30 Teams in 30 Days 2018 23 Kansas City Royals

Back in 2015 when the Royals won the World Series, ending the Giants' hopes of expanding beyond an even year phenomenon, they did it in no small part thanks to the help of Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain, Mike Moustakas, and Alcides Escobar. All four of those hitters became free agents after the 2017 season. And while Kansas City was able to lure back the latter two on one-year deals that were largely opportunistic in nature, the initial loss of their "core four," so to speak, has signaled to GM Dayton Moore that it's time for another rebuild. Here's the group of players who will be competing for the first pick in the 2019 draft:

All-Acquired Factor

The last sentence of that last paragraph was perhaps an unfair dig against the "tanking" strategy, as towards the end of the offseason, the Royals made some short term veteran acquisitions to give their 2018 product a semblance of respectability. Power hitting first baseman Lucas Duda will nominally replace Hosmer, after splitting 2017 between his original team, the Mets, and the Rays, to which he was traded. And capable-yet-unexciting outfielder Jon Jay was signed to help fill the Cain-sized void in center field, after spending last year with the Cubs. (Jay has played in left rather than center so far in 2018, but more on that later.)

Bringing back Escobar and Moustakas weren't the only infield related moves made by Kansas City, as they also picked up defensive whiz Ryan Goins (ranked a whopping 774 by MLB.com prior to the season) on a minor league deal, who subsequently earned a roster spot out of Spring Training. Journeyman reliever Blaine Boyer also made the team the same way. Justin Grimm on the other hand was signed to a major league deal after the Cubs released him to avoid paying his full arbitration salary. And then there are two Rule 5 picks, Burch Smith and Brad Keller, who have to remain on KC's active roster for the whole season, or get offered back to their original teams (the Mets and the Reds, respectively).

Fifth Starter

In their 2018 baseball preview, Sports Illustrated chose to include the injured Nate Karns as the Royals fourth starter, despite the fact that he's on the Disabled List with elbow inflammation and seemingly no timetable to return. Even though that DL placement happened after SI went to print, it's curious that they chose to omit 2017 rookie Jakob Junis from that list, even though he was ranked a much more palatable 245 prior to the season. He's currently pitching well, with a 3-1 record and a 2.03 ERA (despite a 4.02 FIP) through his first four starts. The same cannot be said of Karns's replacement in the fifth starter spot Eric Skoglund, who is 0-2 with an 8.59 ERA (despite a 5.41 FIP) in his three outings. However, another offseason acquisition, former Red Sox star Clay Buchholz (596) is rehabbing from a sprained knee and could enter the picture sooner rather than later.

Injuries and Suspensions

Now that Hosmer is gone, the natural leader of this team is the usually-durable catcher Salvador Perez, although he's on the DL with an MCL tear in his knee. Honestly though, the time spent rehabbing might not be the worst thing for Salvy, as he's played an average of 140 games over the last five seasons. The deals for Escobar and Goins look extra good, considering that top infield prospect Adalberto (né Raul Jr.) Mondesi (408) has been out since the start of the season with a shoulder impingement. As for in-season injuries, homegrown star Alex Gordon went down with a torn labrum in his hip, although that injury seemingly sounds much worse than it is: indeed both he and Perez could return to the lineup as soon as tomorrow.

On the suspension front, promising young outfielder Jorge Bonifacio got slapped with an 80-gamer for testing positive for a PED called Boldenone, and his ranking dropped to 580 with the news that he would be placed on the restricted list. This development was covered by Sports Illustrated, as they had fourth outfielder Paulo Orlando listed in Bonifacio's place.

Fantasy Astrology Relevance

The closest the Royals come to having a starter on a contender is Mike Moustakas, who could take the hot corner if Chris Taylor (153) struggles, causing Jose Ramirez (19) to move to second base. Other than that, second baseman Whit Merrifield should man the keystone for Aquarius, Alcides Escobar should start at shortstop for Sagittarius (believe it or not), and starter Danny Duffy should have a spot in the Capricorn rotation. Speaking of Capricorn, closer Kelvin Herrera would be behind Raisel Iglesias (76) and Alex Colome (127) based on preseason rankings, but that might change given that Herrera has yet to allow a run through his first 8 appearances. I guess that's why you actually play the games...

Song

Royals - Lorde

When I made a series of videos to showcase the 2015 All-Acquired teams, I used the Beatles version of the Leiber and Stoller blues classic "Kansas City" to introduce Game 6, when the series returned to Kansas City. While that song more accurately represents the city of KC itself, it was written 17 years before the Royals even existed as a franchise (the Beatles version was recorded four years prior). By contrast, the title of the song by New Zealand pop singer Lorde was reportedly inspired by a picture of former Royals star George Brett signing baseballs, so there is a clear connection to the team, if not the city. Also, I happened to have the opportunity to see Lorde perform this song live in concert (while she was touring with hip hop duo Run the Jewels), so her music has been on my mind lately.