Kuzul

The window to win almost always closes quicker than you think it will, and it will close on the Kansas City Royals soon enough.

Just not yet.

The Royals pushed into win-now mode when they made their much-debated (at the time) trade for James Shields and Wade Davis three winters ago. They pushed all-in when they traded prospects for a pair of rental players this past July.

They pushed and they pushed because they knew the day was approaching when the great group of kids they developed would grow up and want to get paid. They knew the tough choices that would lie ahead. They knew no matter how much these guys love being together and being Royals, eventually many or all of them would command and want more money than the Royals could pay them.

So they didn’t wait around. They went for it, and they have two straight World Series appearances and one glorious World Series title—and parade—to show for it.

They went for it knowing the window would close soon, and it will.

Just not yet.

The Royals will lose Johnny Cueto, the rental ace who won two huge postseason games and more than justified the trade price they paid. They’ll likely lose Ben Zobrist, who loved it there—did you see he and his wife put “Royal” in their newborn daughter’s name?—but is going to get multiple big offers now that he’s a free agent.

Alex Gordon loves the Royals, too, and there are those in the organization who still dream he’ll take a discounted deal to stay. Don’t count on it.

The Royals will have some work to do filling out their rotation, bullpen and lineup. But this isn’t the winter it all falls apart.

This isn’t the time the window closes.

It can’t be.

Not when seven of the 10 players who started Game 1 of the World Series remain under Kansas City control for 2016. Not when those include all five who hit 15 or more home runs. Not when the Royals are also keeping all three guys who had double-digit steals, the two starters who tied for the team lead in wins and the three relievers most responsible for making their postseason bullpen into the shutdown group it was.

Besides, the free-agent market is deepest in the two areas the Royals should be shopping in.

Don’t look for them to make offers for David Price or Zack Greinke. But with so many starting pitchers available, don’t be surprised if they go out and find the next Edinson Volquez (signed last winter for two years, $20 million). Don’t expect Jason Heyward or Justin Upton, but with free-agent corner outfielders everywhere, they can do better than last winter’s Alex Rios signing (for one year, $11 million).

The Royals don’t need to search for stars. They have their stars.

They have Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Lorenzo Cain for two more years before free agency. They can keep Davis, Alcides Escobar and Kendrys Morales for two more years under current contracts, too.

There’s no way they’ll keep all those guys beyond 2017. They may not even be able to keep most of them, and that may well be when this Royals window slams shut.

The hope is it won’t shut even then. Kids like Raul Mondesi, Ashe Russell and Kyle Zimmer can be the next wave to keep all this going. Also, the Royals know they found something special with the current Hosmer-Moustakas-Salvador Perez group. The immediate task is to try to win as much as they can before they really have to break it up.

So they’ll work on a rotation that will still include Volquez and Yordano Ventura but won’t have Cueto or Chris Young. Danny Duffy could come back from the bullpen to start. Perhaps Kris Medlen could, too, but the Royals will need to add at least one starting pitcher.

They’ll work to add depth to the Davis-Luke Hochevar-Kelvin Herrera group that can dominate the back of the bullpen.

They’ll keep hoping Gordon and/or Zobrist will take less money to return and that one of the two could play left field (with Omar Infante expected back at second base). They’ll still need a right fielder.

And they’ll hope the rapidly improving Minnesota Twins and the still-talented Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers don’t get so much better this winter that the American League Central becomes too big of a challenge.

There’s work to be done, more than just sizing the rings and scheduling the awards dinners. If things go well, there will be work to do again in July when, perhaps, the Royals can go all-in for a second (or would that be the third?) straight year.

The pressure of ending the 30-year title drought is gone. But the pressure of trying to win again before the window closes remains. The Royals can see that window closing.

Just not yet.

Danny Knobler covers Major League Baseball as a national columnist for Bleacher Report.

Follow Danny on Twitter and talk baseball. 

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Cleveland Indians outfielder Michael Brantley underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder Monday in Wilmington, Delaware, and he is projected to be sidelined for the start of the 2016 season.  

Continue for updates.

