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Royals KCR

201595–67 (0.586)★ 2015 World Series Champions
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GM: Dayton Moore

Overview

Ranks vs the 30 teams in 2015, or a custom range (defaults to every team-season since 1985, when our data starts).

to

Front Office

PoorAverageGreat
Value
Payroll $M
$122M
Surplus $M
-10
Win %
0.586
TAB
+1.3
WAB
+13.0
Roster composition
Roster fWAR
35.6
Dead money %
40%
Depth Players
8.0
Dead WAR
-4.2

Offense

PoorAverageGreat

Pitching & Defense

PoorAverageGreat

Roster

2015 depth chart — stacked by playing time

C

RSalvador Perez139
RDrew Butera⇄39
RFrancisco Peña8
RErik Kratz⇄4

1B

LEric Hosmer154
BKendrys Morales9
RDrew Butera⇄6
RCheslor Cuthbert1
RSalvador Perez1

2B

ROmar Infante124
BBen Zobrist⇄32
RChristian Colón14
RCheslor Cuthbert1

3B

LMike Moustakas146
RCheslor Cuthbert17
RChristian Colón8
BBen Zobrist⇄2
RDusty Coleman2

SS

RAlcides Escobar148
RChristian Colón21
ROrlando Calixte1

LF

LAlex Gordon101
RPaulo Orlando37
LJarrod Dyson27
BBen Zobrist⇄21
RTerrance Gore4

CF

RLorenzo Cain136
LJarrod Dyson37
RPaulo Orlando5

RF

RAlex Rios105
RPaulo Orlando45
LJarrod Dyson17
RJonny Gomes⇄8
RLorenzo Cain5
BBen Zobrist⇄2
LEric Hosmer1

DH

BKendrys Morales141
RJonny Gomes⇄5
BBen Zobrist⇄3
RLorenzo Cain3
LAlex Gordon2
RSalvador Perez2
LJarrod Dyson2
RTerrance Gore2
RPaulo Orlando2
RCheslor Cuthbert1
LEric Hosmer1

Starters

RYordano Ventura2.7 WAR
REdinson Volquez2.6 WAR
LDanny Duffy1.3 WAR
RJohnny Cueto⇄1.1 WAR
RChris Young1.1 WAR
RKris Medlen0.5 WAR
RJoe Blanton⇄0.5 WAR
LJason Vargas0.4 WAR
RYohan Pino0.2 WAR
RJeremy Guthrie-0.8 WAR

Bullpen

★ RGreg Holland32 sv
RKelvin Herrera21 h
RRyan Madson20 h
RWade Davis18 h
LFranklin Morales8 h
RLuke Hochevar6 h
RJason Frasor⇄0 h
RJoe Blanton⇄0 h

Each position shows its top 3 by games (top = starter) — click "+more" for the rest. The letter is bats/throws; ⇄ marks a player traded mid-season. Starters are ranked by WAR, bullpen by holds; ★ marks the closer (most save chances). MLB Stats API.

Key additions (new vs 2014)

PlayerfWAR
Edinson Volquez2.6
Kendrys Morales2.1
Ben Zobrist1.5
Chris Young1.1
Johnny Cueto1.1
Ryan Madson0.9

Key subtractions (gone from 2014)

Player2014 fWAR
James Shields3.5
Norichika Aoki1.8
Liam Hendriks0.6
Danny Valencia0.5
Josh Willingham0.1
Johnny Giavotella0.1

Contract Value

WAR translated into tier-adjusted market value, then compared with what the player was paid by Royals. Guaranteed contracts from the 2015-present contract-data period use the known contract period through 2015; everyone else is shown as a 2015 season snapshot.

