The Kansas City Royals need a new marketing tagline, because “This is our year!” isn’t working. After a rough weekend in Minnesota, the Royals are going to need to do some soul searching. This was supposed to be the year they play a factor in the American League Central. The only factor they’ve played this year, is improving other teams’ records.
Final – @glen_perkins gets the save and the #MNTwins beat the Royals 4-3! #SweptTheRoyals
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) April 13, 2014
There’s always a bright side, even for the Royals. It’s mid-April and lots of season left. Getting swept by a brutal Minnesota Twins team certainly doesn’t help the confidence for anyone. This was supposed to be an easy stretch of the Royals’ season. With a series on the road against the Houston Astros up next, the Royals will then face the Twins for a series at home.
If the Royals plan on keeping their fans interested, they can’t afford to lose series’s in April to teams like the Twins and Astros. To make matters worse, they head back out on the road for seven games after hosting the Twins.
Tougher decisions will need to be made come the trade deadline in July. If the Royals are out of the race, should they have a fire sale? They’ve got a group of younger players who are supposed to be hitting their prime soon, but what happens if other teams come calling? They certainly cannot afford to lose players to free agency over the next few years, so setting up the for the future is going to be important.
This about sums it up – Photo: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
The Royals’ front office made a big investment in James Shields after trading away a top prospect in Wil Myers in 2012 to get him. Shields has been pretty good, but he’s not carrying this team anywhere on his own. Shields, at 32 years old, is still relatively young in major league baseball terms. What will the Royals do if the New York Yankees or Pittsburgh Pirates inquire about Shields prior to the deadline?
Other players the Royals need to develop a strategy for are: Eric Hosmer, Billy Butler, Mike Moustakas Alex Gordon and Salvador Perez (to name a few). It’s not a fun spot to be in for teams who find themselves missing the playoffs year after year, but the Royals have some pieces. Can they put it all together before it’s too late?
Photo: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports