World Series 2014: Analyzing Royals' and Giants' Next Steps After Epic Series

The San Francisco Giants are your 2014 champions thanks to an all-time-great performance from World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner, but that’s old news now.

Unless you are a Giants fan, you have likely already turned your attention to next year. Free agents will hit the market, acquisitions and re-signings will be made and the power could very well shift in baseball before Opening Day.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the next steps for the Giants and their World Series counterparts, the Kansas City Royals.

Kansas City Royals

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The biggest storyline entering the offseason for the Royals is the free agency of starting pitcher James Shields, even if he did struggle during the World Series.

ESPN Insider Jim Bowden (subscription required) did not paint a pretty picture for Royals fans who hope Shields stays in Kansas City:

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The team has said all the right things about Shields, that it would like him back and will make a sincere effort to bring him back. However, the Royals also know that financially there's really no way to make it work. The bottom line is that Shields has pitched his last game for the Royals. The franchise took a lot of heat for its blockbuster deal to acquire him, but without him, Kansas City never would have made it to the World Series.

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Sometimes, the reality of being a smaller-market club is that free agents leave. Considering the fact that Shields was instrumental in this season’s run to the World Series, Kansas City probably got all it could ask for and more from the righty.

A new big-market team like the Chicago Cubs will likely enter the fold as possible pitching buyers this offseason and will join the usual chorus of the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. Shields is probably done in Royals blue, but that doesn't mean the team will not actively pursue him.

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Billy Butler is another player who may be on the way out.

The Royals hold a $12.5 million option on his contract for 2015, but despite his popularity, his home runs and OPS have dropped every season since his impressive 2012. What’s more, he plays first base, which just so happens to be Eric Hosmer’s position.

Butler commented on the situation, via Nick Bromberg of Yahoo Sports:

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Even if they decline it, you can still talk and that kind of stuff. I don't – there's nothing been said. I've been told nothing, nor should I. We were focused on the World Series. And the only thing I know is I've been a Royal my whole life, well since I was 18 years old, my whole professional career. I bleed Royal blue.

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If Butler is willing to stay in Kansas City with a hometown discount, which may be the case given those comments, he could very well be in the fold next year. But that's just too much money to spend for someone who is statistically declining at the plate.

It is also worth watching Norichika Aoki’s free agency because the Royals could look to bring him back.

While the presumed Shields loss will certainly hurt, we may have seen the emergence of the next superstar in the Kansas City rotation in Yordano Ventura. He is only 23 years old and pitched brilliantly in Game 6 of the World Series to force a Game 7. The Royals should look to groom him as a No. 1 starter this offseason.

The formula that got Kansas City to the Fall Classic will still be in place next year, even if it misses on its own free agents. The Royals will have a lockdown bullpen with Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland as well as speed and athleticism all over the field. That means plenty of stolen bases and incredible catches yet again.

Sal Castaneda of KTVU-TV believes this is not the end of Kansas City’s run:

Now that the Royals got a taste of the spotlight, they could even be more aggressive in free agency. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports even suggested that Torii Hunter could be an option. 

While that remains to be seen, Kansas City will have a raucous home crowd that will be there throughout the 2015 season. If nothing else, that should create one of the best home-field advantages in all of baseball and propel the Royals back into contention in 2015.

San Francisco Giants

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The literal next steps for the Giants are celebration, a parade and the opportunity to savor this incredible seven-game victory.

While the Giants are always a potential factor in free agency, their attention will likely be on their own free agents: Pablo Sandoval, Ryan Vogelsong, Jake Peavy and Sergio Romo.

Sandoval is the biggest name and has become synonymous with this Giants team that has won three titles in five years. From the panda costumes in the crowd to the clutch performances at the plate, it is difficult to imagine San Francisco without him.

While Sandoval only hit .279 with 16 home runs and 73 RBI during the regular season, he set a record for the most hits in a single postseason with 26 and hit .429 in the World Series. It’s not the first time he has come through in October, either (remember the three-homer game in the 2012 Series?).

Free-spending teams like the Yankees, Dodgers and Red Sox may all have holes at third base next season. It could truly be a question of whether Sandoval’s heart is in San Francisco, because those squads are going to throw money at him.

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As for Peavy, he has openly discussed his desire to play with the Cubs in what may be baseball’s worst-kept secret. His time in San Francisco may be over.

What happens with Peavy could shape the conversations with Vogelsong as well, but Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe seemed to believe that the Giants will not re-sign him. Perhaps that means the club will use some offseason time to prepare Yusmeiro Petit, who was critical in the World Series, for a starting role.

Romo lost his closer spot this year but was an important part of the Giants bullpen down the stretch and in the playoffs. He finished the postseason with a 1.29 ERA and seven strikeouts in seven innings.

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It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Giants brought him back on a team-friendly contract after his postseason success, especially if they lose these other free agents. 

For now, the Giants are probably far too concerned with celebrating yet another World Series win to worry about free agency. If the pattern holds, we will see them celebrating with the trophy yet again with a new batch of players in two years.

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