Brantley Out 5-6 Months After Shoulder Operation

Monday, Nov. 9

The Indians announced the news on Brantley’s status and recovery from a small tear to his labrum, also indicating Brantley initially injured himself on Sept. 22 while trying to make a diving catch against the Minnesota Twins.

Although Brantley showed signs of progress trying to rehab the injury without a medical procedure, his pain persisted, and he sought a second opinion before deciding surgery was the best option.

The good news is the 28-year-old’s injury is to his non-throwing shoulder, which is encouraging for his long-term prognosis. Brantley was an All-Star in 2014 and fought through multiple ailments last season to have another stellar year with a .310 batting average, 15 home runs and 84 RBI.

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Oh, the elusive championship. Teams spend countless seasons hunting for it. Some make it to the top while others are left clamoring in the dust, looking like a character out of Mad Max.

When a franchise finally is able to nab a championship, things tend to change.

Our goal here was to analyze 10 changes that happen and explain each element in detail. Whether it’s how these wins affect a city’s economy or how coaches are suddenly given more slack, these changes are evident.

Begin Slideshow

The Detroit Tigers‘ July trade of closer Joakim Soria to the Pittsburgh Pirates isn’t working out too well at the moment. According to Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan, the prospect the Pirates dealt to Detroit, shortstop JaCoby Jones, was suspended Thursday for 50 games because of a second positive test for a “drug of abuse.”

Jones, who played his college baseball at LSU, is the 10th-rated prospect in the Tigers’ farm system, splitting time between Double-A and advanced Single-A ball during 2015. He hit .257 with 16 home runs and 80 RBI in 133 games combined this season. 

He wowed fans upon his arrival to the Tigers organization, hitting three home runs during his third game with the Erie SeaWolves of Double-A ball. MiLB has the replay of his third home run, where his strength was on display:    

While he has shown promise in the power department, he has plenty of work to do just putting the ball in play, as Tigers assistant general manager David Chadd told Chris McCosky of the Detroit News: “We’d like to see him cut the strikeouts down and be more patient at the plate. It’s hard to do. It’s hard to ask a young power hitter to have knowledge of the strike zone this early in his career.”

The 23-year-old’s chances are running out, as many organizations will not likely have patience for such offenses.

Stats courtesy of MiLB.com.

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No matter how great the thrill of winning a championship might be, sports are a business. Reserve outfielder Jonny Gomes found that out the hard way on Thursday as the Kansas City Royals announced they have declined their club option on the veteran, making him a free agent. 

According to Spotrac.com, the option was for one year worth $4 million. 

Gomes played just 12 games with the Royals, none during their postseason run to their first World Series title in 30 years. He was traded to Kansas City from the Atlanta Braves at the beginning of September as the Royals became his fourth team in the past two seasons.

While his play was limited during his time in Kansas City, he’ll be best remembered for his speech during the team’s World Series parade, per ESPN:

The Kansas City Star‘s Andy McCullough has an idea for Gomes now that he is a free agent:

At 34 years old, Gomes holds a .242 career batting average with 162 home runs in 13 seasons and also won a World Series with the Boston Red Sox in 2013. While his numbers have never jumped off of the page, he has been a veteran presence on winning teams over the past few seasons. 

He indeed made his presence felt during this Royals World Series run. Christian Colon, the player who delivered the game-winning hit in Game 5 against the New York Mets, spoke about Gomes’ impact to Fox Sports’ Erin Andrews (h/t Pat Bradley of NESN.com). 

“Jonny Gomes, he was just taking me under his wing, letting me know what I needed to do in certain situations,” Colon said. “That’s why you bring a guy over (in a trade).”

For many teams, that is the kind of player they wouldn’t mind having on their roster. Expect organizations with a plethora of young players, especially in the outfield, to make a move for Gomes and bring him on to help guide them in the big leagues.     

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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Two key pieces of the World Series champions won’t be going anywhere in 2016. The Kansas City Royals announced on Thursday that they picked up the options for Wade Davis and Alcides Escobar next season.

Davis will earn $8 million, while Escobar‘s contract will pay him $5.25 million.

