last year to replace the fired Rex Ryan.Play calling, clock

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- For two decades, finishing at .500 would have given the Royals reason to celebrate.Two trips to the World Series changes perspective.The Royals spent the first day after the regular season Monday ruing how a season full of promise went awry. There were devastating injuries, key acquisitions failed to live up to big contracts and an offense predicated on manufacturing runs was too often rendered out-of-order.We expected to perform much better and it just didnt happen, general manager Dayton Moore said. Its sad that it ended the way it did. We obviously wish we were still playing. But weve got work to do, as every offseason demands, and well go to work starting tomorrow in Arizona.Not all is lost. Not by a long shot.The Royals return most of their core from last years championship team next year, and are primed for one more run at the postseason. Their window to reach another World Series could close afterward as stars such as Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain and Danny Duffy reach free agency in 2018.Thats something we discuss constantly, Moore said. We wont be able to sign them all, as you know. Thats a tough question and thats something well have to figure out.There is still plenty of work to do before next season, though. Here are the story lines that will dominate the offseason, which came far too early for fans in Kansas City.GETTING HEALTHYMoustakas should be ready for spring after surgery to repair his ACL, and others dealt with nagging injuries that limited them down the stretch: Sal Perez had hamstring and knee trouble, Hosmer had a wrist injury, Cain was dealing with a sprained hand. More than anything else, the Royals simply need to get to full strength by spring.STARTING ROTATIONThe Royals struggled all season to find a fifth starter, finally getting left-hander Jason Vargas back from Tommy John surgery in the waning weeks of the regular season. He should be ready to go for spring, but there are still holes in the rotation.Edinson Volquez has a mutual option for next season, though it is hardly a foregone conclusion either side will exercise it. Volquez may want to shoot for a multiyear deal while the Royals may be reticent to pay him $10 million after he went 10-11 with a 5.37 ERA.Duffy, Vargas, Yordano Ventura and Ian Kennedy still should give the Royals three solid starters. But they could be in the market again for that fifth arm.Were living above our means, Moore admitted, when asked about taking on another big contract. This payroll was put together to go deep into the postseason, and Im accountable for that. Its not going to look very good on the spreadsheet and thats not going to look very good when the bill comes due.SPEAKING OF MONEYThe Royals will have to decide whether to exercise a $10 million option on All-Star closer Wade Davis and a $6.5 million option on light-hitting shortstop Alcides Escobar. Davis is a relative easy one. Despite dealing with injuries, he had a 1.87 ERA with 27 saves.Escobar is a bit trickier. The Royals could pay a $500,000 buyout and give the job to upcoming prospect Raul Mondesi Jr., using the savings to address other issues.Im working hard and just waiting for my time, Mondesi said. Offseason, Im going to work. Next year, come focused and concentrate and do my job.THOSE OTHER ISSUESOne of the priorities will likely be retaining designated hitter Kendrys Morales, who will be looking for a multiyear deal after hitting .263 with 30 homers and 93 RBI. The reason he was invaluable was that Kansas City struggled to score runs, and he was one of the only power bats in the lineup. Along with bringing him back, the Royals will be looking for another impact bat in the outfield from a relatively week free-agent class.WINDOW CLOSINGHosmer, Cain, Duffy and several others are under club control through next season, but that doesnt mean Moore will wait for them to hit free agency. There is a good chance he begins the difficult negotiations on long-term deals to retain what they view as their core.Im really proud of these players. Theyre my kind of guys, said manager Ned Yost, who will also be back next season. They play hard and they never quit. That makes it fun. Cheap Nike Shoes From China . "I wrote 36 on my sheet at the beginning of the game," the Cincinnati coach said, referring the yard line the ball would need to be snapped from. Wholesale Shoes Authentic . Hamelin, who triumphed in the 500 on Saturday, edged out Victor An of Russia by 0.021 seconds to maintain his lead in the World Cup standings. Russias Vladimir Grigorev was third. In the relay, Canada took control six laps from the finish line to beat Russia and the Netherlands. https://www.wholesaleshoesusa.com/ . