KANSAS CITY -- So, the streaky Royals won eight of nine, then promptly lost two one-run decisions to the Mets. Like we've said since Spring Training, this season likely will be a grind of peaks and valleys. Stay tuned.
Meanwhile, let's answer some of your questions in this week's Royals Inbox.
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Answer: That's a good question. The Royals are getting very little production out of Alcides Escobar in the No.2 spot (.583 OPS). You know it took some hard thinking for Ned Yost to bump Escobar out of the top spot. But the Royals have the ideal leadoff hitter now in Whit Merrifield, so even Yost had to concede he had a better option up top. Will Yost now make another hard decision and put Escobar further down in the order? Yost said he knows where Gordon will hit in the order once he returns, which should be this weekend, but he is just not telling us at the moment. My guess is that Yost indeed inserts Gordon into the No. 2 spot. But Yost has fooled us before.

Answer: I've known Dayton Moore for over 10 years, and I can promise you he will scour every trade possibility around the Deadline. He may not have a ton to offer after giving up five prospects in last year's Trade Deadline deals, but he will do whatever he can to improve this team at the end of July. The hard part is identifying needs that can be filled. The rotation appears to be settling in. And there isn't a glaring weakness among the position players. But if Moore feels he can upgrade, he will in a second.

Answer: First, there is absolutely no chance they would go after Jose Reyes. The Royals' motto is character first, and they wouldn't pursue a guy with a domestic violence history. The Royals aren't built that way. As for Brett Eibner, the Royals love their current makeup of young guys. But, Eibner has options, so the guess here is he likely would be optioned once Gordon is activated. Paulo Orlando (.354) and Jarrod Dyson (out of options) are here to stay.

Answer: As you probably know, Yost is signed through 2018. While the popular notion is that the Royals' window for success closes after 2017 when Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer and Lorenzo Cain can become free-agents, Moore has a pretty good track record of keeping his own players. Moore may not be able to keep all three of them, but the guess is he'll keep two. Gordon, Salvador Perez, Yordano Ventura, Joakim Soria and Ian Kennedy are signed beyond 2017, and the Royals have club control over Orlando, Merrifield, Cheslor Cuthbert and Christian Colon for many years to come. The point being is that the Royals aren't going to fall off a cliff after 2017, and Yost wants to manage as long as the team is competitive and as long as he enjoys it. So, yes, he'll be here in 2018.

Answer: Yep, everyone would like Julio Teheran and his 2.66 ERA. And Moore has connections there. But the Royals also have Kris Medlen and Mike Minor rehabbing and both could potentially be helpful in the second half. But certainly, if Teheran is available, it would be something Moore and his baseball operations people would explore.