
The Kansas City Royals are not feeling particularly confident about their chances of running it back with their current core next season, according to a report.
Jerry Crasnick of ESPN reported on Tuesday that the Royals have become “increasingly more pessimistic” about their chances of re-signing their major free agents, including Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, and Lorenzo Cain.
The #Royals have grown increasingly more pessimistic about re-signing any of their big free agents — Hosmer, Moustakas or Cain. If Hosmer goes, they could shift attention to several lower-priced 1B options: Duda, LoMo, Alonso, Moreland, Lind, Jaso, et al.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) November 14, 2017
The Royals would have to cough up some major dough to bring back their aforementioned stars, especially considering the big-market suitors who will also be after them. That simply might not be feasible for a team whose title window seems to have slammed shut, albeit after a World Series win in 2015.
Keep in mind that a previous report said the Royals would make a strong effort to re-sign both Hosmer and Moustakas, while feeling it would be unlikely to retain Cain.