Keeping both players on the roster was a no-brainer for the Royals. Davis and Escobar have been integral to the team’s success over the last two years, and neither player will have an exorbitant salary for 2016. Davis in particular is a steal, coming in at under $10 million.

The 30-year-old was arguably the best setup man in MLB until he had to fill in for injured closer Greg Holland. Davis saved 17 games in 2015 and recorded a 0.94 earned run average and 2.29 FIP, per Baseball-Reference.com.

As Fox Sports’ C.J. Nitkowski noted, Davis has performed even better in the postseason over the course of his career:

Escobar, meanwhile, hit .257 with three home runs, 47 RBI and 17 stolen bases. He earned MVP honors in the 2015 American League Championship Series after going 11-for-23 with five RBI and six runs scored against the Toronto Blue Jays.

While not a consistent threat offensively over the years, Escobar‘s defense and work on the basepaths helped him remain a fixture in the Royals batting order.

Kansas City general manager Dayton Moore likely only needed seconds before deciding to lock up Davis and Escobar for 2016.

Now, he can focus more of his efforts on holding on to Ben Zobrist, Johnny Cueto and Alex Gordon, who declined his player option and will thus become a free agent, per Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star.

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The Kansas City Royals celebrated their first championship since 1985 with a downtown victory parade Tuesday afternoon. Fans turned out in droves to attend the festivities after watching the Royals dispatch the New York Mets in five games to win the 2015 World Series.

AJ Cassavell of MLB.com passed along comments from Alex Gordon, who’s been with the organization since it drafted him with the second overall pick in 2005, about what he expected given the long drought and the fans’ extended wait for a championship.

“Oh, that is going to be so sweet,” Gordon said. “I know what Kansas City has been through. Most of these guys weren’t even born when we won it last. At least I was.”

The 31-year-old outfielder hit the nail on the head.

The most enthusiastic member of the group, Jonny Gomes, carried an American flag and noted how the Royals didn’t feature the award winners from other teams. But the fans went wild as he ran down how they beat all of those standout players as a team, per FOX Sports Kansas City:

Although things got underway a little behind the scheduled noon start, Mike Tufano of the Salute Podcast joked the Royals’ track record suggested a comeback was on the horizon:    

KCTV provided a shot of the large and growing crowd as the parade kicked off:

Damon Amendolara of CBS Sports Radio relayed another shot of the crowd:

Shain Bergan of KCTV pointed out some fans simply parked anywhere they could before walking the rest of the way to the parade:

The fans in attendance spanned a wide range of generations, including those who were enjoying the celebration rather than a day in school, as highlighted by MLB.com’s Cut4:

There was also at least one non-human supporter in the crowd, per MLB GIFs:

Outfielder Jarrod Dyson, one of the heroes from the 12th inning of Game 5, thanked the fans who lined up several deep on both sides of the street, which the Royals showcased:

Alas, his ride had nothing on the one for Mike “Moose” Moustakas, according to Fox Sports MLB:

While that’s pretty cool, Jenee Osterheldt of the Kansas City Star showed the reaction manager Ned Yost received along with the championship trophy:

The parade was followed by a celebration at Union Station.

Royals legend George Brett made it clear what he thought of the team, per 610 Sports Radio KC:

Baseball Tonight noted Yost had high praise for the fans:

World Series MVP Salvador Perez, who was entertaining while leading the chants, had a simple message, as noted by KMBC:

If starting pitcher Edinson Volquez is right, the Royals will be doing it again one year from now, according to Jeff Rosen of the Kansas City Star:

And, if there’s ever a movie made about this group of Royals, the team showed one fan who already has a potential name in mind:

Kansas City reached the World Series last year only to fall one game short. Being able to complete the journey again before going on to finish the job this time is the ultimate redemption for a roster that’s certainly greater than the sum of its parts.

In an era when teams are increasingly willing to accept strikeouts in search of power at the plate, the Royals play an old-school game. They fight through every at-bat, putting the ball in play and forcing opponents to beat them rather than beating themselves, which was especially effective in the playoffs.

Some may call it a fluke. The Royals are too busy celebrating to argue.

