Daily Clips
March 11, 2018
LOCAL
Cuthbert cool with Moustakas' return, new role
March 10, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Moustakas feels 'back home' with Royals
March 10, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Bonifacio suspended 80 games
March 10, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Diamondbacks 10, Royals 3: Jason Hammel scuffles in second Cactus League start
March 10, 2018By Pete Grathoff/KC Star
How the Royals suddenly redefined their present while looking to the future
March 10, 2018By Vahe Gregorian/KC Star
Royals outfielder Jorge Bonifacio is suspended 80 games for steroid use
March 10, 2018By Maria Torres/KC Star
Mike Moustakas officially returns to Royals: 'Blessing in disguise,' he says
March 10, 2018By Maria Torres/KC Star
'He's just a guy we rally around.' Royals players thrilled Mike Moustakas is back
March 10, 2018By Pete Grathoff/KC Star
Scott Boras says “The system has failed” Mike Moustakas
March 10, 2018By Rustin Dodd/The Athletic KC
How Jorge Bonifacio's drug suspension impacts the Royals
March 10, 2018By Rustin Dodd/The Athletic KC
MINORS
Moustakas Returning To The Royals
2010-11, 14 Omaha infielder back with Kansas City
March 10, 2018By Scott Popp/Omaha Storm Chasers
NATIONAL
Mike Moustakas happy to be back with Royals, even if 'system failed' him
March 10, 2018By Bob Nightengale/USA Today Sports
Scott Boras denies Moustakas was offered three-year, $45 million deal by Angels
The reported offer came from before the Angels signed Zack Cozart to a relatively similar deal
March 10, 2018By Matt Snyder/CBSSports.com
Eight reasons to be excited that Mike Moustakas is staying in Kansas City
March 10, 2018By Eric Chesterton/MLB.com/cutfour
Lynn to Twins: Free agent finds new team
Source: Right-hander agrees to one-year, $12 million contract
March 10, 2018By Rhett Bollinger/MLB.com
MLB TRANSACTIONS
March 11, 2018 •.CBSSports.com
LOCAL
Cuthbert cool with Moustakas' return, new role
March 10, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Royals third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert took the news of Mike Moustakas signing back with his former team in stride.
Cuthbert will feel the impact of the signing more than most -- the Royals once pledged to get Cuthbert 550 at-bats this season, which now seems like an extreme longshot with Moustakas back at third base.
"I was prepared for it," Cuthbert said, "because no one really knows [with] free agents. And thanks to God, I am ready for whatever. Wherever they want to put me to play, I'm ready."
Cuthbert considers Moustakas a good friend, and spoke with him recently to congratulate Moustakas on the birth of his second child.
"I learned a lot when I got here from him," Cuthbert said. "He was always next to me, helping me and telling me how things are up here."
Cuthbert now likely will be slotted into the DH role more.
"I'm OK with whatever they want me to do," Cuthbert said. "I'm glad he is back."
Hammel a bit off
Right-hander Jason Hammel went two innings Saturday and gave up four hits and three runs. He walked two and struck out two in the Royals' 10-3 loss to Arizona on Saturday.
"I felt I was rushing a little bit," Hammel said. "Second inning was better. But, the timing wasn't right and just one of those days. Overall I felt great, but for whatever reason, I couldn't get it going."
Camp battles
• Outfielder Paulo Orlando, trying to secure an outfield spot on the roster, had an RBI double, but also left the game with slight soreness in his right hamstring.
• Right-hander Brad Keller, a Rule 5 Draft acquisition, pitched one clean inning, and then gave up three runs in his second inning of work.
Injury update
Infielder Adalberto Mondesi continues to sit out with what now is being described as a shoulder impingement. He will be on a no-throw program for three more days, he said.
"It's nothing serious," Mondesi said. "Just a little sore."
Center fielder Bubba Starling is expected to be out of action for an extended period, Royals manager Ned Yost said, because of an oblique injury. Yost also said Starling could be a candidate for the disabled list.
Shortstop Alcides Escobar was a late scratch on Saturday because of back soreness, but Yost said he will play Sunday.
Up next
Right-hander Nathan Karns will make his second start this spring as the Royals return to Surprise Stadium for a 3:05 p.m CT game against the Indians. Also expected to pitch are left-handers Eric Skoglund and Foster Griffin and right-hander Mike Broadway. Watch the game live on MLB.TV.
Moustakas feels 'back home' with Royals
March 10, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Third baseman Mike Moustakas took a good look around the Royals facilities and said smiling, "It feels like I never left."
Moustakas is back with the Royals, an improbable reunion that became official when Moustakas passed his physical Saturday morning. The Royals' corresponding move came when outfielder Jorge Bonifacio was announced to have been suspended for 80 games following a performance-enhancing substance violation.
After shaking hands and hugging numerous old friends in the clubhouse, Moustakas stepped inside a separate room to briefly speak with reporters.
