Royals Rumblings - News for December 4, 2024
Kris Bubic will be a starter next year.
Anne Rogers writes about Royals' priorities heading into the Winter Meetings.
But that doesn’t mean they view their lineup as complete. They’d still like to add depth down the order, including fortifying their bench and adding a hitter who might be able to slot into the No. 5 or 6 spot behind Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez. This is what they envisioned Hunter Renfroe as when they signed him a year ago, but Renfroe posted a .689 OPS in 2024. He’s returning in ’25 as the Royals’ right fielder, but the outfield is a spot open for upgrades.
Where the Royals might find those upgrades remains to be seen. There is payroll flexibility for a free agent, but how much is unclear. The trade market? Maybe, but the Royals already traded one Major League player (Brady Singer for India).
“I think we still got to be on the lookout for something that continues to lengthen our lineup out,” Picollo said after trading for India. “If we’re able to get something that helps out in the middle of the lineup, we’d be really happy.
Jaylon Thompson has more about the Royals re-signing a TV deal with Diamond Sports.
Fans without cable can stream Royals games in-market with the FanDuel Sports Network App or Amazon Prime Video. Both require a paid “add-on” subscription.
Sherman didn’t share specifics about the cost of such subscriptions.
“We are going to work with FanDuel Sports to come up with a multitude of ways for a fan to view these games and at least have a trial and see how these work,” Sherman said. “And I can’t tell you exactly what those prices will be and things like that, but I’m sure we will offer that and get as many fans in as we can and show them we have a good product.”
Anthony Franco at MLB Trade Rumors writes about a report that Kris Bubic will pitch in the rotation next year.
He’ll get another opportunity to see if he can maintain that newfound swing-and-miss as a starter. The Athletic writes that the Royals could limit his innings count to 140-150 next season to avoid overworking him. That’s not far below the workload expected of most modern starters, especially those who occupy mid-rotation roles, so it doesn’t seem as if he’ll be too restricted. Sammon, Woo and Rosenthal suggest that K.C. could look to add a swingman to strengthen their depth, though that’s not as pressing as their goal of adding an impact hitter on the trade market.
ESPN writers propose some trades they’d like to see, with Kiley McDaniel proposing an Alec Bohm deal to the Royals. [$]
Maikel Garcia is a good player but Bohm would upgrade the lineup for a smallish salary and prospect cost, moving Garcia into a utility/platoon role for the two left-handed hitters on the right side of the infield in Vinnie Pasquantino and Michael Massey. The price for two years of control on Bohm would be a prospect in the 101-250 overall range, like C Carter Jensen, who is now expendable with Blake Mitchell rocketing toward the majors as the catcher of the future. Philly would get a multi-positional power-and-patience player who could debut in the big leagues in 2025.
Michael Massey gets a write-up in his hometown paper.
The Red Sox sign former Royals reliever Aroldis Chapman to a one-year, $10.75 million deal.
The Red Sox, Padres, and Tigers seem to be the most likely landing spots for Nolan Arenado.
Why Willy Adames is due for a big pay day.
Korean infielder Hyeseong Kim is expected to be posted today.
Blake Snell’s deal with the Dodgers includes a conditional club option.
Davy Andrews at Fangraphs tracks the teams that say they tried to get a free agent.
Why Walker Buehler is a hot free agent target despite a poor 2024 season.
The Mariners are looking for corner infield upgrades.
What is the trade value of Cardinals pitcher Erick Fedde?
It’s starting to look like the Reds got a deal in Nick Martinez.
Former Chiefs tackle Jim Tyrer is a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, despite killing his wife in a murder-suicide.
ESPN and Stephen A. Smith are close to a new deal that could expand his brand across other Disney properties.
One-third of movie box office sales are from PG-rated films, the highest percentage in nearly 30 years.
Is someone trying to bring Enron back as a joke?
Mattel is being sued for including a URL on Wicked toys that links to a porn site.
Your song of the day is The Kinks with Picture Book.