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. Cheap Shoes From China . -- Claudio Bieler hadnt scored since early September, and not from the run of play since mid-July. Fake Shoes 2020 . U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield in Manhattan agreed that lawyers on both sides could make their formal requests by Nov. 8. A hearing is scheduled for a day earlier. Jordan Siev, a lawyer for Rodriguez, wrote in a joint letter to the judge from lawyers on both sides that MLB lawyers planned to ask that the lawsuit be dismissed. FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- It took all offseason for Mike Maccagnan and Ryan Fitzpatrick to agree on a deal to bring the veteran quarterback back to the New York Jets.Maccagnan is still glad the reunion happened -- even if it all went wrong this season.During a nearly 40-minute sit-down with reporters Wednesday, the Jets general manager discussed several issues as New York enters its bye-week break at a dismal 3-7. He said the team is obviously disappointed about its record, but insists re-signing Fitzpatrick to a one-year, $12 million deal was the right move.I have no regrets about bringing Ryan back, Maccagnan said. I think going into it, we felt very good about the season Ryan had previously. So I have no regrets from that standpoint.Fitzpatrick set a franchise record last year with 31 touchdown passes while leading the Jets to a 10-6 record and within a victory of a playoff appearance.After the season, it appeared merely a formality that Fitzpatrick would be back. But the sides got locked in a contract stalemate that dragged on for months, ending only on the eve of training camp in July.Big things were expected for the Jets, especially with their record-setting quarterback in the fold again. But the offense got off to a lousy start and Fitzpatrick was benched as the Jets opened 1-5. He regained his starting spot when Geno Smith was lost for the season with a knee injury less than two quarters into his latest -- and, possibly, last -- opportunity with the Jets. Fitzpatrick returned until a sprained knee gave Bryce Petty the start last Sunday against Los Angeles.Of course, I think everybody, and Ryan included, would probably say he holds himself to a fairly high standard, Maccagnan said. Im sure there are aspects that he would like to ... we all would like to have better success on the field as a team. But from the standpoint of bringing Ryan back, no, I dont have regrets on that.Fitzpatrick leads the NFL with 13 interceptions against has just eight touchdown passes. Its possible Fitzpatrick could never throw another pass for New York if the Jets decide to give Petty and/or second-round pick Christian Hackenberg the last six games to audition for the job for neext season.ddddddddddddhats a decision, Maccagnan said, that will ultimately be made by coach Todd Bowles, wholl consult with his staff and the GM. Bowles said Monday his decision will be based on who he believes gives the team the best chance to win.From my standpoint, you like to see young players play, Maccagnan said. But you also want to make sure theyre ready for that. To me, its a more complicated decision than some people realize.With both Fitzpatrick and Smith scheduled to be free agents in the offseason, the Jets will have no established quarterbacks on their roster.Its not necessarily unnerving, Maccagnan said. We feel good. We have two young quarterbacks to work with and grow and develop, and well see how we address this going forward.As for Bowles, Maccagnan was supportive of the second-year coach, but added that everyone in the organization needs to do better at our jobs. There have been quite a few bumps in the road for Bowles, a former defensive coordinator who was highly regarded around the league before being hired last year to replace the fired Rex Ryan.Play calling, clock management and his overall approach have been questioned at times, particularly with missteps by players -- most notably Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson being benched for a quarter for being late for a team meeting -- creating the perception the Jets are dysfunctional.We knew there would be adversity along the way, but hes very consistent and very focused, Maccagnan said. And I think he has a very good pulse on the team and the locker room. I do think hes going to be a very good head coach in this league.Maccagnan punted on talking about possible moves or decisions beyond the season, preferring to focus publicly only on this year right now. But he also knows the next six games will go a long way in helping determine the franchises future.We do know where we want to be eventually, Maccagnan said. We do feel good about some of those things heading forward.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '