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, Alec can cover all of those,” Picollo said. “He’s a really good person to have that oversight. And then with Connor, you have a younger guy [who’s] got four years in the Major Leagues with a team that really produced well and maximizes the talent on the roster. And a lot of it was tweaks along the way, getting players to understand what they need to do, how they need to move, understanding the swing, understanding the technology. Connor checked all those boxes.
“With Marcus, he’s got vast experience and great hitting knowledge. Worked with some tremendous players in the game. … Taking good players and helping them become the stars they’ve become. Working with those personalities, which are very strong — you’ve got to be able to understand how the great players think. We’ve got a couple players that we consider great on our team. He’s going to connect really well with them.”
Rogers also has more on Cullen Maxey joining the franchise as the new president of business operations.
“We talk about this business being all about talent,” Royals chairman/CEO John Sherman said. “We tend to talk about it in terms of Major League [talent], but talent has to do with the business operations as well. And this is a day that helps change our organization and prepares us for the future.”
Maxey spent the past 20 years in the D-backs’ organization. For the past 16 years as executive vice president of business operations and chief revenue officer, he oversaw all revenue-generating, community impact and fan-facing departments. That’s largely what he’ll do in Kansas City while working side by side with Brooks Sherman on the Royals’ stadium project.
David Lesky addresses the elephant in the room when it comes to Thames’ addition in his latest newsletter.
There are two constants here, and I’m not sure which is the more important one. The first is he keeps losing jobs. The second is he keeps getting hired for jobs. I think it’s fair to be skeptical of someone who has seemed to struggle to get offenses started since he left the Yankees, but where I’m a little less concerned is in the fact that he is not the main guy, but a part of the team. And I think that’s where his philosophy comes into play when evaluating how this might work for the Royals. I guess what I’ll say before I get into it is that I’d hate this if he was the top hitting coach, but as an assistant, I’m intrigued.
Craig Brown also reacts to the two new hitting coaches in his latest newsletter.
Balance is important. A well-rounded staff with different experiences is a must in today’s game. The data is only useful if the players buy in and probably the best way to get the players to buy in is to hear it from a guy like Thames who has been there and done that. The youthfulness of a coach like Dawson is important too, because he can definitely relate to today’s players. There’s something for everyone on this staff.
It’s taken awhile, but the Royals are mirroring on the hitting side what they’ve done on the pitching side. Will they find the same level of success? Nothing is guaranteed, but the process seems solid. At least from where I’m sitting in mid-November.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan sends a second base solution to Kansas City in his perfect transaction for the Royals.
The perfect transaction: The Royals need bats to surround Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino, Maikel Garcia, Salvador Perez and a pair of young hitters with immense promise, Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen. The outfield is a clear area of improvement, though Kyle Tucker isn’t happening and Cody Bellinger is a stretch. They could opt for Trent Grisham or bring back Mike Yastrzemski.
The biggest impact, though, could come via what they tried to do last year in trading for Jonathan India: get a high-on-base second baseman who can lead off with professional at-bats — presumably with Version 2.0 of the idea working better than the first. Sign free agent second baseman Gleyber Torres.
MLB Network Jon Morosi had an update on the Royals’ trade approach this offseason, with two AL teams named as probable partners.
The Royals made another trade on Tuesday, acquiring right-handed pitcher Mason Black from the San Francisco Giants. Kansas City sent back right-handed pitcher Logan Martin. The Royals’ 12th-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, Martin was fresh off an Arizona Fall League tenure with a 9.82 ERA and 2.182 WHIP over 11.0 innings.
Baseball America lists Royals prospect Carter Jensen as their 14th-best dynasty catcher, ahead of veteran Salvador Perez at 23rd.
Two years ago, we identified Jensen as an underrated hitting prospect to target for 2024, noting that “his contact rate, barrel rate, 90th percentile exit velocity and chase rate have all been above-average or better for the level over the last two years. That’s even more impressive considering how young he is at each level.” In 2025, he got promoted to Kansas City after a .290/.377/.501 slash line as a 21-year-old across 492 plate appearances in Double-A and Triple-A. Although it was only 69 plate appearances in the majors, Jensen had a 159 wRC+ with three home runs, hitting against both lefties and righties and often as the DH, indicating they want his bat in the lineup as much as possible. The Royals just extended Salvador Perez for two more years, so 2026 might not be the year Jensen takes over the catcher’s role in a full-time capacity. But being only 22 years old and with a RoboScout peak projection of .260/.345 with 20-25 home runs, it should only be a matter of time.
Darin Watson revisits the legacy of former Royals pitcher Mike MacDougal at Royals Keep.
How the desire to minimize failure likely cost the Toronto Blue Jays a World Series ring.
Read more about Paul DePodesta’s return to baseball with the Colorado Rockies.
Cleveland Guardians’ Stephen Vogt and Milwaukee Brewers’ Pat Murphy win Manager of the Year for the second straight season.
Los Angeles Dodgers utilityman Tommy Edman goes under the knife and looks at spring training return.
Prop bets are the common thread in sports betting scandals over the past few years. So why won’t they go away?
The Nolan Arenado trade buzz will restart this offseason as both parties want “to find a different fit,” according to St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom.
The Pittsburgh Pirates shut down trade speculation surrounding ace Paul Skenes this offseason.
Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe talks about covering Arrowhead Stadium amidst talks for a new Kansas City Chiefs stadium.
Chiefs remain betting favorites for Super Bowl win, despite ranking ninth in playoff odds.
Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Jaire Alexander is stepping away from football amidst recovery from knee surgery.
The Dallas Mavericks fired general manager Nico Harrison, months after trading away superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Three paintings from public television icon Bob Ross sold for more than $600,000 at auction, supporting public television stations.
Watch animals at Chicago’s Brookfield Zoo enjoy the first snow of the season.
Today’s song of the day is a reimagining of The Church on Cumberland Road by Shenandoah and Nickelback.
