For most of this Royals offseason, a familiar narrative has taken root. It goes as follows: The club’s true window to compete is about to close when a massive free-agent exodus takes place following the 2017 season.
Eric Hosmer will be a free agent after 2017. So will Lorenzo Cain, Mike Moustakas and Alcides Escobar. Wade Davis and Jarrod Dyson would have been, too, of course, but they’re gone now, shipped out for Jorge Soler and Nathan Karns, respectively.
It’s possible that the forecast will prove true, of course. The Royals’ resurgence was always built on the collective talent of a (mostly) homegrown core, and general manager Dayton Moore has always been honest about the future: The Royals will attempt to sign as many homegrown players as possible, but won’t be able to sign them all.