The Royals hold a 6m team option on David DeJesus for the 2011 season. To me, it seems like an easy option to exercise. DeJesus has been a solid/major contributor to the Royals for a long time and was in the midst of what was possibly his best season ever, posting a .827 OPS until he went down. Throw in the fact that 6m isn't exactly the toughest pill to swallow and DeJesus himself seems to want to be back... this has to be a no brainer right?
Well for some reason with less than a month until a decision needs to be made in regards to the option, Dayton Moore has yet to make a decision regarding that option. It's certainly not time to panic or anything, but given DeJesus' consistent performance and his bargain price - Fangraphs has only once pegged his open-market value at less than 10m since 2005 - it seems silly to drag this out.
Given a somewhat crowded outfield picture looking forward, the Royals seemed poised to move DeJesus this summer and until he broke his thumb, he was one of the better outfield trade chips on the market. That however should not mean the Royals simply cut-bait on DeJesus.
This decision should be made all the easier given that Alex Gordon, who the club sent down to AAA in hopes he could rediscover his swing, has not. Gordon lit up AAA pitching (not a huge shock) while the Royals moved him to left field in order to create a spot Alberto Callaspo - who they promptly traded. But Gordon has yet to translate any of that to the Majors as he's posted an OPS of just .725 since returning.
By all measures DeJesus' option is one that should be exercised. His performance more than justifies it, there are no age concerns, there shouldn't be any concerns about the injury, and it's not like Gordon is banging down the door with his bat or anything. Not having done so already only feeds the impression that the Royals front office just doesn't get it.
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