KC enters unpredictable Meetings with needs
'You never know,' Moore says about possible big deal in Nashville
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- While it has been a very quiet offseason thus far for Royals general manager Dayton Moore and his club, it could be go-time now that the Winter Meetings are underway through Thursday.
MLB.com and MLB Network will have wall-to-wall coverage of the 2015 Winter Meetings from the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, with the Network launching 35 hours of live Winter Meetings coverage on Sunday at 7 p.m. CT. Fans can also catch live streaming of all news conferences and manager availability on MLB.com, as well as the announcement of the Hall of Fame Pre-Integration Era Committee inductees on Monday at 10 a.m. CT and the Rule 5 Draft on Thursday at 9 a.m. CT.
One of the beauties of the Winter Meetings is their unpredictability. Three years ago, Moore and his staff stunned the baseball world with the famous James Shields trade, a deal that signaled the transition of the club from a developing team to one with playoff aspirations.
We all saw what happened next for Moore's Royals over the next three seasons: their first winning season in 10 years in 2013, then their first World Series appearance in 29 years in '14 and finally, last season, their first World Series championship in 30 years.
Could another blockbuster deal be on the horizon for the Royals?
"You never know," Moore said. "You have to go into situations with an open mind and be prepared to do what it takes to make your ballclub better. You're in conversations all the time."
The Royals certainly enter the Winter Meetings with needs. With corner outfielders Alex Gordon and Alex Rios now free agents, Kansas City could have holes to fill at both spots. Gordon's price tag might be too high for a return to the Royals.
Kansas City entered the Meetings with a need for another starting pitcher or two, and it agreed to a two-year deal on Monday with right-hander Chris Young for him to stay with the club.
And the Royals, who will be without closer Greg Holland (non-tendered after Tommy John surgery) in 2016, also agreed to a reported three-year, $25 million deal with reliever Joakim Soria on Monday.
Moore utilized last year's Winter Meetings merely to plant seeds. He signed Rios, Kendrys Morales, Edinson Volquez and Kris Medlen in the weeks directly following the Winter Meetings.
That cultivation process got started Monday.