PlayerPeriodfWARTier Market $MPaid $MSurplus $M$ / WARTierContract
Lorenzo Cain 2015 +6.1 +100.0 2.7 +97.3 $0.4M 2.05× –
Yordano Ventura 2015 +2.7 +41.8 0.9 +40.8 $0.4M 1.96× –
Mike Moustakas 2015 +3.8 +38.4 2.6 +35.8 $0.7M 1.25× –
Edinson Volquez 2015 +2.6 +40.9 7.5 +33.4 $2.9M 1.96× –
Wade Davis 2015 +2.0 +31.6 7.0 +24.6 $3.5M 1.95× –
Eric Hosmer 2015 +3.5 +29.7 5.7 +24.1 $1.6M 1.07× –
Alex Gordon 2015 +2.7 +35.1 12.5 +22.6 $4.6M 1.60× –
Kendrys Morales 2015 +2.1 +17.0 6.5 +10.5 $3.1M 1.01× –
Ryan Madson 2015 +0.9 +9.8 0.8 +9.0 $0.9M 1.34× –
Chris Young 2015 +1.1 +8.8 0.7 +8.1 $0.6M 1.02× –
Jarrod Dyson 2015 +1.4 +9.2 1.2 +8.0 $0.9M 0.83× –
Alcides Escobar 2015 +1.5 +10.8 3.0 +7.8 $2.0M 0.89× –
Danny Duffy 2015 +1.3 +10.2 2.4 +7.8 $1.9M 1.02× –
Kelvin Herrera 2015 +0.6 +6.7 1.6 +5.1 $2.6M 1.34× –
Johnny Cueto↔ 2015 +1.1 +8.8 4.1 +4.7 $3.8M 1.02× –
Paulo Orlando 2015 +0.7 +4.7 0.4 +4.4 $0.5M 0.83× –
Ben Zobrist↔ 2015 +1.5 +6.6 3.5 +3.1 $2.4M 0.56× –
Joe Blanton↔ 2015 +0.5 +2.5 0.3 +2.2 $0.6M 0.67× –
Kris Medlen 2015 +0.5 +4.0 2.0 +2.0 $4.0M 1.02× –
Salvador Perez 2015 +0.8 +3.2 1.8 +1.5 $2.3M 0.52× Extension · 2026–2027 · $12.5M AAV
Cheslor Cuthbert 2015 +0.2 +1.0 0.1 +0.8 $0.7M 0.58× –
Yohan Pino 2015 +0.2 +0.8 0.1 +0.8 $0.4M 0.67× –
Christian Colón 2015 +0.2 +1.1 0.5 +0.6 $2.4M 0.61× –
Aaron Brooks↔ 2015 +0.1 +0.3 0.0 +0.3 $0.5M 0.67× –
Franklin Morales 2015 +0.4 +2.1 1.9 +0.3 $4.6M 0.67× –
Greg Holland 2015 +0.8 +8.5 8.2 +0.2 $10.4M 1.34× –
Scott Alexander 2015 -0.0 -0.0 0.1 -0.1 – 0.67× –
Joba Chamberlain↔ 2015 -0.0 -0.1 0.2 -0.3 – 0.67× –
Orlando Calixte 2015 -0.1 -0.3 0.0 -0.4 – 0.61× –
Terrance Gore 2015 -0.0 -0.3 0.1 -0.4 – 0.83× –
Francisco Peña 2015 -0.1 -0.4 0.1 -0.5 – 0.52× –
Michael Mariot 2015 -0.1 -0.4 0.0 -0.5 – 0.67× –
Erik Kratz↔ 2015 -0.1 -0.5 0.1 -0.6 – 0.52× –
Louis Coleman 2015 +0.0 +0.0 0.7 -0.7 $134.9M 0.67× –
Brandon Finnegan↔ 2015 -0.1 -0.7 0.1 -0.8 – 0.67× –
Dusty Coleman 2015 -0.2 -0.8 0.0 -0.8 – 0.58× –
Jason Frasor↔ 2015 -0.0 -0.0 1.0 -1.1 – 0.67× –
Drew Butera↔ 2015 -0.4 -1.5 0.8 -2.3 – 0.52× –
Jonny Gomes↔ 2015 -0.3 -1.9 0.5 -2.4 – 0.83× –
Miguel Almonte 2015 -0.4 -2.3 0.1 -2.4 – 0.67× –
Luke Hochevar 2015 +0.2 +0.8 4.0 -3.2 $26.0M 0.67× –
Jason Vargas 2015 +0.4 +3.5 8.5 -5.0 $19.6M 1.02× –
Alex Rios 2015 -0.2 -1.2 11.0 -12.2 – 0.83× –
Omar Infante 2015 -1.3 -6.0 7.5 -13.5 – 0.56× –
Jeremy Guthrie 2015 -0.8 -6.5 9.0 -15.5 – 1.02× –
Total—+35.8+415.0121.8+293.1—

Trades

Every graded 2015 deal involving the Royals — best expected value first. Surplus is realized value in $M; 5 total.

