RRosternomics
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Royals KCR

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GM: Dayton Moore

Overview

FORCED-SPEND ↘ cooling
expensive & losing · year 1 in this regime · payroll 1.04× league · TAB -9.3
-9.3TAB — talent above budget28th/30
-1.5WAB — realized wins (TAB + luck)18th/30
5.0depth — 2+ WAR regulars22nd/30
-3.7dead WAR — sub-replacement drag7th/30
42%dead money %23rd/30
0.500win %16th/30
25.5roster fWAR24th/30
-48surplus $M (value vs cost)25th/30
$131Mpayroll $M15th/30

Roster

CFBilly Burns 80GLorenzo Cain 72GJarrod Dyson 57G
LFAlex Gordon 126GJarrod Dyson 19GWhit Merrifield 13G
RFPaulo Orlando 89GLorenzo Cain 29GJarrod Dyson 21G
SSAlcides Escobar 162GAdalberto Mondesi 7GChristian Colón 4G
2BWhit Merrifield 65GAdalberto Mondesi 42GOmar Infante 39G
3BCheslor Cuthbert 127GMike Moustakas 26GChristian Colón 15G
1BEric Hosmer 154GKendrys Morales 7GDaniel Nava 6G
STARTERSDanny Duffy 2.9WARIan Kennedy 1.9WAREdinson Volquez 1.7WARYordano Ventura 1.6WARKris Medlen 0.1WAR
CSalvador Perez 128GDrew Butera 51GTony Cruz 4G
DHKendrys Morales 138GSalvador Perez 7GJarrod Dyson 6G
BULLPEN★ Wade Davis 27svKelvin Herrera 26hJoakim Soria 20hLuke Hochevar 14hPeter Moylan 7hMatt Strahm 6hBrian Flynn 3hChien-Ming Wang 0h
CSalvador Perez 128 · Drew Butera 51 · Tony Cruz 4
1BEric Hosmer 154 · Kendrys Morales 7 · Daniel Nava 6
2BWhit Merrifield 65 · Adalberto Mondesi 42 · Omar Infante 39
3BCheslor Cuthbert 127 · Mike Moustakas 26 · Christian Colón 15
SSAlcides Escobar 162 · Adalberto Mondesi 7 · Christian Colón 4
LFAlex Gordon 126 · Jarrod Dyson 19 · Whit Merrifield 13
CFBilly Burns 80 · Lorenzo Cain 72 · Jarrod Dyson 57
RFPaulo Orlando 89 · Lorenzo Cain 29 · Jarrod Dyson 21
DHKendrys Morales 138 · Salvador Perez 7 · Jarrod Dyson 6
SPDanny Duffy 2.9 · Ian Kennedy 1.9 · Edinson Volquez 1.7 · Yordano Ventura 1.6 · Kris Medlen 0.1
BP★ Wade Davis 27 · Kelvin Herrera 26 · Joakim Soria 20 · Luke Hochevar 14 · Peter Moylan 7 · Matt Strahm 6 · Brian Flynn 3 · Chien-Ming Wang 0

Each position lists its starter then backups by games (so platoons & bench show). Starters (mound) & bullpen (left, foul territory) are ranked by WAR; ★ marks the closer (most save chances). MLB Stats API.

2016 roster — value & surplus

PlayerAgeServiceGfWARSalary $MSurplus $M
Danny Duffy 27 arb 422.9 4.2 +5.2
Jarrod Dyson 31 FA-elig 1072.2 1.7 +5.6
Paulo Orlando 30 pre-arb 1282.2 0.5 +6.7
Lorenzo Cain 30 FA-elig 1032.2 6.5 +0.5
Kelvin Herrera 26 arb 722.1 2.5 +4.3
Ian Kennedy 31 FA-elig 331.9 7.5 -1.3
Edinson Volquez 32 FA-elig 341.7 9.5 -4.1
Yordano Ventura 25 arb 321.6 1.2 +4.1
Alex Gordon 32 FA-elig 1281.4 12.0 -7.5
Wade Davis 30 FA-elig 451.4 8.0 -3.5
Alcides Escobar 29 FA-elig 1621.3 5.2 -1.1
Cheslor Cuthbert 23 pre-arb 1281.1 0.4 +3.3
Drew Butera 32 FA-elig 561.0 1.2 +2.1
Whit Merrifield 27 – 810.9 0.3 +2.7
Kendrys Morales 33 FA-elig 1540.9 9.0 -6.0
Matt Strahm 24 – 210.8 0.2 +2.6
Mike Moustakas 27 arb 270.6 5.6 -3.6
Salvador Perez 26 arb 1390.5 2.0 -0.5
Jason Vargas 33 FA-elig 30.4 8.5 -7.4
Christian Colón 27 pre-arb 540.3 0.5 +0.6
Brian Flynn 26 pre-arb 360.3 0.4 +0.5
Luke Hochevar 32 FA-elig 400.2 5.5 -4.7
Eric Hosmer 26 arb 1580.2 8.2 -7.5
Peter Moylan 37 FA-elig 500.2 0.4 +0.3
Scott Alexander 26 pre-arb 170.2 0.2 +0.4
Terrance Gore 25 pre-arb 170.2 0.2 +0.4
Joakim Soria 32 FA-elig 700.2 7.0 -6.5
Brett Eibner↔ OAK 27 – 260.1 0.1 +0.3
Kris Medlen 30 FA-elig 60.1 5.5 -5.3
Alec Mills 24 – 3-0.0 0.0 -0.1
Kevin McCarthy 24 – 10-0.1 0.1 -0.2
Hunter Dozier 24 – 8-0.1 0.1 -0.3
Chien-Ming Wang 36 – 38-0.1 1.0 -1.3
Tony Cruz 29 arb 4-0.1 1.0 -1.3
Billy Burns↔ OAK 26 pre-arb 24-0.2 0.1 -0.8
Rey Fuentes 25 – 13-0.2 – –
Daniel Nava↔ ANA 33 FA-elig 9-0.2 0.2 -1.0
Dillon Gee 30 FA-elig 33-0.3 2.0 -2.9
Omar Infante 34 – 39-0.3 7.8 -8.7
Brooks Pounders 25 – 13-0.5 0.1 -1.7
Adalberto Mondesi 20 – 47-0.5 0.2 -1.9
Chris Young 37 FA-elig 34-1.2 4.2 -8.0

