\"A dim view of humanity\" -Lee Judge
At The Athletic ($), Will Sammon writes that Kris Bubic is popular in trade talks. Darragh McDonald also talks about this article at MLB Trade Rumors: As Sammon points out, another thing working in the club’s favor is that a lot of other pitchers with upside are seemingly unavailable. Recent reports have downplayed the trade […]
2 months ago | 2 reads
General managers are meeting this week in Las Vegas, laying the groundwork for deals this offseason. Free agency is officially open, and the Royals have clear needs in their lineup. While they got another All-Star performance from Bobby Witt Jr., a breakout season from Maikel Garcia, and 30-home-run seasons from Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez, […]
2 months ago | 2 reads
Free agency has officially begun, and the Royals certainly have clear needs they will need to address, particularly in the outfield. While the Royals sound more willing to explore the trade path than a free agent market that is thin in outfielders, they have also shown to be flexible and adapt to the market. Last […]
2 months ago | 2 reads
The Royals believe a new focus from the coaching staff can turn around the offense ($): Their preparation for a job interview with the Royals prompted the same conclusions the Royals reached long ago: They have to make better decisions in the batter’s box. Kansas City has revised its hitting coaching staff this offseason, though […]
2 months ago | 2 reads
Major League Baseball officially calls the player who begins the inning during regular season extra inning games the “automatic runner” in the rules. That is an objectively boring name. Baseball fans have dubbed this player the “ghost runner,” which is far more interesting, even if it’s not technically accurate; they’re just as real as any […]
2 months ago | 0 reads
The Royals enter this offseason looking to upgrade an outfield that produced the fewest runs in baseball last year. One intriguing trade target who could help change that is Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran, whose name has surfaced frequently in trade rumors this winter. Jarren Duran is a 29-year-old from California who debuted in 2021. […]
2 months ago | 4 reads
MLB.com’s Anne Rogers had more from Kansas City Royals general manager J.J. Picollo on the addition of Connor Dawson and Marcus Thames, but specifically how they mesh with the returning organization. “[Zumwalt] has good knowledge of the swing, bio mechanics, people skills [and] game-planning. All the things you want people to be able to do, […]
2 months ago | 2 reads
The Royals announced they have acquired pitcher Mason Black from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for pitcher Logan Martin. Black is a 25-year-old right-hander who has made ten appearances for the Giants over the last two seasons with a 6.47 ERA in 40.1 innings. He was designated for assignment by the Giants last week. […]
2 months ago | 4 reads
Noah Cameron was never a highly-regarded prospect, but he just delivered results at each minor league level. And in a stacked rookie class, he was one of the best debut players in baseball. Cameron finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting, as announced by the Baseball Writers of America last night. Cameron was not […]
2 months ago | 0 reads
More than 500 major league baseball players served in the military during World War II, while the number who served during the Vietnam conflict remains murky. Some sites list as few 54 while others have the number as high as 117. Some of the more notable names who served were Al Bumbry, Garry Maddox, and […]
2 months ago | 0 reads
Blake Mitchell was a standout at the Fall Stars Game Sunday. Blake Mitchell, C, Royals (No. 2/MLB No. 62)Though he’s one of the best catching prospects in baseball, Mitchell has scuffled through much of the Fall League’s regular season. He shook off those struggles to lash a 104-mph double — the game’s lone extra-base hit […]
2 months ago | 2 reads
The Royals announced they have acquired outfielder Kameron Misner from the Tampa Bay Rays for a player to be named later or cash considerations. Misner was a standout at Mizzou, and hit .213/.273/.345 with five home runs in 71 games for the Rays last year. Misner originally hails from Poplar Bluff, Missouri and was drafted […]
2 months ago | 5 reads