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In a World Series featuring two teams starving for a championship after almost 30 years of famine apiece, the Kansas City Royals would ultimately outlast the New York Mets in five games to earn the title that’s alluded them both for so long. 

When the Royals return to Kansas City, they’ll be greeted by a fanbase that was so ferocious in its passion for the team that Major League Baseball was forced to cancel 65 million All-Star Game votes this year, per Yahoo’s Jeff Passan.

That level of fan participation is symbolic of the top-to-bottom contributions the Royals received en route to their championship. Kansas City’s stalwart catcher, Salvador Perez, played up to his lofty potential and was rewarded with the distinction of World Series MVP. But the likes of Christian Colon, who hadn’t recorded a postseason at-bat until the one in which he drove in the game-winning run, were equally instrumental in the Royals’ title run. 

This enthralling, albeit relatively short, World Series must sustain us until pitchers and catchers report in February. So let’s start with some of the biggest moments, highlights and storylines from the five games it took Kansas City and New York to determine a champion. 

Moments

Edinson Volquez Pitches Following Father’s Death

The biggest off-the-field controversy of the 2015 World Series was set into motion before the first pitch of Game 1.

Edinson Volquez, the Royals’ starting pitcher for the series opener, suffered a tremendous personal loss in the hours leading up to the game. His father, Daniel, died at the age of 63. But no one seemed to knew if Volquez was aware of that fact during his start. 

ESPN’s Enrique Rojas reported that Volquez learned of his father’s death on his way to Kauffman Stadium before Game 1. The New York Times‘ David Waldstein offered a contradicting report. 

According to the Royals, Roandy Volquez, the pitcher’s wife, told General Manager Dayton Moore what had happened and asked him not to tell her husband until after he had finished pitching the biggest game of his career, his first World Series start. The team then asked the broadcasters on Fox not to announce the news, because Volquez routinely goes into the clubhouse between innings, and the broadcasts of the game are usually on.

Whether or not he pitched with a heavy heart in Game 1, Volquez turned in six innings and allowed three runs before turning it over to the bullpen for the remainder of what would be a 14-frame affair. 

Volquez returned to the mound to start Game 5, where he wrote his father’s initials in the dirt before tossing six innings and allowing just one run in the series-clinching Royals victory.  

Salvador Perez Wins MVP

When the stat first hits your ears, it’s a little shocking. Salvador Perez is the first catcher to earn World Series MVP honors since 1992, when the Toronto Blue Jays‘ Pat Borders won.

You reach back into the not-so-distant pass and remember the San Francisco Giants‘ three recent championships, all of which featured Buster Posey behind the plate. The New York Yankees have won five titles since 1992, but Jorge Posada was the MVP of none. Yadier Molina caught both of the St. Louis Cardinals‘ two World Series crowns, but other players were deemed more valuable. 

All of that is to help frame how unlikely it is that Perez, a 25-year-old catcher on a team that saw heroic performances from up and down the roster, earned the MVP award in unanimous fashion. 

But Perez certainly earned his hardware. He hit .364 against the Mets, including the single in the 12th inning of Game 5 that would put pinch runner Jarrod Dyson on base before being driven in by Christian Colon’s game-winning hit. 

Perez is a fan favorite, as evidenced by the record-breaking number of All-Star Game votes he received. But he’s perhaps even more beloved in his own clubhouse. That was no more evident than when Royals manager Ned Yost told the Kansas City Star‘s Rustin Dodd that, even though Dyson scored the winning run, he regretted removing Perez from the game. 

“I think if I had one regret during the whole playoffs,” Yost said, “(It) was I had to pinch run for Sal there in that inning. But it opened up the door for us to score five. I really wish that Sal could have been out there to jump in (Wade Davis’s) arms when we got that final out.”

The Royals aren’t done contending. Their core is young, with Perez serving as the nucleus for that group. Their bullpen is loaded, and their off-beat, put-the-ball-in-play tactics seem to work. 

This is the first World Series MVP award for a catcher since 1992, but Perez could potentially prevent another drought that long.  