"It feels great," Moustakas said. "Being able to come back here and be with all these guys that I grew up playing this game with in this organization is unbelievable, and I'm just excited to be back.
"I got to see some familiar faces today, and that's always great to come into a clubhouse and have everybody come up and give you hugs and see some guys and everybody asks how your family's doing. It feels great to be back home."
A cold market forced Moustakas and agent Scott Boras to agree to a one-year deal that will guarantee him $6.5 million -- less than the nearly $9 million he made last year with the Royals when he set a franchise record with 38 home runs. The deal also is far less than the $17.4 million qualifying offer from the Royals that Boras and Moustakas rejected last fall.
Moustakas will get $5.5 million this season, with a potential of $2.2 million more in performance bonuses based on plate appearances starting at 225. There is a $15 million mutual option for 2019 with a $1 million buyout.
When asked if he finally felt compelled to forget about waiting for a larger deal and just get back to playing baseball, Moustakas shook his head in agreement.
"I was down in Newport Beach [Calif.] and me and Scott were talking with [general manager] Dayton [Moore] a little bit and trying to figure out what was going on," Moustakas said. "We were able to get things done and I was able to come back here and be ready to play some baseball again."
Moustakas said he'll definitely be ready by Opening Day.
"Easily," he said. "I'll be able to get some at-bats on the Minor League side and stand in and get some live BP with some guys throwing bullpens and stuff. I'll get my timing back soon. We still got a couple weeks left in spring. So I'll get my legs underneath me and be ready for Opening Day."
Still, both Moutakas and Boras admitted there was a level of frustration with the slow market this offseason.
"I think it was frustrating for everybody," Moustakas said. "Even for guys that did sign deals prior to me, it was frustrating."
Boras called the absence of offers for Moustakas a "system failure" for a former All-Star and for someone with a World Series ring.
Moore simply was happy to have his third baseman back.
"We're fortunate that it happened for us the way it did," Moore said. "Any time you can add a talent like Mike Moustakas, it helps any organization or any team. The thing that makes Moose so valuable is his desire to win. If he had been healthy in 2016, we would have gone to the playoffs again."
Bonifacio suspended 80 games
March 10, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Royals outfielder Jorge Bonifacio, who was expected to be the Opening Day starter in right field, instead has been suspended for 80 games by Major League Baseball for testing positive for Boldenone, a performance-enhancing substance.
Bonifacio's 80-game suspension will commence at the start of the 2018 regular season. He will still be allowed to remain in camp and practice with the team during Spring Training.
"This is obviously a very disappointing situation for the Royals, our fans and Jorge," Royals general manager Dayton Moore said in a statement. "He is an incredible person who just made a mistake. Jorge will have our full support as he deals with the consequences of this violation."
Bonifacio was unavailable for comment Saturday.
Boldenone is an anabolic androgenic steroid developed for veterinary use.
"Of course, it was a shock," Royals manager Ned Yost said after the Royals' 10-3 loss to Arizona. "Jorge Bonifacio is one of the finest young guys we've got on this team. I don't know the details. I still don't. But it was very shocking when Dayton told me this was happening.
"It really made me kind of sick to my stomach a little bit, because he is such a neat kid and a big part of our team. But we'll get through it. It's 80 games and we'll continue to support him and make sure this never happens again. Like I said, I'm not sure exactly the circumstances, but I'm sure that'll all come to light here soon."
Bonifacio likely will be replaced by either recently-acquired Jon Jay or Jorge Soler in right field. It's possible, too, that the Royals will keep five outfielders on the roster, which could mean non-roster invitees Michael Saunders or Tyler Collins could find a spot with Bonifacio's absence.
"I think Dayton in his foresight and wisdom has set us up for situations that we can't foresee," Yost said. "With the depth that he has given us, and the quality depth he has given us, luckily for us, we're a little bit covered."
Bonifacio, 24, hit .255 with 17 home runs and 40 RBIs in his rookie season in 2017.
Diamondbacks 10, Royals 3: Jason Hammel scuffles in second Cactus League start
March 10, 2018By Pete Grathoff/KC Star
The Royals lost for the sixth time in their last eight games as the Arizona Diamondbacks came away with an 10-3 victory on a rainy Saturday in front of a sold-out crowd of 13,511 at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.
The game
The Royals strung together three straight run-scoring hits in the second inning. Shortstop Ryan Goins and catcher Cam Gallagher had consecutive singles that brought home Lucas Duda and Michael Saunders, respectively. Both Duda and Saunders had drawn walks. Paulo Orlando's double scored Goins to make it 3-0.
Starter Jason Hammel then gave up three runs in the bottom of the second.
The Diamondbacks took the lead when Yasmany Tomas and Ketel Marte hit two-out doubles against Kevin Lenik in the third.
Brad Keller, who pitched 1 2/3 innings, gave up three runs on four hits in the fifth inning as Arizona took a 7-3 lead. In his previous three Cactus League appearances, Keller hadn't yielded a run over 3 1/3 innings.
