David Lesky looks at next year’s potential payroll.
So what can you get with $28 million or so? On the free agent market, eh, not that much. My opinion is they need a bat that can ensure Perez isn’t hitting
higher than fifth. Ideally, he’d be a number six hitter. There are a lot of iterations of the Royals lineup, and if they’re happy with Maikel Garcia at the top of the lineup, they have a hole in the middle. If they want him in the middle, they still have a hole at the top. That hole can be solved with re-signing Mike Yastrzemski for what would likely not be an exorbitant number, but I sort of see him as the other offensive piece they need, a complementary bat. And if he’s that bat, you need a platoon partner. Maybe that’s Lane Thomas. Maybe that’s literally any other righty bat. I don’t know, but it all costs money.
Craig Brown reacts to Drew Saylor not returning as minor league director of hitting.
I offer OPS only as a crude and imperfect measuring stick of offensive performance. For every minor league success story like Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen, there’s a guy like Gavin Cross who has failed to live up to his lofty prospect hype. To be fair, prior to this recent influx of talent acquired through the draft this year, there just weren’t many prospect bats hanging around the system. Another issue was, very often, the success that was found in the minor leagues did not translate to the majors. Guys would come up after a successful run in Triple-A and would crater with the Royals. How much of that was just general talent and how much of that was the players not being properly prepared to handle the jump?
To me, it feels that if you’re not renewing the contract of the guy who ran the hitting program for the minor leagues, that’s more than a small “tweak.” That looks like an overhaul of a philosophy. Or a realignment of sorts.
Mike Yastrzemski is named the 2025 Bob Feller Act of Valor Award recipient.
Royals Reporter looks at the good, bad, and ugly from Jac Caglianone.
Kansas has $26 million in their gambling fund to try to woo the sports teams.
A Jackson County legislator is opposed to the Washington Square site for the Royals.
The Rangers hire Skip Schumaker as manager.
Clayton Kershaw will pitch out of the bullpen in the NLDS.
Do first-round byes disrupt team momentum?
Fangraphs has an end-of-the-year updated top 100 prospect list with Carter Jensen the only Royals prospect on the list.
Yankees skipper Aaron Boone fires back at Blue Jays broadcaster Buck Martinez.
The Mets shake up their coaching staff.
Yankees pitcher Cam Schlitter says Boston fans crossed the line by harassing his family.
Astros pitcher Luis Garcia will miss next season after Tommy John surgery.
The Giants interview Kurt Suzuki for their managerial opening.
Athletics oufielder Lawrence Butler has knee surgery.
Why the Red Sox need to be bolder to make a postseason run.
What’s next for the Padres?
A’ja Wilson leads Las Vegas to a Game 1 victory in the WNBA Finals.
The United Football League will relocate three teams.
15,000 churches could close this year as attendance falls.
Inside the Taco Bell ultramarathon where runners have to eat nine times during the race.
Springfield, Missouri once had a panic over mysterious Indian cobra snakes.
Your song of the day is Foreigner with Urgent.
