Tyler Collins until prospect Nicky Lopez broke through with his own in the sixth.
But it was Humberto Arteaga’s hit in the seventh inning that scored Billy Burns and knocked the Royals’ zero off the scoreboard.
Defensively, the Royals played crisply. Catchers Salvador Perez and Parker Morin each caught a runner trying to steal second base.
And Hunter Dozier, the converted third baseman who entered the game at first base in the seventh inning, laid out on his right side to steal what might have been a ground-ball hit from the Indians’ Francisco Mejia in the eighth inning.
“Arteaga made a couple of really — plays that were really tough and made them look easy,” manager Ned Yost said. “Jack Lopez turned a really nice double play.
"Defense, we’ve been pretty sound.”
The starter
A look at the radar reading at Surprise Stadium said it all. Right-hander Nathan Karns was throwing 95 mph fastballs — one even clocked at 96 — and felt great doing it.
“First inning I had a lot of adrenaline, so I just went with it,” said Karns, who threw 39 pitches in three innings.
Karns was sharp in the first two innings of his second Cactus League outing. In 22 pitches, he only threw five outside the zone. He used his curveball effectively, relying on one to freeze Roberto Perez and record his second of four strikeouts on the day.
But the adrenaline wore off by the third inning. A few curves he threw in the third inning did not break, and the Indians “got pretty good wood on it.”
Karns received assistance from right fielder Michael Saunders when the Indians’ Bradley Zimmer stroked a line drive into right field. The ball chopped right in front of a charging Saunders, who cleanly handled the bounce and fired a throw to second base. Erik Gonzalez was caught off the bag at second and tagged out by Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar.
The play erased a base runner ahead of Perez’s third-inning homer, a two-run shot to the right of the 400-foot mark in center field.
What’s up at first base?
First baseman Lucas Duda was scratched from the lineup on Sunday after reporting stiffness in his back. The opening gave Yost an opportunity to stick Drew Butera at first base for the first time this spring.
When asked in the morning if he might entertain the notion of giving Mike Moustakas time at first base during the season, Yost said Moustakas was one of four players on the 25-man roster who could spell Duda in the field.
Another name on the list: Butera.
“Drew’s pretty darned good at first base,” Yost told reporters before finding out Duda needed a day off.
Butera, who has logged 50 major-league innings at first since 2013, played six innings on Sunday.
Injury report
Outfielder Paulo Orlando will take a break this week as he nurses a grade one hamstring strain.
He tweaked the muscle on a line-drive play in center field in Saturday’s game. Yost said Orlando may need anywhere between three and six days to recuperate.
Up next
The Royals (7-8-1) will play a split doubleheader against the San Diego Padres and Texas Rangers on Monday in Surprise. The first game begins at 2 p.m., with the second scheduled to start at 8 p.m. The night contest will be broadcast on Fox Sports Kansas City.
Royals counting on outfield depth to navigate first half without Jorge Bonifacio
March 11, 2018By Maria Torres/KC Star
Royals manager Ned Yost walked through the clubhouse here on Sunday, making a beeline for outfielder Jorge Bonifacio’s locker. He put his arm around Bonifacio’s shoulders, talked with him for a minute and walked away after offering him an affectionate pat on the head.
Bonifacio was suspended 80 games Saturday by Major League Baseball after testing positive for Boldenone, a performance-enhancing substance that violates MLB’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. He was placed on the restricted list and is allowed to practice with the Royals as the team works through the last two weeks of spring training. However, he will not appear in any games that charge admission until he is sent on a rehab assignment prior to his suspension being lifted.
“I made a mistake and I take responsibility of the mistake I made,” Bonifacio said in a prepared statement on Sunday. “I will take all the suspension because I made a mistake. I want to say sorry to all my fans, to the team, coaches, GM and the owner of the team. I just want to keep working hard to help my team when I come back.”
Asked what he said to the 24-year-old after the news broke, Yost replied, “‘We’ll get through it.’”
