Royals react to Hosmer's departure, deal with Padres
Eric Hosmer's former Kansas City Royals teammates are reacting to his departure after it was reported Saturday night the first baseman and the San Diego Padres agreed to terms on an eight-year contract.
Hosmer's deal will be the largest in Padres history at $144 million, according to multiple reports. The contract is heavily front-loaded and includes an opt-out clause after the fifth year. The deal is pending a physical, which is scheduled to take place Monday.
Royals manager Ned Yost addressed Hosmer's departure on Sunday morning at spring training camp in Surprise, Ariz.
"The emotions, for me, and for (general manager Dayton Moore) , too, I thought that going into the winter that there were just going to be teams that blow us away. Well, that didn't develop. I was thinking 10 years, $200 (million) plus; well that didn't happen. It boiled down to a two-team race," Yost said, per the Kansas City Star. "It's like, you always hope for the best. But you just don't know what's going to happen.
"He made his decision, and now we just move on. Did we want him back? Sure we did, 100 percent. We really did. We just felt that his legacy was going to be cemented in Kansas City. He's loved there. But at the end of the day, he chose or got a better offer from San Diego. So we just move on. Just control what you can control."
Royals starting pitcher Danny Duffy said his former teammate deserved everything he earned in free agency.
"I told him yesterday, 'My happiness for you trumps the bummer that I'm feeling right now,'" Duffy told the newspaper. "It's just a part of the game, man. It sucks but it's part of the game. Whatever's best for his family is what he has to do.
"That dude loves this place, loves these guys, loves the city of Kansas City, obviously, and he gave more than he took for the better part of a decade. He deserves whatever he gets."
The 28-year-old Hosmer hit a career-high .318 with 25 home runs and 94 RBIs for Kansas City last season. He was an All-Star in 2016 and has won four Gold Gloves at first base.
For his career, Hosmer has hit .284 with 127 home runs and 566 RBIs in seven years with the Royals, who selected him third overall in the 2008 draft.
Hosmer helped the Royals to two consecutive World Series appearances and the second world championship in franchise history (2015).
Duffy was drafted by the Royals a year prior to Hosmer joining the organization in 2008 and debuted in the major leagues 12 days after Hosmer in May 2011.
"Any special memories?" Duffy said. "I mean, yeah, about 11 seasons worth."
For catcher Drew Butera, who joined the Royals in 2015, the team is losing a clubhouse leader.
"He was the guy that anyone went to for anything," Butera told the newspaper. "If you were feeling down you went to him. If you were walking the clubhouse you got some new shoes, he was the first guy you went to go show. He always made you feel special whether you were a 12-year veteran superstar or you had one day in the show. He was the guy that you went to and he always built you up and led the team."
--Field Level Media
