Jaylon Thompson wrote about Kris Bubic’s Spring Training debut.
On Sunday, Bubic stepped onto the pitcher’s mound again. Bubic pitched two innings against the Milwaukee Brewers at Surprise Stadium. He allowed four hits and one run but registered three strikeouts. Bubic threw 31 pitches in the start. He averaged 91.9 mph with his fastball and showcased his changeup, slider, sinker and sweeper.
We finally have financial details on the Starling Marte signing. It’s $1M and can possibly max out at $3M.
The Royals designated Dairon Blanco for assignment to clear a roster spot.
With players departing Spring Training for the World Baseball Classic, that leaves opportunities for more playing time open for other guys. Anne Rogers details a few of them.
1. Nick Loftin, UTIL
Outfielder Starling Marte’s addition to the team narrows the field for an already crowded competition for the final one or two spots on the bench. Loftin is right in that competition and is trying to showcase all he can do, from hitting a grand slam on Saturday in Scottsdale to playing as many positions as he can all over the field. Loftin has hit well in Triple-A, but hasn’t seen that translate completely to the Majors. But his versatility could help.
“Just [want to show] that I’m that consistent guy that’s been here since the start of it all,” Loftin said. “That I can help the team win, whether it’s on defense or offense, in the infield or outfield, DH, whatever it is.”
Kevin O’Brien at Royals Keep writes if Helcris Olivárez can carve out a role in the bullpen.
When it comes to TJ Stuff+, there’s a lot to be encouraged about with Olivarez’s profile. While his overall TJ Stuff+ is 100 and he has only one pitch with a TJ Stuff+ over 100 (his curve, which has a 106 mark), all four of his offerings have pitching grades over 50. That shows that he has a balanced profile, and he does have one elite pitch in his curveball, which has a pitching grade of 64 and a whiff rate of 66.7%.
Olivarez hasn’t generated an outstanding chase rate (28.6%), and his whiff rate has been below average (21.4%). That said, his four-seamer chase has been solid (31.6%), and he’s been limiting hard contact on his fastball, with his four-seamer posting a .362 xwOBACON and his sinker posting a .107 xwOBACON. I believe a reason for the lower chase and whiff rates is due to his erratic control, as he has a 44.4% zone rate so far this spring.
Caleb Moody writes about Luinder Avila’s role in the WBC for Venezuela.
Logan Webb will start Game 1 for Team USA in the WBC.
The teenage son of a Royals scout tragically passed away recently. The service was yesterday.
Davy Andrews at FanGraphs wrote about Jac’s big exit velocity numbers from Spring Training.
ESPN didn’t lay off someone for once and signed Kansas City resident Jeff Passan to a multi-year extension.
MLB’s Spring Breakout game series will be a tournament next Spring.
The Kansas City Chiefs cut Jawaan Taylor to save money against the cap. The NFL will find a way to call false start or illegal procedure on him/the Chiefs in 2026 anyway.
The Houston Texans traded for Lions RB David Montgomery, who powered a fantasy football championship for me in 2024.
Here’s an Underwear Olympics wrap-up (aka the NFL Combine).
The top 5 free agent quarterbacks is a hilarious list this offseason. Malik Willis is gonna get a bunch of money based on three starts with the LaFleur machine.
National treasure Catherine O’Hara won a posthumous award for her performance in the tv show The Studio.
André De Shields, who brought an unlimited amount of swagger to the role of Hermes in Hadestown, will appear in Cats: The Jellicle Ball.
Your song of the day is the original Broadway cast of Hadestown, prominently featuring André De Shields, with Road to Hell.