“I think everybody is disappointed when something like this happens,” Yost continued. “I don’t know how it continues to happen.”
Such is life at Royals camp one day after third baseman Mike Moustakas made his homecoming official by signing a one-year contract to return to Kansas City. As he works out how he’ll get Cheslor Cuthbert enough at-bats while keeping Moustakas as the starting third baseman, Yost will also have to work out what shape the Royals outfield will take before the team returns to Kauffman Stadium for the season opener on March 29.
Non-roster invitees Michael Saunders and Tyler Collins might continue to present good cases for inclusion on the 25-man roster through the remaining 17 games, including Sunday’s contest against the Indians, in Arizona. If so, Yost might see himself carrying a fifth outfielder.
Perhaps Paulo Orlando, who is out for five or six days after tweaking his hamstring as he chased a line drive in center field in Saturday’s loss to the Diamondbacks, provides Yost enough backup through the first half of the season that he won’t need to make room on the 40-man roster for either Saunders or Collins.
Yost has a few weeks to figure it out.
At least the Royals can take comfort in the acquisition of veteran outfielder Jon Jay, who signed a one-year contract of his own merely five days ago. Jay, who formerly played for the Cubs and Cardinals, can roam any position in the outfield. He will likely spend the majority of his time at one of the corners.
“Trying to create that depth is really really important because, you know, something’s going to happen down the road, something you can’t really count on, something you can’t foresee,” Yost said. “And here you go.
“Jon Jay turns out to be a brilliant sign now.”
NATIONAL
After 'system failure,' Mike Moustakas, others try moving on from grim winter
March 11, 2018By Bob Nightengale/USA Today Sports
Third baseman Mike Moustakas walked into the Kansas City Royals spring-training clubhouse Sunday morning, just as he has for the last 11 years, put on his same uniform, and greeted familiar faces.
Still, in many ways, he conceded, it felt so foreign.
He was never supposed to be back once he hit free agency, let alone be relegated to a pay cut on a one-year contract.
He's now presented as Major League Baseball Players Association’s Exhibit 1-A, exemplifying the integral flaws of free agency under the new collective bargaining agreement.
“I’m pretty sure I will be, you know that,’’ said Moustakas, who signed a one-year, $6.5 million contract, some $80 million less than projected.
Teammates Jon Jay and Lucas Duda are in similar situations, signing one-year deals that did not reflect their perceived value, but Moustakas is the two-time All-Star and World Series champion who hit a franchise-record 38 homers in hitter-unfriendly Kansas City, spurring hopes of a contract nearing $90 million.
“I think a guy should be rewarded for what he did on the field,’’ Duda said, “but the market was extremely slow. A lot of major league fans thought we were being greedy, or whatever the case was, but there were no offers to turn down.
“There were no offers to even consider.’’
The Royals figured Moustakas was gone, and didn’t bother to make an offer. It turns out no one else did, either. Even the teams that had an urgent need, like the Los Angeles Angels and San Francisco Giants, didn’t want to forfeit their second-round draft pick as compensation.
The Atlanta Braves showed interest when Moustakas’ market collapsed. So did the Tampa Bay Rays - who accelerated his market collapse by dealing Evan Longoria to the Giants - and Chicago White Sox. Yet, no one made an actual offer.
“The system failed Mike Moustakas,’’ said Scott Boras, his agent. "If you’re going to withhold players for three years at the minimum salary, offer them an artificial value in arbitration for three more years, and there is no reward at the end of that, then you realize the quid pro quo no longer exists.
“Players have been given notice.’’
The players union will make its first stop in the Cactus League on Wednesday morning. It’s only fitting that it will be here.
“It’s just sad to see what happened,’’ said Jay, who took a $5 million pay cut when he signed a one-year, $3 million deal. contract, “to not only me, but all of the guys still out there. As a player you want to stand and unite. We’ve got to stick together.
Moustakas could have waited until after the June draft when teams no longer would have to forfeit draft picks to sign him, but he wasn’t about to stay home for half the season, and then gamble that someone would even want or need him.