DETROIT -- While much of the early-season talk surrounding the Royals, at least from a national perspective, centered around the club possibly being sellers at the non-waiver Trade Deadline, there is another possibility: The Royals could be buyers.
General manager Dayton Moore, who made the trip to Comerica Park along with some of his scouting department as well as owner David Glass, said being buyers at the Deadline is within consideration if the Royals stay in the postseason hunt.
"Mr. Glass has always been very supportive of what our needs are," Moore told MLB.com. "He's always been very generous with payroll.
"Of course, we'll try to find ways to improve our team without adding significantly to payroll. But it doesn't mean we won't do it. We've done it before. It's just hard to predict right now. Not every team will need the same thing.
"Every team will want starting pitching. Every team will want more bullpen help. But beyond that, no one knows right now."
Moore said he remains confident that his present team can compete for the postseason. He's also not giving up on signing back some of his pending free agents, a list that includes Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain, Jason Vargas, Mike Minor and Alcides Escobar.
"We'll compete to sign free agents just like any other team will," Moore said. "In my mind, we have the best opportunity to sign them because we know them better than anyone else. Our track record is pretty good."
For now, Moore will continue to watch his club and observe.
"The important thing is for us to evaluate our current team and make sure we get that evaluation right," Moore said. "And then evaluate what the landscape is. Right now, there's very little indication of what players will be available and what the acquisition cost will be.
"We're just doing our due diligence, just like every other team is. In the meantime, we'll just evaluate what our strengths and weaknesses are."