Bobby Witt Jr. becomes the first three-time winner of the Heart and Hustle Award.
Created by the MLBPAA in 2005, the Heart & Hustle Award recognizes an active player who demonstrates a passion for baseball and best embodies the values, spirit and traditions of the game. Each of the 30 teams has one nominee selected by a committee of former players, with fans, alumni and active Major League players voting to determine the overall winner.
Witt has been Kansas City’s nominee in each of his first five
Major League seasons, establishing himself as one of the game’s top all-around players while also making an impact in the clubhouse and community.
David Lesky has more on new Royals assistant hitting coach Hunter Mense.
He’s very big on pre-pitch planning. Go to the plate with a plan, and it’s much easier to execute than without one. That lets a hitter jump into good counts or lay off the pitch they should lay off. With that, he’s done an excellent job throughout his career of helping hitters with a variety of swings because the 3-0 swing shouldn’t be the same as the 0-2 swing, which shouldn’t be the same as the 1-1 swing. Situational awareness is the biggest thing.
I didn’t have much conversation about Mense after the hire was announced, but I did talk to a couple of people who noted how great he is on the mental side of the game. That probably shouldn’t be a surprise given that he has a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in sport psychology. It’s an interesting profile given that the Royals chose to reassign Melissa Lambert, the previous director of behavioral science/Major League mental performance. I’m still under the impression they plan to hire someone else for the dugout for that role, but the fact that Mense has that educational background is interesting to me.
Philip Ruo at Royals Keep writes about eight free agents the Royals should target, such as Taylor Ward.
Ward is another player who took a major step back in production after being traded and is the 67th-ranked free agent. Ward posted an 117 wRC+ in Baltimore, which fell to 23 with the Mariners after the trade. Even before his disastrous trade, Ward’s power had evaporated. After hitting 36 home runs in 663 plate appearances in 2025 with the Angels, Ward hit only seven homers in 506 PAs with Baltimore (and at a more homer-friendly ballpark) and zero homers in Seattle.
Interestingly, despite his dip in home runs, his .336 wOBA in Baltimore was roughly the same as his .339 wOBA in 2025. This was largely due to his increase in walk rate from 11.3% to 16.3% and a decrease in strikeout rate from 26.4% to 20.4%. If Ward can combine his increased plate discipline with a revival of his power, he could be a valuable addition to the Royals, especially as a right-handed batter. He would likely also be willing to sign a one-year prove-it deal to increase his value, and the Royals could be beneficiaries of this opportunity.
The White Sox signed former Royals pitcher Alec Marsh to a minor league deal.
The Royals acquired a 28-story office building near Crown Center to lease out as office space.
The Cardinals promote Rob Cerfolio as the new general manager.
The Nationals sign outfielder Jacob Young to a four-year, $23 million extension.
Albert Pujols and Morgan Ensberg will interview for the Astros managerial opening.
Five international players to know this offseason.
The Mets and Dodgers are likely to pursue Tarik Skubal.
A look at the five tiers of free agents.
What to know about next week’s general manager meetings.
28 players get “Super-Two” arbitration status.
Bo Naylor testifies in the Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz pitch-rigging trial.
The Blue Jays denounce anti-Muslim posts by Anthony Santander.
Retired umpires sue MLB alleging their pensions were underpaid.
MLB Network reverses their decision and will keep Intentional Talk on the air.
LIV Golf is officially done.
The SEC is considering a luxury tax for excessive spending on players.
FOX purchases Roku for $22 billion.
Tesla will pull the plug on the Cybertruck after lagging sales.
There will be a Stranger Things prequel.
Your song of the day is Daryl Hall & John Oates with I Can’t Go For That.