Highlights

Alex Gordon sends Game 1 to extra innings with a home run to straight-away center field. 

Daniel Murphy commits an error that serves to jump start the Royals’ rally in Game 4. 

Eric Hosmer scores the game-tying run in Game 5 on a possibly reckless but certainly effective dash from third to home. 

Colon singles in his first postseason at-bat to drive in the run that would put Kansas City up for good. 

Storylines

Royals Find Daniel Murphy and Jeurys Familia Off-Switches

Before a pitch was even thrown in the World Series, Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy had already put together one of the greatest postseasons in history. New York’s closer, Jeurys Familia, brought a 0.00 ERA through 9.2 innings of work into the series. 

Both Mets came careening down to Earth against the Royals. 

Murphy hit seven home runs in New York’s playoff run before facing the Royals, including a stretch of six consecutive games with a homer. He was being mentioned in the same breath as Babe Ruth in terms of postseason heroics, and it was justified. But he didn’t go yard once against Kansas City and would finish 3-for-20 at the plate in the series. 

Familia was unequivocally dominant in his late-inning role for the Mets in the the National League Division Series and National League Championship Series. He earned a perfect ERA and a 0.92 WHIP in eight appearances prior to the World Series. During that stretch, he recorded five saves, converting every save opportunity presented to him. 

Against Kansas City, Familia crumbled. He blew all three of his save opportunities in the series. 

Kansas City Comebacks

For a series that saw the Royals limit the Mets to just one win, New York had several games seemingly in hand before several late-inning circus acts from Kansas City. 

In Game 1, the Royals trailed 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth inning. Alex Gordon sent the game to extra innings with a home run blast to dead center field. Five innings later, in the 14th, an Eric Hosmer sacrifice fly with the bases loaded scored the winning run. 

In Game 4, with the Mets threatening to tie the series at a two games apiece, Kansas City faced a 3-2 eight-inning deficit. Then Murphy’s lackluster showing at the plate leaked into his performance at second base. He whiffed on a ground ball to put Hosmer on base, and Perez and Mike Moustakas would complete the comeback with a pair of RBI singles to give the Royals their ultimate 5-3 advantage. 

And in Game 5, New York held a 2-0 lead in the ninth inning. After successfully lobbying to remain in the game, Matt Harvey gave up the first of Kansas City’s two game-tying runs. And the second came courtesy of some enormously aggressive base running by Hosmer, who scored from third after an errant throw on a ground ball that never left the infield. 

Based on the optics of the Royals’ 4-1 margin of victory in the series, their title was never in doubt. But throughout the five-game epic, it very much was. 

Sports Illustrated‘s Tom Verducci called Kansas City “the greatest October comeback team ever.” And it’s nearly impossible to counter that assertion.

“It’s a team that just looks for a little crack,” Yost said, per Verducci. “If we find a little crack, they’re going to make something happen. It’s amazing how they do that. And they do that in a number of ways. But the most important thing is they put the ball in play.” 

Putting the ball in play was Kansas City’s controversial mantra all year. But now, with Yost‘s tactics vindicated, the only controversy that remains is the country’s decimated champagne reserves following the Royals’ celebration.

*All stats courtesy of MLB.com

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The city of Kansas City and the Royals organization has had 30 years to plan a World Series parade. You can bet the party will be epic on Tuesday, when the World Series winners return home for their championship parade. 

The city announced that the parade will commence at noon CT, with the victory rally at 2 p.m., and will be covered on local television via Fox 4 and Fox Sports Kansas City. The city will also offer free shuttles and bus service to the downtown area.

 KMBC.com will also carry a live stream of the proceedings, per Len Jennings of KMBCKansas City.

Jeff Rosen of the Kansas City Star shared the route the team will take, meanwhile:

If the turnout for the parade is anything like the World Series ratings in the Kansas City area during the World Series, well, the downtown area will be bumping on Tuesday. Pete Grathoff of the Kansas City Star passed along those numbers:

Of course, the Royals themselves already started the party. Manager Ned Yost had the following to say after the game on early Monday morning:

Yost wasn’t done there, however:

It was probably the best cheeseburger he’s ever had. 

