Anne Rogers provides an off-season primer for Royals fans.
The offseason will be all about the offense again for the Royals, who will target outfield help but also have enough defensive versatility that
they don’t have to close the door on infielders.
The Royals haven’t been quiet the past two winters when it comes to adding players, and they’ll try to follow that trend again. The trade market seems more likely, though. They have a surplus of starters other teams will target, and their catching depth in the Minors – especially with the emergence of top prospect Carter Jensen – could be the center of trade conversations.
David Lesky reviews the performance of Michael Massey.
Beyond the expected numbers, his whiff rate was 15.1 percent compared to 18 percent before he was hurt. His average exit velocity was a full mile per hour harder at 88.5 MPH and his hard-hit rate was 40 percent compared to 32.3 percent. The numbers were much closer to his 2024 season after he came back from injury. Which leads to a question of how believable that was for them. There were some slight setup changes he made and while it wasn’t terribly different, I thought multiple times throughout. September that it looked like he was staying through the ball much better.
Does that mean they should just say he’s good to go at second and move on? No, but I do think there’s some Massey disdain that might be a little more heavy-handed than it needs to be. I don’t think he’s a 162-game player so if you do say he’s your second baseman, you need someone you trust to fill in, and that’s an important spot to team with Bobby Witt Jr. on double plays. My gut feeling is the Royals would like to find someone who can handle the position with a little more offensive consistency and a little more availability, but I think they see the outfield is a bigger issue and if they end up struggling to find bats, will focus energy there.
Old friend Jeff Zimmerman at Fangraphs looks at Jac Caglianone’s future for fantasy baseball.
He struggled in all aspects of his game, with the main drags being a .172 BABIP and a 50% GB%, especially with a Sprint Speed in the bottom third of the league. He’s not beating out many throws to first base. Additionally, his power was good but not elite.
I hate to go with the answer (upward) “regression”, but all his comps and projections point to a .245 to .250 AVG. Say, he hits .250 with 25 HR (if he repeats 2025, he should have a high teens home run number) and no stolen bases. Those numbers are comparable to the Andrew Vaughn, Brett Baty, and Josh Bell level of batter. Not a top-10 round talent.
Now, if Caglianone can push those numbers to 30 and a .265 AVG, he’s more in the Riley Greene and Austin Riley talent level. Or he could repeat his 2025 season and be unrosterable. Nobody knows.
The Dodgers stave off a late rally and will take the Blue Jays to a Game 7 tonight.
Addison Barger admits he got a bad read on his baserunning out that ended Game 6.
The splitter has been all the rage this postseason.
Game 4 of the World Series was the most-watched Game 4 since 2018.
Should MLB get rid of intentional walks?
The Athletics are looking for proven closers.
Should the Cardinals trade Brendan Donovan?
Should the Mets sign Framber Valdez?
Robert Murray at Fansided writes about ten trade candidates he’s hearing buzz about.
Did the Red Sox actually make the right call with Mookie Betts?
Pitching coach Mike Maddux is leaving the Rangers for the Angels.
This Super Two arbitration eligibility cutoff is likely to land around two years, 140 days of service time.
The Fukuoka Hawks rally past the Hanshin Tigers to win the Japan Series.
A look back at the 1905 World Series, the first time that term was used.
Buyouts for college football coaches are setting off alarm bells.
A single gene could have led to the extinction of Neanderthals.
A Call of Duty film is in the works.
Dictionary’s word of the year is “6-7”….but it’s not a word, and what does that even mean?
Your song of the day is Little River Band with Lonesome Loser.
