John Sherman sat down with Josh Vernier to give a sort of State of the Union address post-deadline
.“I think from my perspective, our outfield has gotten more productive this year. Still work to do there. “We have a rotation that right now Wacha, Lugo and (Noah) Cameron, and got some guys hurt. But we can build on that. We got some younger guys too, but we can go to the market, I think, and supplement that. But we’ve got a lot of work to do in the bullpen, and I do think that JJ got a little bit
of a head start on that.”
Sherman believes the bullpen can be “cobbled” together without spending too much money. He noted the Royals had big contracts this season tied to Carlos Estevez ($10.1 million), who has missed most of the season due to injury, and Matt Strahm ($7.5 million), who was released earlier this month after struggling. Injuries to starting pitchers Cole Ragans, Stephen Kolek and Luinder Avila, who all had Tommy John surgery, hampered the rotation. Daniel Lynch IV is viewed as a rotation candidate in 2027, but Sherman expects the team to spend money on the rotation in the offseason.
Amid bullpen woes, the Royals signed Craig Kimbrel.
Kimbrel was designated for assignment by the Rays shortly after the Trade Deadline and, a few days after clearing waivers, elected free agency. That allowed the Royals to sign him and have him join a bullpen that has struggled this year but is currently trying out a variety of new faces and could use some experience.
And Kimbrel brings a lot of experience. One of the best closers in history, Kimbrel’s 440 career saves ranks fifth on the all-time saves list, and he has a 2.67 ERA with 1,314 strikeouts in 884 appearances across his 17 seasons. He’s a nine-time All-Star, a 2018 World Series champion and the 2011 National League Rookie of the Year Award winner, and he won both the Trevor Hoffman NL Reliever of the Year (2014) as well as the Mariano Rivera AL Reliever of the Year (2017) honors.
“He’s going to pitch in different roles,” said manager Matt Quatraro of Kimbrel’s spot in the bullpen. “Could be early, could be late, depending on who’s available. But his presence, his accountability, all the things that have made him great over the years to help rub off on some of the young guys as we continue to build.”
David Lesky continues to look for interesting nuggets to watch for as the season goes on. Admirable, or insane. You decide.
The things that you look for in a lost season are still interesting. The Royals are moving a reliever to the rotation. He got his first start Friday. A rookie and a guy who is basically a rookie are going to be wrapping up their first full seasons and could use a strong finish. One had a huge game, another did homer this weekend, but it looks like the season is starting to wear on him. The team appears to maybe possibly be getting healthier over the next couple of weeks, but we’ve seen that play before too, and we know how fleeting that can be. But hey, at least we’re finally getting them to give the late innings to some guys with big-time stuff who might be part of something better in 2027.
Kevin O’Brien at Royals Keep also writes about the Kimbrel acquisition.
So does Caleb Moody at Kings of Kauffman.
Jacob Milham covers Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects update, which looks favorably at young Royals minor leaguers. (The BA Top 100 is here but paywalled.)
Max Scherzer reached the top-10 list in all-time strikeouts, which Max mentioned yesterday, but here’s a FanGraphs take on it.
The postseason dates were released. We’ll be done by Halloween (Halloween baseball might be fun for a World Series Game 7).
Nathan Eovaldi hits the IL for the Rangers.
Mets closer Devin Williams also hit the IL.
Tim Anderson retired. Did not know he was still playing.
Awful Announcing’s broadcast team grades are open for voting.
Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy returned to training camp following the shooting of his wife, who remains in stable condition.
The Dallas Cowboys signed DT Quinnen Williams to an extension.
The new Buffalo Bills stadium has some obstructed views.
The LA Clippers signed a dude who is taller than Victor Wembanyama.
Big earthquake in Colombia yesterday.
Jury selection for the trial of Tupac Shakur’s murder is underway.
My kids are now obsessed with Despicable Me 3, which features Trey Parker doing some rare non-South-Park voice acting as the unhinged (and annoying) villain. Here’s a song from that movie.
It’s Michael Jackson with Bad.