And it was one of the more special teams the city of Kansas City has ever had, too. Even George Brett—who led the way for the Royals’ last championship in 1985—would tell you that.

“They’d beat us,” he told Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star on early Monday morning when asked if the 2015 squad was better than his 1985 version. “They’re better than we were.”

You’d be hard-pressed to find too many people in Kansas City who would contradict anything from the mouth of a legend like Brett. 

And it’s hard to find a reason why anyone else would contradict him in this case. The core of this team was one magical Madison Bumgarner performance in last year’s postseason away from being back-to-back world champions. They orchestrated one epic comeback after another in October, generated runs with a tenacious yet disciplined approach at the plate and smart baserunning, locked down games with one of the league’s finest bullpens and got enough from their starting pitching staff to stay close into the later innings.

They carried themselves with a swagger not born of arrogance, but rather of an unwavering belief that they could, and would, win any game, no matter the circumstances or deficit. Eight comeback wins and a World Series title later, the Royals earned the right to swagger through downtown Kansas City.

And you can bet an entire city can’t wait to toast them as they do. Enjoy the party, Kansas City—after 30 years of dreaming about this celebration, your wait is finally over. 

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It will be a celebration fit for a king Tuesday in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, as the city honors the Kansas City Royals and their World Series victory.

Given how much the fanbase and city as a whole have rallied around the Royals over the past two years, Tuesday’s parade will be raucous from start to finish.

The city announced the festivities will begin at noon CT, with television coverage on Fox 4 in Kansas City. According to Len Jennings of KMBC Kansas City, KMBC.com will carry a live stream of the event.

Jeff Rosen of the Kansas City Star provided the full parade route, which begins at the Sprint Center and ends at Union Station:

Some fans couldn’t wait until the official celebration. According to Amie Just of the Associated Press, some trespassers vandalized Memorial Stadium at the University of Kansas following Game 5 of the World Series:

A.J. Perez reported for USA Today that Kansas City police were forced to shut down four blocks in downtown’s Power and Light District in order to accommodate all of the fans present late Sunday night and into early Monday morning.

Tuesday’s spectacle will be equal parts exultant and cathartic after the franchise’s long string of losing seasons in the 1990s and early 2000s followed by last year’s defeat in the World Series in seven games.

Plus, fans in Kansas City haven’t had a lot of sporting glory in which to bask over the last three decades.

Sporting Kansas City had previously provided the last championship for a KC-based franchises, but you’d have to go back to the Royals’ 1985 World Series ring for a title in any of the four major American sports. The Kansas City Star posted a photo from that year’s celebration:

You can count on Salvador Perez, Eric Hosmer, Alex Gordon and Mike Moustakas receiving massive receptions from the fans Tuesday.

In 2011, Sports Illustrated‘s Joe Posnanski documented how the Royals were turning a corner as an organization with young stars like Perez, Hosmer and Moustakas in the minors. Gordon entered the majors much earlier, but it wasn’t until that year that he truly started emerging as a star.

Those four players have come to symbolize a new era of Royals baseball.

Of the quartet, nobody meant more for the team than Perez.

“He’s a beast,” said teammate Lorenzo Cain of the All-Star catcher, per David Waldstein of the New York Times. “He’s a monster. He’s our monster. That guy gives everything he has. Without him, we aren’t here right now.”

“Salvi has so much desire and heart,” Royals general manager Dayton Moore added. “No matter what, you always want Salvi in the middle of clutch situations.”

Perez took home World Series MVP after hitting 8-for-22 in the series, driving in two runs, in addition to his stellar work behind the plate directing the Royals pitching staff. The 25-year-old was also responsible for the tying run in the top of the ninth of Game 5, with his fielder’s choice bringing Hosmer home.

Royals fans know all too well success can be fleeting in MLB, and the future is never guaranteed. The franchise missed out on the postseason for 28 years in a row after its 1985 championship.

As much as this Royals team looks set up to contend for at least a few more years, that is far from a given.

The fans in attendance at Tuesday’s parade will savor every moment of their team’s championship triumph.

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