The Kansas Legislative Coordinating Council will meet Monday to consider a deal to lure the Chiefs to Kansas.
Top Kansas lawmakers have previously said they would not entertain a stadium deal after the end of the year, despite the fact that the STAR bonds program was renewed until June 2026.
The Royals will not be discussed during the meeting, two LCC members told The Star, but a spokesperson for Senate President Ty Masterson, a Republican who chairs the council, said he believes the Royals are “fully
committed” to Kansas and therefore have met the state’s end-of-year deadline.
The Royals officially welcomed Lane Thomas to the team, writes Jaylon Thompson.
t’s expected that Collins will primarily play left field, joining Isbel (center) and Caglianone (right) in the outfield for the Royals next season. “
The appeal has been there for a while,” Thomas said Thursday. “I remember back before I got drafted, that (KC) was one of the places I thought I was going. You know, it’s cool that some of things fall into place and you end up there down the road.”
Anne Rogers talks to Thomas about about his disappointing 2025 season.
“It was tough, man,” Thomas said. “I had three separate [injured list] stints. … Not that that’s the reason I struggled, I don’t mean that, but it’s definitely hard to get in a rhythm when you’re fighting yourself instead of trying to ‘fight’ against the other team.”
Thomas expects to be fully ready at the beginning of Spring Training, as he’s now participating in all baseball activity outside of full-on sprints. The physical he passed cleared any lingering concern the Royals might have had, which was fairly minimal, Picollo said, because of the communication with Thomas and his agent throughout the process.
Thompson writes about the Maikel Garcia extension.
“When we think about the Royals and what our identity is, he embodies everything we look for in a position player,” Picollo said. “We talk about defense, situational hitting and baserunning. You can check all three boxes with Maikel. But the one that’s probably most important is the fearlessness and competitiveness that he has. And it’s very evident when he plays that’s a part of who he is. We can’t teach that. We can’t teach it at all, but he has it. He’s had it since the day he was signed.”
Rogers has more.
Garcia debuted in 2022 and followed with a strong rookie campaign in ‘23. The Royals actually approached Garcia about an extension in the spring of ‘24. But then he struggled quite a bit that season, even with the Royals making it to the playoffs. Garcia posted a .614 OPS in 2024, and his 71 wRC+ was the worst among qualified Major League hitters.
“It was a tough year, man,” Garcia said. “When J.J. told me about an extension, I was excited. Getting $30,000 when I signed and then the team telling me about an extension — I was too worried about that. Trying [to do] too much to try and get my extension.”
The Padres sign pitcher Michael King to a three-year, $75 million contract.
The Tigers sign pitcher Sean Guenther and three others to minor league deals.
Toronto signs reliever Jorge Alcala to a minor league deal.
San Diego signs pitcher Triston McKenzie to a minor league deal.
Why have the Yankees had such a slow offseason?
Team USA is assembling an awesome rotation for the World Baseball Classic.
Former Orioles pitcher John Means suffers a devastating Achilles heel injury.
How teams are approaching new ball/strike challenge rules.
How the St. Louis Cardinals almost moved to Houston.
Ohio University fires football coach Brian Smith for an affair with a staffer and drinking in the office.
The Seahawks beat the Rams with the help of one of the craziest two-point conversions ever.
Paypal is trying to become a bank.
Americans are increasingly convinced we have been visited by alien life.
2025 was a turning point for Star Trek.
Your song of the day is The Beths with Future Me Hates Me.
