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Royals KCR

201780–82 (0.494)
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GM: Dayton Moore

Overview

Ranks vs the 30 teams in 2017, or a custom range (defaults to every team-season since 1985, when our data starts).

to

Front Office

PoorAverageGreat
Value
Payroll $M
$144M
Surplus $M
-58
Win %
0.494
TAB
-9.1
WAB
-3.1
Roster composition
Roster fWAR
26.2
Dead money %
53%
Depth Players
7.0
Dead WAR
-6.9

Offense

PoorAverageGreat

Pitching & Defense

PoorAverageGreat

Roster

2017 depth chart — stacked by playing time

C

RSalvador Perez115
RDrew Butera74
RCam Gallagher13

1B

LEric Hosmer157
LBrandon Moss14
RCheslor Cuthbert6
RDrew Butera4
RWhit Merrifield1

2B

RWhit Merrifield132
BRamón Torres20
BAdalberto Mondesi14
RChristian Colón⇄7
RCheslor Cuthbert3

3B

LMike Moustakas127
RCheslor Cuthbert44
BRamón Torres12
RWhit Merrifield1

SS

RAlcides Escobar162
BAdalberto Mondesi9
BRamón Torres3

LF

LAlex Gordon140
BMelky Cabrera⇄38
RJorge Bonifacio9
RWhit Merrifield7
RJorge Soler7
LBrandon Moss5
RTerrance Gore2

CF

RLorenzo Cain151
RPaulo Orlando18
LAlex Gordon15
BBilly Burns4
RJorge Bonifacio1

RF

RJorge Bonifacio92
RPaulo Orlando20
BMelky Cabrera⇄17
RJorge Soler15
RWhit Merrifield10
LBrandon Moss2
LAlex Gordon1
BBilly Burns1

DH

LBrandon Moss89
LMike Moustakas17
RSalvador Perez13
RJorge Soler11
RJorge Bonifacio8
RCheslor Cuthbert5
LEric Hosmer5
RLorenzo Cain3
BMelky Cabrera⇄3
RTerrance Gore3

Starters

LDanny Duffy3.6 WAR
RJason Hammel2.2 WAR
LJason Vargas1.8 WAR
RJakob Junis0.9 WAR
RNathan Karns0.4 WAR
LTravis Wood⇄0.2 WAR
RSam Gaviglio⇄0.2 WAR
LEric Skoglund0.1 WAR
RIan Kennedy0.0 WAR
RLuke Farrell⇄-0.1 WAR
LMatt Strahm-0.1 WAR
LOnelki Garcia-0.2 WAR
RChris Young-0.3 WAR
RTrevor Cahill⇄-1.0 WAR

Bullpen

★ RKelvin Herrera26 sv
RPeter Moylan24 h
RJoakim Soria20 h
LRyan Buchter⇄20 h
LMike Minor17 h
LScott Alexander9 h
RKevin McCarthy1 h
LTravis Wood⇄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 2016)

PlayerfWAR
Mike Minor2.2
Jason Hammel2.2
Jakob Junis0.9
Nate Karns0.4
Jorge Bonifacio0.3
Sam Gaviglio0.2

Key subtractions (gone from 2016)

Player2016 fWAR
Jarrod Dyson2.2
Edinson Volquez1.7
Yordano Ventura1.6
Wade Davis1.4
Kendrys Morales0.9
Brett Eibner0.1

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 2017; everyone else is shown as a 2017 season snapshot.