The Royals are adding Marcus Thames to their coaching staff as a hitting coach, according to MLB.com reporter Anne Rogers. Last week they added Connor Dawson as an assistant hitting coach. Both will work under director of hitting performance Alec Zumwalt. Thames was a 10-year MLB outfielder with the Yankees, Rangers, Tigers, and Dodgers, who […]
2 months ago | 4 reads
The Royals enter this offseason looking to upgrade an offense that finished with the fifth-fewest runs scored in baseball. The biggest area of weakness was easily the outfield. Royals outfielders combined to hit .225/.285/.348, equaling a 73 wRC+, by far the worst in baseball. The Royals are hoping for some improvement to come from development […]
2 months ago | 3 reads
Ryan Bergert didn’t spend a ton of time with Kansas City in 2025, he only made eight starts for Kansas City after they acquired him at the trade deadline alongside Stephen Kolek (review for him coming soon!) for fan-favorite backup catcher Freddy Fermin. And, if you just looked at the raw numbers, you might not […]
2 months ago | 4 reads
Caleb Moody at Just Baseball calls the Salvador Perez contract the perfect extension. Then, there’s the term. Two years ensures that their Captain and franchise lifeblood is not only made to feel respected, but gives the Royals multiple years of continuing to have another marketable fan favorite around to help continue to grow this franchise […]
2 months ago | 1 read
Former first-round pick Nick Pratto hit free agency, one of 20 Royals farmhands to become a minor league free agent. Players can become free agents after six minor league seasons if they are not placed on the 40-man roster. Around baseball, 574 players became minor league free agents, free to sign a minor league or […]
3 months ago | 2 reads
The Royals announced they have signed infielder Connor Kaiser to a minor league contract. The 28-year-old has spent 14 games in the big leagues with the Rockies and Diamondbacks and is a Kansas City-area native who graduated from Blue Valley West. Kaiser was originally drafted by the Pirates in the third round of the 2018 […]
3 months ago | 3 reads
Bobby Witt Jr. wins his second Silver Slugger Award, and he wins his first Platinum Glove Award for top overall defender. Anne Rogers writes about what the Royals have to do this offseason. This likely means corner outfield, as that’s a wide-open spot and the one that needs the most improving. But the Royals aren’t […]
3 months ago | 10 reads
Bobby Witt Jr. continues to fill his award shelf. The young star won his second consecutive Silver Slugger Award at the shortstop position after leading the American League in hits (184) and doubles (47). He was also seventh in batting average (.295), ninth in slugging percentage (.501), eighth in OPS (.852), sixth in runs scored […]
3 months ago | 1 read
In this episode of the Royals Rundown Podcast, hosts Jacob Milham and Jeremy “Hokius” Greco break down all the latest Kansas City Royals headlines as the offseason heats up. From Salvador Perez’s contract extension to bold predictions in free agency, the duo tackles what’s next for a franchise finally showing signs of life — and […]
3 months ago | 3 reads
Heading into the 2025 season, most people who followed the Kansas City Royals’ minor leagues expected that the team would call up Noah Cameron at some point. The 2024 Royals starting rotation was extremely healthy, and there was bound to be some negative regression on the injury front. Cameron, a native of St. Joe, had […]
3 months ago | 3 reads
The Royals have outrighted pitchers Kyle Wright and Sam Long to the Omaha Storm Chasers, according to their transaction log. Long struggled this year with a 5.36 ERA in 39 relief outings. Wright was placed on outright waivers earlier this week, but the moves remove Long from the 40-man roster, bringing it to 35. Update: […]
3 months ago | 5 reads
Kasnas City native Connor Dawson is leaving the Brewers to join the Royals hitting staff: Dawson, 32, is a Kansas City-area native and has been a hitting coach with the Brewers since the 2022 season. The Royals have not confirmed the hire, but Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold told reporters on Thursday that […]
3 months ago | 4 reads
I’m glad that I’m not in charge of a professional sports team. It’s a lot of work, the pressure is intense, and at any given time a lot of people hate your guts. It is also significantly more complicated and nuanced than fans think it is–in a real-time, zero-sum world, you aren’t even guaranteed to […]
3 months ago | 2 reads