Royals Rumblings - News for July 29, 2014
The Royals search for a right-field right-handed bat will not include Phillies slugger Marlon Byrd.
Sources: #Phillies’ Byrd not option for #Royals. Talks remain stalled with #Mariners; Byrd will waive no-trade only if ’16 option exercised.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 28, 2014
ESPN's Jayson Stark reports the Royals seem to be out of the Alex Rios sweepstakes as well.
The Royals also appear to have decided Rios isn't a good fit in their hunt for an outfield bat. And one team that spoke with them described them this way: "They can't take on a lot of money for anything." So it's possible Kansas City may not go bat-shopping until August, when the cost and salary commitments are lower.
Also an interesting bit in there on how Marlon Byrd "isn't sure" why he put the Royals on his no-trade clause
Seattle seems to be holding things up on the trade front with rival General Managers a bit baffled at dealing with GM Jack Zduriencik.
Another executive added, "I don’t always get the sense that he knows what he wants to do. One day, he’s interested in one thing. The next day, he’s interested in another. That’s what makes it challenging."
A third executive said, "They (the Mariners) don’t set out on a trade saying, ‘Here’s what we need. Let’s do what we can to get him.’ They think, ‘Who can we give up that will never be any good?’ They don’t want to give up anyone who will haunt them. That’s just flat-out fear."
The Royals seem content living with the Mendoza-esque batting average of Mike Moustakas so long as his defense is solid and he pops one out of the ballpark now and then.
Speaking of Moustakas, Royals legend Frank White doesn't like the way the players on this club pat each other on the back.
"This is such a young group of guys that they are telling each other what they want to make them feel good – not what they should be telling them. I want you to tell me the truth, not what you think I want to hear. You don’t get any better by patting each other on the back after you’ve had a bad outing and saying, ‘It’s okay.’ You have to get better by saying, ‘What can you do to fix it? How can you get better?’ We had guys who would go sit in a player’s locker and say, ‘You need to pick it up a bit.’ Then they know their teammates aren’t going to be so kind when they don’t do what they’re supposed to do."
Don't let anyone say Royals fans won't come out to see a winner.
Fun note: the Royals are 10th in MLB for attendance increase per game from 2013 to 2014 http://t.co/olZDap5tbL
— Brandon H. (@BHIndepMO) July 28, 2014
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