PlayerPeriodfWARTier Market $MPaid $MSurplus $M$ / WARTierContract
Danny Duffy 2017 +3.6 +63.8 5.0 +58.8 $1.4M 2.19× –
Lorenzo Cain 2017 +4.8 +68.7 11.0 +57.7 $2.3M 1.79× –
Mike Minor 2017 +2.2 +34.6 4.0 +30.6 $1.8M 1.95× –
Whit Merrifield 2017 +3.3 +28.5 0.5 +28.0 $0.1M 1.07× –
Eric Hosmer 2017 +3.7 +35.5 12.2 +23.2 $3.3M 1.20× –
Jason Hammel 2017 +2.2 +26.0 5.0 +21.0 $2.3M 1.49× –
Joakim Soria 2017 +1.7 +27.1 8.0 +19.1 $4.6M 1.95× –
Mike Moustakas 2017 +2.6 +23.1 8.7 +14.4 $3.4M 1.12× –
Jason Vargas 2017 +1.8 +21.6 8.0 +13.6 $4.4M 1.49× –
Scott Alexander 2017 +1.2 +12.4 0.5 +11.9 $0.4M 1.34× –
Salvador Perez 2017 +1.9 +11.7 4.2 +7.5 $2.2M 0.76× Extension · 2026–2027 · $12.5M AAV
Nate Karns 2017 +0.4 +3.6 0.6 +3.0 $1.3M 1.02× –
Jorge Bonifacio 2017 +0.3 +2.3 0.5 +1.8 $1.4M 0.83× –
Sam Gaviglio↔ 2017 +0.2 +1.4 0.0 +1.4 $0.3M 1.02× –
Peter Moylan 2017 +0.4 +2.0 1.0 +1.0 $2.6M 0.67× –
Eric Skoglund 2017 +0.1 +1.1 0.2 +0.9 $1.4M 1.02× –
Kevin McCarthy 2017 +0.2 +1.1 0.3 +0.9 $1.3M 0.67× –
Al Alburquerque↔ 2017 +0.1 +0.5 0.0 +0.5 $0.5M 0.67× –
Ryan Buchter↔ 2017 +0.1 +0.8 0.2 +0.5 $1.5M 0.67× –
Mike Morin↔ 2017 +0.1 +0.5 0.1 +0.3 $1.5M 0.67× –
Cam Gallagher 2017 +0.1 +0.3 0.1 +0.1 $2.1M 0.52× –
Miguel Almonte 2017 -0.0 -0.1 0.0 -0.2 – 0.67× –
Brian Flynn 2017 +0.0 +0.1 0.6 -0.5 $32.6M 0.67× –
Neftalí Feliz↔ 2017 +0.2 +1.7 2.2 -0.5 $13.6M 1.34× –
Billy Burns 2017 -0.1 -0.6 0.0 -0.6 – 0.83× –
Luke Farrell↔ 2017 -0.1 -0.8 0.0 -0.8 – 1.02× –
Andrés Machado 2017 -0.2 -0.8 0.1 -0.9 – 0.67× –
Christian Colón↔ 2017 -0.2 -0.7 0.2 -0.9 – 0.56× –
Matt Strahm 2017 -0.1 -0.8 0.5 -1.3 – 0.67× Extension · 2025–2026 · $7.5M AAV
Terrance Gore 2017 -0.1 -0.7 0.5 -1.3 – 0.69× –
Adalberto Mondesi 2017 -0.2 -0.8 0.5 -1.4 – 0.56× –
Brandon Maurer↔ 2017 -0.1 -0.7 0.7 -1.4 – 1.34× –
Onelki Garcia 2017 -0.2 -1.6 0.0 -1.6 – 1.02× –
Travis Wood↔ 2017 +0.2 +0.9 2.8 -1.9 $16.3M 0.67× –
Seth Maness 2017 -0.2 -1.1 1.2 -2.4 – 0.67× –
Paulo Orlando 2017 -0.3 -2.3 0.6 -2.9 – 0.83× –
Kelvin Herrera 2017 +0.2 +1.9 5.3 -3.4 $29.8M 1.34× –
Cheslor Cuthbert 2017 -0.7 -3.2 0.6 -3.7 – 0.58× –
Alcides Escobar 2017 +0.5 +2.3 6.5 -4.2 $13.7M 0.61× –
Drew Butera 2017 -0.7 -3.0 1.5 -4.5 – 0.52× –
Trevor Cahill↔ 2017 -1.0 -5.6 0.8 -6.4 – 0.67× –
Brandon Moss 2017 -0.6 -3.3 3.8 -7.0 – 0.69× –
Chris Young 2017 -0.3 -1.7 5.8 -7.5 – 0.67× –
Melky Cabrera↔ 2017 -0.3 -2.0 5.6 -7.6 – 0.83× –
Jorge Soler 2017 -0.9 -5.7 3.7 -9.3 – 0.83× Free Agent · 2024–2026 · $14.0M AAV
Ian Kennedy 2017 +0.0 +0.1 13.5 -13.4 $752.0M 1.02× –
Alex Gordon 2017 -0.6 -4.1 16.0 -20.1 – 0.83× –
Ramón Torres 2017 +0.1 +0.3 0.3 +0.0 $3.8M 0.56× –
Jakob Junis 2017 +0.9 +7.4 – – – 1.02× –
Total—+26.2+341.7143.4+190.5—

Trades

Every graded 2017 deal involving the Royals — best expected value first. Surplus is realized value in $M; 7 total.

