The upstart Kansas City Royals never stopped believing in themselves - never stopped believing that they could contend for and even win the World Series as they fought through midseason difficulties, becoming one of the best teams in league in the second half of the year, plowing their way through the opposition, into the playoffs and finally to the series itself. They eventually fell short of their ultimate goal, losing in Game 7 to the San Francisco Giants, but it doesn't change the fact that they never gave up, never expected to lose.
The team, and more specifically, the front office, is apparently taking a slightly different tack when it comes to ace pitcher James Shields. According to a report from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, the Royals are taking a "realistic" approach, i.e. they know they have almost no chance to resign the big righty due to monetary restrictions.
The Royals' payroll, high for them at $92 million last season, but still well below league average, is expected to be in the range of $90-to-100 million again. But since they have little interest in spending more than 15 percent of their payroll on one player, they understand Shields will almost certainly be somewhere else next year.
Shields earned $22 million over two years in Kansas City after coming over in a trade with relief star Wade Davis from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Wil Myers, a highly prized outfield prospect.
The Royals will instead look to bring in a player like Ervin Santana, a former Royal who spent last season with the Atlanta Braves, Heyman reports. Santana, like Shields, is expected to reject a qualifying offer this week, according to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com.
Santana is not the same caliber of player as Shields - he posted a 3.95 ERA last season. But he has five 200-inning seasons under his belt and is a reliable commodity. He will also be significantly less expensive than Shields.
Kansas City will also most likely seek outfield help, possibly in the form of Torii Hunter or Melky Cabrera. Cabrera hit .301 with 73 RBIs last season for the Toronto Blue Jays, according to Baseball-Reference.com. He played for the Royals in 2011.
