Reading between the lines of the Royals’ four-year extension with Whit Merrifield

A big-league manager who shall remain nameless once said he wouldn’t lie to the media, but he didn’t always tell the whole truth. The manager wasn’t Ned Yost, but that’s a common attitude among people in the big leagues.

Lying can get you in trouble, but there’s no rule that says you have to reveal everything you know. That being the case, sometimes you have to read between the lines of what is said, and it helps if you have a good idea what the subject is referring to but not saying out loud.

Players know they have to pay lip service to winning and putting the team first, but also know they have to put up individual numbers to survive.

That can be a dilemma.

Say the tying run is on second base, nobody’s out and a ground ball hit to the right side will move that runner into scoring position. Hit that ground ball, move the runner over, and you’ll get high-fives in the dugout ... but nothing but an out in the score book.

A player worried about his individual numbers might forget moving the runner over and try to drive the run in himself.

Now say your starting pitcher had a long inning and needs time to rest in the dugout. If a player is leading off the next half-inning and does what’s best for his team, he’ll take pitches and allow his pitcher to get his breath back. But the opposition pitcher knows that and might throw fastballs down the heart of the plate to get ahead in the count.

A player worried about his individual numbers might not want to let hittable fastballs go by, so he swings at the first pitch he sees.

Big-leaguers often have to choose between what’s best for them and what’s best for the team. With that in mind, read what Whit Merrifield had to say about signing a four-year contract with the Royals:

“You know in the back of your head that individually you’ve got to put up numbers to be successful in the arbitration process, and that was something that I found in the past isn’t a good recipe for me to be successful. So to have this done and to not worry about having to go through that process, I feel like is going to free me to play my best baseball and be solely concerned with what I have to do today to help us win.”

What Merrifield said is both interesting and admirable: He thinks he’s a better player when he can forget about his individual numbers and do what’s best for the team.

Merrifield isn’t the only one who had something interesting to say about his contract. Here’s a quote from Dayton Moore:

“Look, if you’re going to give a player a long-term contract, you want to trust him. We trust Whit Merrifield.”

Read between the lines and here’s what Moore is saying: Give a player a long-term contract and you make him comfortable ... and once some players become comfortable, they quit trying so hard.

The Royals trust Merrifield not to do that.

In the not-too-distant past, the Royals gave second baseman Omar Infante a long-term contract. And after that Infante showed a notable lack of enthusiasm for playing and a less-than-100 percent effort when he did. There’s a reason the Royals released Infante while still owing him millions of dollars.

A player’s numbers are easy to see, understanding his makeup is more difficult.

People within the game notice things that a lot of us miss. When a Royals coach was asked about Merrifield hustling down the line, even on ground balls that appeared to be sure outs, the coach said it was a good sign, but it shouldn’t be that unique — everybody ought to show the same hustle.

Merrifield’s accomplishments and attitude earned him a long-term contact and the Royals’ trust, but that trust has to go both ways.

If Merrifield does what’s best for the team and doesn’t concentrate on his individual numbers, he has to trust that the Royals will recognize what he’s doing and appreciate him for putting the team first.

And that’s what reading between the lines will tell you.