2017 · SEA / KCR
SEA · Jerry Dipoto +$11.2M
Jarrod Dyson
KCR · Dayton Moore −$11.2M
Nate Karns
SEA came out ahead by $11.2M
2017 · CHC / KCR
CHC · Theo Epstein +$7.2M
Alec Mills
KCR · Dayton Moore −$7.2M
Donnie Dewees
CHC came out ahead by $7.2M
2017 · KCR / CIN
KCR · Dayton Moore +$51.2M
Brad Keller
CIN −$51.2M
cash / PTBNL
KCR came out ahead by $51.2M
2017 · CHW / KCR
CHW · Kenny Williams +$4.8M
A.J. Puckett, Andre Davis
KCR · Dayton Moore −$4.8M
Melky Cabrera
CHW came out ahead by $4.8M
2017 · NYM / KCR
NYM · Sandy Alderson +$3.2M
cash / PTBNL
KCR · Dayton Moore −$3.2M
Burch Smith
NYM came out ahead by $3.2M
2017 · SDP / KCR
SDP · AJ Preller +$16.0M
Travis Wood, Matt Strahm, Esteury Ruiz
KCR · Dayton Moore −$16.0M
Brandon Maurer, Ryan Buchter, Trevor Cahill
SDP came out ahead by $16.0M
2017 · ARI / KCR
ARI · Mike Hazen +$0.0M
Sam Lewis
KCR · Dayton Moore +$0.0M
Peter O'Brien
Even trade

Current & Historical Payroll

2017 payroll
$143.5M
2018 guaranteed
$0M

What the front office was committed to as of 2017, 2017–2023. Guaranteed $ are contract commitments signed by 2017; 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)

PlayerAgeSvc2017201820192020202120222023
Alex Gordon339.092$16.0MFREE AGENT
Ian Kennedy327.124$13.5MFREE AGENT
Jason Vargas349.114$8.0MFREE AGENT
Joakim Soria3310.000$8.0MFREE AGENT
Alcides Escobar307.082$6.5MFREE AGENT
Chris Young3813.000$5.8MFREE AGENT
Melky Cabrera3210.148$5.6MFREE AGENT
Jason Hammel349.153$5.0MFREE AGENT
Brandon Moss336.160$3.8MFREE AGENT
Travis Wood306.004$2.8MFREE AGENT
Neftalí Feliz298.000$2.2MFREE AGENT
Drew Butera336.018$1.5MFREE AGENT
Peter Moylan387.003$1.0MFREE AGENT
Trevor Cahill297.098$833kFREE AGENT

Arbitration-eligible (11)

PlayerAgeSvc2017201820192020202120222023
Eric Hosmer275.146$12.2MFREE AGENT
Lorenzo Cain315.074$11.0MFREE AGENT
Mike Moustakas285.111$8.7MFREE AGENT
Kelvin Herrera274.157$5.3MARB 3FREE AGENT
Danny Duffy285.085$5.0MFREE AGENT
Salvador Perez275.050$4.2MFREE AGENT
Mike Minor295.138$4.0MFREE AGENT
Seth Maness283.154$1.2MARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Brandon Maurer263.089$726kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Jorge Bonifacio243.054$479kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Al Alburquerque314.152$47kARB 3FREE AGENT

Pre-arbitration (24)

PlayerAgeSvc2017201820192020202120222023
Jorge Soler252.032$3.7MARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Nate Karns292.033$571kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Paulo Orlando311.137$558kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Brian Flynn271.135$556kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Cheslor Cuthbert241.030$552kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Matt Strahm250.064$539kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Adalberto Mondesi210.069$537kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Terrance Gore260.129$536kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Scott Alexander270.097$506kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Whit Merrifield280.101$496kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Kevin McCarthy250.027$278kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Ramón Torres241.123$257kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Ryan Buchter301.010$222kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Eric Skoglund240.000$193kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Christian Colón282.008$164kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Cam Gallagher240.000$137kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Mike Morin262.110$129kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Andrés Machado240.000$91kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Onelki Garcia271.019$50kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Sam Gaviglio270.000$46kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Miguel Almonte240.129$38kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Billy Burns272.020$26kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Luke Farrell260.000$9kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Jakob Junis240.000—Pre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT

Graphs

How each 2017 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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