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 Cowboys Jerseys For Sale . -- Anaheim Ducks defenceman Luca Sbisa will be out at least six weeks with a torn tendon in his right hand. Wholesale Cowboys Jerseys . 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No. 13-seeded John Isner and No. 21 Philipp Kohlschreiber were among six players who dropped out of the tournament on Tuesday, joining No. 12 seed Tommy Haas and two other players who withdrew on Monday. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Penn State crossed several items off its to-do list Saturday in becoming bowl eligible, staying within a game of first place in the Big Ten East and ending a seven-game road losing streak.?Saquon Barkley ran for 207 yards and two touchdowns, Trace McSorley threw three scoring passes, and the Nittany Lions used a 24-point third quarter as the centerpiece of their 62-24 victory against Purdue.The Nittany Lions (6-2, 4-1 in the Big Ten) converted an interception, a fumbled punt and a failed onside kick into third-quarter touchdowns on their way to a fourth consecutive victory, They snapped the seven-game road slide that began in 2014, and defeated struggling Purdue for an eighth consecutive time.Penn States 62 points are the most scored by an opponent in Ross-Ade Stadium, which was completed in 1924. Ohio States 56-0 victory against Purdue in 2013 was the record.We were talking at halftime about having a sense of urgency, and we came out in the second half with that in mind, McSorley said. Everyone kind of loosened up in the second half. In the first half, we were playing tense. We werent playing loose. We came out in the second half and played loose.Tied at 17 through two quarters, the Nittany Lions outscored Purdue (3-5, 1-4) 24-7 in the pivotal third quarter. McSorley threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Chris Godwin and for 21 yards to Miles Sanders for another.I think we did a good job of digesting what the coaches were saying at halftime and taking that out on the field, said Godwin, who caught five passes for 58 yards. We definitely were a focused football team in the second half, and its very important for us to both run and pass when we have to. You never know when someone is going to shut you down in one of those aspects.Barkley extended the Penn State lead to 48-24 with 13:56 remaining on a career-best 81-yard run along the right sideline. It was the longest touchdown run by a Nittany Lion since Larry Johnsons 84-yarder in 2002 against Illinois.We knew we were going to have a battle, Penn State coach James Franklin said. Early in the game, we just made too many mistakes. We are usually one of the most disciplined teams in football. I dont want to say were a second-half team, but in the locker room, we decided we were a second-half teamm.dddddddddddd We made plays, and their turnovers were huge.Purdue, which got two touchdown passes from David Blough, including a 62-yarder to DeAngelo Yancey, led 14-7 and 17-14 in the second quarter.We havent been able to take care of the ball in the second half, and that is the biggest thing, Blough said. We scored only seven points in the second half, and that is unacceptable for the expectations we have for this offense.McSorley finished 12 of 23 of 228 yards and the career-best three TDs. Blough completed 34 of 50 passes for 281 yards. He was intercepted once, which set up a third-quarter TD.We had great energy in the first half, and then when we came out of the half ... thats completely on me, said Purdue interim coach Gerad Parker , who took over when fourth-year coach Darrell Hazell was fired on Oct. 16. When things didnt go our way, we didnt respond.TAKEAWAYSPenn State: After upsetting then-No. 2 Ohio State last Saturday, the Nittany Lions started slowly, but completely dominated the second half, winning for the fourth consecutive time in October. McSorley and Barkley gave Penn State the perfect mix of passing and running, helping the Nittany Lions amass 511 yards of offense.Purdue: In consecutive losses to Nebraska and Penn State, the Boilermakers have been outscored a collective 62-7 during second-half action. Purdues margin for error is slim to begin with, but the second-half miscues against Penn State produced a brutal outcome.POLL IMPLICATIONSThe Nittany Lions, coming off their big win against the Buckeyes, should move up a bit in the AP Top 25 (http://www.collegefootball.ap.org/poll).KEY STATSPenn State: In amassing 511 total yards, the Nittany Lions had almost perfect balance, rushing for 257 yards and passing for 254 without turning over the ball.Purdue: While the Boilermakers ran the ball with ease on Oct. 8 in a victory at Illinois, their 26 rushes against Penn State netted only 46 yards, with Markell Jones 23-yarder in the first half being their longest.UP NEXTPenn State: The Lions host Iowa next Saturday.Purdue: The Boilermakers play next Saturday at Minnesota---More AP college football: -www.collegefootball.ap.org Youth NFL Jerseys Cheap Cheap Jerseys Online China Jerseys Wholesale Cheap NFL Hoodies Wholesale NFL T-shirts Stitched Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys 2020 ' ' '