"I was pleased with Keller, I thought he threw really good the first inning," manager Ned Yost said. "We want to extend him out a little bit, try to get some two-inning stints under his belt. Second inning was a little rougher, but a really good first inning. It looked like he was throwing 95, 96 mph bowling balls up to the plate."
Josh Staumont gave up three runs in the eighth inning.
The starter
Hammel gave up a single and a walk in the first inning, then allowed three runs on three hits and a walk in the second frame. He also struck out a pair.
"Basically got my work in today with runners on," Hammel said. "At some point, you've got to work on that. For the most part, it was just bad, didn't feel good timing, good rhythm."
Spring training is about building arm strength and fine-tuning mechanics ahead of the season, so there will be some rough stretches for most pitchers. For Hammel, 35, his second spring start on Saturday was one of those instances.
"The build-up process sucks, because that makes me feel my age a lot more," Hammel said with a smile. "It's like learning that I am getting older. I'm just trying to tease myself that I'm not old. But overall, I felt great (physically). Just for whatever reason today, I couldn't get the ball on the ground."
Orlando leaves early
Orlando, who was replaced by Billy Burns in the fourth inning, left the game because of what Yost called "a slight hamstring" injury.
Escobar scratched
Shortstop Alcides Escobar was in the lineup but was scratched. Goins started in his place.
"Esky's fine," Yost said. "He was in the lineup, but I had him three days in a row. We didn't really want to play him three days in a row. He'll be back in there tomorrow and the next day."
Whit keeps hitting
In a sign of how well second baseman Whit Merrifield is hitting this spring, he went 1 for 3 on Saturday and saw his average drop 20 points. But he's now batting .500 (14 for 28) with three doubles, three triples and two home runs.
Up next
The Royals, 7-7-1, will play host to the Cleveland Indians on Sunday. First pitch is at 3:05 p.m., and Nate Karns will get the start.
How the Royals suddenly redefined their present while looking to the future
March 10, 2018By Vahe Gregorian/KC Star
Sitting in his office at Kauffman Stadium in mid-January, Royals general manager Dayton Moore dutifully explained the realities and financial dynamics of this transitional phase for the franchise.
He stressed the urgencies of fiscal restraint and replenishing a minor-league system heavily drained by moves that helped the Royals win the 2015 World Series. And he gazed toward a blank canvas on an easel that served to symbolize the vast unknowns about his 2018 team.
Most likely, he said, “we may have to take a step back” before promptly adding, “But we’ll see. Still going to try to win, each and every night.”
If you didn’t know Moore, you could dismiss that as a perfunctory thought.
Especially if the Royals had forged forth with forced baptisms of fire for the raw likes of Aldaberto Mondesi (still best known as Raul) at shortstop, Hunter Dozier at first base, Bubba Starling in center and Cheslor Cuthbert (with some experience) at third.
While that would have been an extreme version of what they were angling toward, it speaks to what the presumed initial trajectory was as they reset.
Prognosticators had been so full of gloom that one Royal defiantly joked at spring training that they might as well just not show up for their games.
ESPN.com, for example, in mid-February rated the team 29th and projected the Royals to lose nearly 100 games.
“As it stands, the Royals will field the worst group of position players in the majors,” ESPN.com wrote. “It’s not even close.”
That may or may not have been true even then.
But “as it stands” has changed radically since with the recent signings of Lucas Duda, Jon Jay and, finally, fan favorite and two-time All-Star Mike Moustakas.
The opportunistic message was resounding:
The Royals might be rebuilding, but they aren’t conceding that they have to take a dive to do that.
Flux or not, they seek to remain as credible as possible with what has become a brand to protect.
As usual with Moore, there’s both idealism and practicality at play in moves that reflect this thinking.
“We can’t just not try to win for the next two or three years to get draft picks and then think we’re just going to flip the switch and our culture is going to be strong again,” Moore said in his office in Surprise earlier this month. “We’ve got to continue to develop that winning attitude and approach on a daily basis.
“We can never get complacent, we can never get weary of the importance of giving your best effort every single day.”
He meant in terms of teaching and on the field.
But he knows it’s imperative for that message to be sent from the front office down.
Which he’s done, boosting both the morale of the team and a fan base without compromising the broader vision.
The bargain re-signing of third baseman Moustakas at one year, $6.5 million, combined with equally economical one-year deals in the days before with outfielder Jay ($3 million) and first baseman Duda ($3.5 million), doesn’t figure to make the Royals instant contenders or anything like that.
But it does represent a fundamental shift in their credibility to compete now … even without a fundamental shift in emphasis on financing the future.
The addition of those three and the earlier stop-gap re-signing of Alcides Escobar ($2.5 million for a year) adds up to the Royals acquiring half a field of successful major league players (accounting for Escobar’s glove more than his bat, that is) who have all played in the World Series for a total of $15.5 million.