How Billy Butler And Adam LaRoche Affect Kansas City Royals’ 2015 Offseason
By Doug LaCerte
@DLaC67
Dilip Vishwanat – Getty Images Sport
Teams that vary wildly in their levels of success and spending such as the rebuilding Chicago White Sox and the iconic New York Yankees now consider the once-lowly Kansas City Royals their role models. A well-crafted combination of pitching, defense and speed took the Royals to Game 7 of the World Series this year, but now they’ve lost one of their biggest impact bats.
The 2015 season will decide whether losing Billy Butler was for the better or the worse for KC, but fans already know for certain that his absence changes this team in a major way.
The reasons why this helps the Royals are obvious and well-documented at this point. The Royals can now use the DH spot in the lineup to give partial rest to worthwhile hitters, including and especially Salvador Perez. Defense and speed are paramount in GM Dayton Moore’s now-proven strategy for success, and Billy isn’t the poster boy for either.
Moore spoke to the press about his desire to fill the new hole in the lineup with a right-handed hitter that could DH and play right field. Torii Hunter, who the Royals are still trying to lure to KC, fits the mold well.
So does Cuban free agent Yasmani Tomas, although sources say the Royals still expect to be outbid by other clubs seeking an offensive upgrade. Many Royals fans and analysts wondered if Adam LaRoche would be worth a shot in free agency, but he just penned a two-year, $25 million with the division rival White Sox. This should ensure that KC doesn’t go looking for another DH, and opts instead to use that spot in the lineup for the sake of rest and flexibility.
No other DH would (or should) garner enough attention from the Royals this offseason, and the reasoning behind resting young stars with club-friendly contracts is too sound to refute.
Looking forward at the future of the Royals organization, however, one runs the risk of glossing over Butler’s positive impact on this franchise and community. Fans will have plenty of time to reminisce about the less technical side of this story once they delve deeper into the sadness-inducing doldrums of Kansas City winter. Remembering Butler’s finer Royals moments should add a touch of warmth to an otherwise frigid few months.
Doug LaCerte is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @DLaC67, “like” him on Facebook and add him to your network on Google.
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