By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024 & Jeff Kleiner (Org Depth + Payroll Expert – find his website here) Follow @prosportsroster

Follow MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports

Whether or not the Kansas City Royals make the playoffs this year or not  – I still agree with their decision a few years back to trade Wil Myers for James Shields.

I still think they should pay a hefty sum to extend the 32 Year old RHP for 3 or 4 years beyond this year.

It would significantly open up the competitive window a little further in duration – and I think they are the 2nd best team in the AL Central, with a chance to knock on Detroit’s door shortly.

The man originally from Newhall. CA faced the most Batters in the AL for the 2013 year with 946. What was more impressive is that he was 10 – 3 with a 2.07 ERA on the road, while he struggled at Kauffman in his 1st year there, with a 3 – 6 record, and a 4.37 ERA. Shields is smart though, he will learn how to pitch better in KC. Going into the 2014 year with a 100 – 82 Career Record, and 3.79 ERA is not entirely reflective of how good the guy is now.

This team’s payroll could reach in the $90 to $100 MIL range this year if they add a few more players to the fray,

The Royals organization has a multitude of young fireballer Starting Pitchers.  Danny Duffy is poised for his 1st full year at the MLB level – after a nice audition in 2013, that saw him contribute in meaningful games.

Yordano Ventura is also on the near horizon, but we all saw how fast 2 Starting Pitchers can have setbacks, when the Orioles lost Dylan Bundy for the year, and Kevin Gausman struggled out of the gate.

Shields anchors the Starting Rotation again for the 2014 squad.  He will make $13 5 MIL Consider that A.J. Burnett is 37, and will make $16 MIL this season, Shields is a bargain.

Anybody else surprised that Jeremy Guthrie is now 34 – and the elder statesman of the pitching staff?

He will make at least $19 MIL over the next 2 years, as he goes $8 MIL in 2014, $9 MIL in 2015 with a Team Option for 2016 at $10 MIL/or a $2 MIL Buyout.

Another reason for handing Shields an extension is these 2 Veterans can be supplanted by Duffy and Ventura eventually, but can help those youngsters bide time by eating up Innings Pitched.

Signing Jason Vargas to a 4 YRs/$32 MIL deal also solidifies this thought process further.

The Tigers are aging rapidly, and you have magically caught the White Sox and Twins in a rebuilding process right now, where the Indians have young talent, but should experience a slight progression.

The Royals fans have waited nearly 3o years to make it back to the Post Season.  Every other team has made it to the playoffs since 1993.  Only KC and Toronto have failed to make it beyond the regular season since the 1994 Strike.

The management should go all out for this franchise the next 3 – 4 years.  Realistically the core will become too expensive as times wanes on anyway.

For a bit of contrast, the hurlers make $50 MIL of the teams current $85 MIL salary.

Bruce Chen is a solid swing man they brought back for a 1 YR/$4.25 with a Mutual Option in 2015 for $5.5 MIL.  This is great insurance for the club both this year and next.

The other 2 offseason acquisitions of note, was throwing down $19.25 MIL from 2014 – 2016 for underrated 2B/INF Omar Infante, and trading for Norichika Aoki (has 1 YR left at $2 MIL this year, before becoming a FA).

2015 will see the team have Eric Hosmer as an Arbitration Eligible player for the 1st of 3 years.  Mike Moustakas and Lorenzo Cain are also amidst the group of 2015 Arb Eligible players on offense.

The entire Bullpen as it sits right now (with the exception of Luke Hochevar) will also be Arbitration Eligible.  A relief core headed up by Greg Holland.

This team will start doling out much more money in the years to come, and will have to make some tough decisions on who stays and goes.

Billy Butler‘s contract pays him $8 MIL in 2014, and what should be a ‘no-brainer’ Team Option in 2015 for $12 MIL.  Still you could see how he might be traded at some point in the next two years.

It will be interesting to see how the brass handles this squad in the next few years.

Contract Outlook From 2014 – 2016

His curve and changeup both are well above big league average pitches and could help lift Ventura to ace level status. He probably never be a Cy Young level pitcher, but Royals fans will probably  never complain about rolling him out in a playoff series either. If he could make it to the Royals in 2014, he would help offset some of the costs associated with an expensive Pitching Rotation.    Ventura is not Arbitration Eligible until 2017 – and will be under Team Control until 2020.

For all of the Rosters, Depth Charts, State of the Unions and Salaries Posts that we do, please visit our dedicated page link here.

For a Full 3 year Salary Outlook plus last years Stats for every player in the Royals Organization year round click here.

Other Authors for this post:

Jeff Kleiner:  “I have been a sports fan since the first Baseball game I went to at Comisky Park in Chicago in 1959, when baseball for me turned from black and white to color.

I have attended or watched thousands of games, always paying attention to statistics, rosters and salaries of all professional sports.

Luckily I had the advantage of watching WGN TV and seeing hundreds of games in the 60’s. Collecting Baseball Cards and then later dealing them gave me an extra sense of the sport, both good and bad.”

For all of your Salaries, Roster and Depth Charts for all 4 Major Sports (entire organization – Minors and Majors) click here or Follow Me on twitter  Follow @prosportsroster

Like us on Facebook here