Dylan Larsen writes the city approved the tax increment financing for the proposed downtown ballpark project.
Kansas City is officially set to help fund a new Royals ballpark in Crown Center through a financing plan projected to cost the city nearly $1.4 billion over the next three decades. The City Council on Thursday approved plans to establish a tax increment financing plan, or TIF, to support the $1.9 billion stadium project and authorize issuing bonds for the city’s $600 million commitment to build
the stadium.
Mayor Quinton Lucas said after the meeting that the council’s action represents a major milestone by finalizing the city’s financial support for the project. “Today Kansas City voted to keep the Major League Baseball and Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, clearing the way for a transformational baseball-centered district that delivers for taxpayers, workers, and neighborhoods,” Lucas said.
David Lesky writes about what went right for the Royals in 2026.
Coming into the season, the Royals had an offensive core of Witt, Maikel Garcia, Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez. Those four combined to drive in 375 runs and score 306 runs out of 651 total. With Perez’s decline coming at some point, someone was going to have to step up, particularly if that decline came in 2026 or if any of the other three fell off for any reason. Enter Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen.
Jensen gave us a taste of what he could do in a September call-up in 2025, but Caglianone was kind of a wild card. Nobody doubted the talent, but he hit .157/.237/.295 in 232 PA in 2025. It’s easy now to put that in the back of your mind or maybe dump it entirely, but it happened. Coming into 2026, we didn’t know what either of them could do at the big league level in a full season. They ended up both being better than any of the non-Witt core from 2025. Now, yes, Pasquantino came on late and gave hope that he can start a little faster in 2027, but having a 23-year-old and a 24-year-old as a pair of Robins to Witt’s Batman is pretty fun.
Sam Caulder at Royals Keep thinks the future is bright with David Shields.
Now, this isn’t to say Shields is perfect by any means. There are still some things he’ll need to work on as he continues moving through the Royals’ system. For one, he’s given up a lot of line drives as a professional, and that could eventually become a problem as he reaches the higher levels of the minors and, eventually, the majors. He’s also probably going to need to add some velocity if he wants to reach his absolute ceiling. His fastball plays well right now, but hitters at the upper levels are going to be much more capable of handling low-90s velocity if he isn’t locating perfectly. Still, it’s hard not to be incredibly impressed by what Shields has accomplished so far.
A study down for the TIF application for the downtown ballpark project calls Crown Center “unsafe” and blighted.
The Guardians and White Sox will head to a Game 5.
MLB proposes a 154-game schedule with an off day each week, and a best-of-seven LDS round.
Paul Goldschmidt intends to play in 2027.
Jackson Chourio already has an impressive postseason resume at a young age.
Alex Cora plans to take 2027 off.
Does Aaron Boone have a hot seat after another early playoff exit?
Do the new Padres owners have to go all-in after a disappointing postseason?
Tommy Pham is really into fantasy football.
Ronald Acuña Jr. purges Braves content rom his social media after he is booed by fans.
MLB sends a memo to teams on lockout procedures.
Local TV game ratings were down slightly this year.
A look at left-handed reliever free agents.
What would a Dodgers title mean for labor negotiations?
The Orioles lay off several staffers, including the mascot.
International sports streamer DAZN is targeting local NBA TV rights.
The Big Ten has no plans for expansion, despite federal legislation that would allow them to add two more teams.
How society became divided over whether or not you can bring an iced coffee to a job interview.
Starbucks has explored a takeover of Chipotle.
Hollywood is finally making a Medieval Times movie.
Your song of the day is The Weeknd with Save Your Tears.