Key additions (new vs 2015)

PlayerfWAR
Ian Kennedy1.9
Whit Merrifield0.9
Matt Strahm0.8
Brian Flynn0.3
Peter Moylan0.2
Joakim Soria0.2

Key subtractions (gone from 2015)

Player2015 fWAR
Ben Zobrist1.5
Johnny Cueto1.1
Ryan Madson0.9
Greg Holland0.8
Joe Blanton0.5
Franklin Morales0.4

Current & Historical Payroll

2016 payroll
$130.9M
2017 guaranteed
$0M

What the front office was committed to as of 2016, 2016–2022. Guaranteed $ are contract commitments signed by 2016; 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 (14)

PlayerAgeSvc2016201720182019202020212022
Alex Gordon328.092$12.0MFREE AGENT
Edinson Volquez328.059$9.5MFREE AGENT
Kendrys Morales337.170$9.0MFREE AGENT
Jason Vargas338.114$8.5MFREE AGENT
Wade Davis306.032$8.0MFREE AGENT
Omar Infante3418.020$7.8MFREE AGENT
Ian Kennedy316.124$7.5MFREE AGENT
Joakim Soria329.000$7.0MFREE AGENT
Kris Medlen306.137$5.5MFREE AGENT
Luke Hochevar327.151$5.5MFREE AGENT
Alcides Escobar296.082$5.2MFREE AGENT
Chris Young3712.000$4.2MFREE AGENT
Chien-Ming Wang3610.159$1.0MFREE AGENT
Peter Moylan376.031$391kFREE AGENT

Arbitration-eligible (11)

PlayerAgeSvc2016201720182019202020212022
Eric Hosmer264.146$8.2MARB 3FREE AGENT
Lorenzo Cain304.074$6.5MARB 3FREE AGENT
Mike Moustakas274.111$5.6MARB 3FREE AGENT
Danny Duffy274.085$4.2MARB 3FREE AGENT
Kelvin Herrera263.157$2.5MARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Dillon Gee304.108$2.0MARB 3FREE AGENT
Salvador Perez264.050$2.0MARB 3FREE AGENT
Jarrod Dyson314.088$1.7MARB 3FREE AGENT
Drew Butera325.018$1.2MFREE AGENT
Tony Cruz294.105$975kARB 3FREE AGENT
Daniel Nava334.045$229kARB 3FREE AGENT

Pre-arbitration (17)

PlayerAgeSvc2016201720182019202020212022
Yordano Ventura252.013$1.2MARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Christian Colón271.022$518kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Paulo Orlando300.137$514kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Cheslor Cuthbert230.055$409kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Brian Flynn261.002$372kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Whit Merrifield270.000$277kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Adalberto Mondesi200.000$191kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Scott Alexander260.034$181kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Matt Strahm240.000$177kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Terrance Gore250.066$175kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Brooks Pounders250.000$141kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Billy Burns261.020$127kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Hunter Dozier240.000$86kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Kevin McCarthy240.000$75kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Brett Eibner270.000$64kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Alec Mills240.000$3kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Rey Fuentes25–—

Graphs

Every roster slot ranked best→worst by WAR. Bars = Royals 2016; the black line = the league-average player at each slot that season. Staying above the line deep into the roster is the depth edge; dropping below it = holes & dead weight.

What each regime is worth — every settled team-season since 1985

RegimeSeasonsWin %Playoff %Pennant %WS %
WINDOW 28152.131.05.01.1
CONTEND 30056.964.719.710.3
FORCED-SPEND 25648.09.81.61.6
REBUILD 32143.31.20.30.3
Rosternomics — quantifying front-office skill, attribution-clean. Follow @rosternomics on X. Decision-makers on record back to 1933; resource-controlled metrics (WAR & payroll) cover 1985–2026.
Data: FanGraphs (WAR), Baseball-Reference & the Chadwick Bureau register (rosters, IDs), the Lahman Database, Baseball America prospect rankings (via The Baseball Cube), 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); bios are original. Emoji graphics by OpenMoji (CC BY-SA 4.0).
All figures are franchise-level outcomes credited to the decision-maker in the acquisition year — not solely attributable to one executive.