2015 · OAK / KCR
OAK · Billy Beane +$112.0M
Aaron Brooks, Sean Manaea
KCR · Dayton Moore −$112.0M
Ben Zobrist
OAK came out ahead by $112.0M
2015 · ATL / KCR
ATL · John Hart +$2.4M
Luis Valenzuela
KCR · Dayton Moore −$2.4M
Jonny Gomes
ATL came out ahead by $2.4M
2015 · KCR / ANA
KCR · Dayton Moore +$1.6M
Drew Butera
ANA · Bill Stoneman −$1.6M
Ryan Jackson
KCR came out ahead by $1.6M
2015 · KCR / CIN
KCR · Dayton Moore +$1.6M
Johnny Cueto
CIN · Walt Jocketty −$1.6M
Brandon Finnegan, John Lamb, Cody Reed
KCR came out ahead by $1.6M
2015 · STL / KCR
STL · John Mozeliak +$1.6M
Jose Martinez
KCR · Dayton Moore −$1.6M
Tony Cruz
STL came out ahead by $1.6M

Current & Historical Payroll

2015 payroll
$122.0M
2016 guaranteed
$0M

What the front office was committed to as of 2015, 2015–2021. Guaranteed $ are contract commitments signed by 2015; arbitration & free-agent years are projected from service time. Hover a figure for its luxury-tax (CBT) & actual-cash values.

current $ guaranteed $ arbitration (proj) pre-arb (proj) free agent club option player option mutual option vesting option

Guaranteed / signed (17)

PlayerAgeSvc2015201620172018201920202021
Alex Gordon317.092$12.5MFREE AGENT
Alex Rios3410.130$11.0MFREE AGENT
Jeremy Guthrie368.130$9.0MFREE AGENT
Jason Vargas327.114$8.5MFREE AGENT
Edinson Volquez317.059$7.5MFREE AGENT
Omar Infante3317.020$7.5MFREE AGENT
Kendrys Morales326.170$6.5MFREE AGENT
Johnny Cueto297.000$4.1MFREE AGENT
Luke Hochevar316.151$4.0MFREE AGENT
Ben Zobrist347.134$3.5MFREE AGENT
Franklin Morales296.007$1.9MFREE AGENT
Jason Frasor3711.000$1.0MFREE AGENT
Ryan Madson3410.155$850kFREE AGENT
Chris Young3611.000$675kFREE AGENT
Jonny Gomes349.097$505kFREE AGENT
Joe Blanton349.016$262kFREE AGENT
Joba Chamberlain297.055$167kFREE AGENT

Arbitration-eligible (12)

PlayerAgeSvc2015201620172018201920202021
Greg Holland294.028$8.2MARB 3FREE AGENT
Wade Davis295.032$7.0MFREE AGENT
Eric Hosmer253.146$5.7MARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Alcides Escobar285.082$3.0MFREE AGENT
Lorenzo Cain293.074$2.7MARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Mike Moustakas263.111$2.6MARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Danny Duffy263.085$2.4MARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Kris Medlen295.137$2.0MFREE AGENT
Salvador Perez253.050$1.8MARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Jarrod Dyson303.088$1.2MARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Drew Butera314.018$808kARB 3FREE AGENT
Cheslor Cuthbert225.019$147kFREE AGENT

Pre-arbitration (16)

PlayerAgeSvc2015201620172018201920202021
Kelvin Herrera252.157$1.6MARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Yordano Ventura241.013$950kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Louis Coleman292.162$725kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Christian Colón260.071$510kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Paulo Orlando290.000$372kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Erik Kratz352.129$133kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Brandon Finnegan220.028$128kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Francisco Peña250.034$97kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Terrance Gore240.029$97kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Miguel Almonte220.129$92kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Scott Alexander250.000$92kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Yohan Pino310.048$67kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Orlando Calixte230.000$47kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Michael Mariot260.104$44kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Aaron Brooks250.009$29kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Dusty Coleman280.000$3kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT

Graphs

How each 2015 acquisition stacked onto Royals's playoff-odds curve. The side table is ranked by PPA.

Rosternomics — front-office performance, roster value, and transaction history. Follow @rosternomics on X.
Decision-maker records extend to 1933; resource-controlled WAR and payroll metrics cover 1985–2026. Data sources include FanGraphs, Baseball-Reference, the Chadwick Bureau register, the Lahman Database, prospect rankings from Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, and FanGraphs, and public payroll records. Transaction and trade data was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by Retrosheet. Executive birth/death data via Wikidata (CC0).
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