After the 2017 season, the Royals began their rebuild just like most small market teams do. Now three years later, after not spending too much money, they flip the switch and make multiple big league signings in Michael A. Taylor, Mike Minor, and Carlos Santana. I believe this has a lot to do with Royals majority owner John Sherman allowing General Manager Dayton Moore to put a competitive team on the field day in and day out. I think two of these signings are a little odd, but it makes sense. The Royals love great defense. That’s why they brought in Taylor. I don’t expect Taylor to bring too much power to the lineup. I bet almost nobody else does either. The Mike Minor signing on the other hand, I think makes a lot of sense for the Royals. With Minor being just 32 years of age, I still believe he has some gas left in the tank, and obviously the Royals do too. I believe this deal will work out for both sides. If Minor can’t figure it out in the rotation, they can easily move him to the bullpen and bring up a prospect to take his spot in the rotation, or move Jakob Junis or Jesse Hahn into the rotation. Not only is this a good pitching signing by the Royals, but I think he brings good veteran leadership in the bullpen and in the clubhouse for young players. The Carlos Santana signing on the other hand, surprised me big time. Even though Dayton Moore said the Royals were going to be competitive in 2021, I didn’t think they would bring in a guy like Santana. Carlos Santana is a 34 year old first baseman who hits for a lot of power. He is also a pretty solid defender. However, this is still a bit of a head scratcher for me because I believe once a player hits 34, their power begins to decline. Santana could surprise me though, and I hope he does in 2021 and beyond. I don’t believe the Royals are done making signings just yet. I believe they will add a bullpen arm. I haven’t seen the Royals spend like this since 2015 and 2016 when they signed pitcher Edison Volquez to a two-year deal worth $20 million, Alex Rios to a one-year deal worth $9.5 million, Ian Kennedy to a giant contract worth $70 million, and of course, the biggest contract in franchise history—Alex Gordon’s $72 million over four years. Although they didn’t spend that much money this off-season, I believe the Royals found the right pieces to be a competitive team in 2021, but just short of a playoff contender, unless more of their pitching prospects develop during the Royals competitive window.
