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Royals Rumblings - News for November 30, 2015
David Lesky at Pine Tar Press wonders if the Royals need a starter who can give them some innings next year.
If you’re looking to the free agent market, I think there are really three guys who make a lot of sense, and maybe four. The first three I thought of are Hisashi Iwakuma, Ian Kennedy and Mike Leake. I’ve talked about them all at various times, so they’re not new names obviously. Iwakuma and Kennedy both were given qualifying offers, so they’d cost the Royals a draft pick, and both do come with their own set of risks. Iwakuma only made 20 starts last season due to injury, but he was his usual solid self when healthy, and had thrown 398.2 innings the previous two seasons. Ian Kennedy had a below average ERA and FIP last season in a pitcher’s park. Of course, his defense may have had something to do with that.
Buster Olney ranks Mike Moustakas the sixth-best third baseman in baseball.
Statistical analysis has become the backbone of the sport and will forever dictate decisions, but it can neither account for nor necessarily predict the impact of change in players like Donaldson and Moustakas. For years, Royals staffers had talked to him about the value of using the whole field at the plate, the sort of message that is often ignored by young hitters in the way that brush-your-teeth warnings are by kids. Moustakas could've fallen into that trap, and there was a time in his career when it was unclear whether he would ever become a good major league player. In 2014, Moustakas struggled so badly that he was shipped to the minors with a .152 batting average. But Moustakas changed, to his great credit, and as a result, he will go down in Kansas City lore along with organizational legends. Spraying the ball from line to line in 2015, Moustakas batted .284 with 57 extra-base hits.
He also ranks Ben Zobrist as the fifth-best second baseman in baseball and writes about the Mets' interest in him.
The Mets believe that the strength of their pitching is a selling point to free agent Zobrist, because they have enough depth and quality to sustain an extended window of success. "It's not going away," one Mets insider said. The 34-year-old Zobrist is expected to get a contract of at least three years from his next employer, and the Mets have had some good results in investing in another older free agent, Curtis Granderson, who turned 34 last spring and had an OPS of .821 in the regular season and a great run through the postseason.
The market overall seems to be heating up for Zobrist.
Zobrist #Mets’ No. 1 target, sources say. #Nationals also in, along with #Braves, #SFGiants, others. #Royals not expected to offer same $$$.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 29, 2015
There continue to be rumors the Royals will pursue bullpen help.
#MLB teams that are actively seeking relief pitching: ARI, ATL, BOS, DET, HOU, KC, LAD, NYM, OAK, PIT, TOR and WASH.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) November 29, 2015
David Hill at Kings of Kauffman thinks the Royals should trade for Yasiel Puig.
Obviously, acquiring Puig would come with some risk. A part of the reason why the Royals were able to greatly exceed expectations was due to their excellent clubhouse chemistry. Puig, who has caused a rift in the Dodgers clubhouse, would certainly be an interesting player to add to the mix. However, given the issues with the Dodgers appear to stem from his more flamboyant personality and playing style. At this point, Puig may be a classic buy-low candidate who needs a change of scenery. As a player who is under contract through 2018 for a total of just over $24 Million, and has a year of arbitration available afterwards, Puig could be a long term solution for the Royals in right. The biggest question may be what the Dodgers would be looking for in return.
The Blue Jays interviewed Royals Assistant General Manager Rene Francisco for their GM job, but he is not a finalist.
Johnny Cueto rejected a contract offer from the Diamondbacks.
The Tigers set the market for pitching with a five-yer $110 million deal for Jordan Zimmermann.
Toronto inks a three-year, $36 million deal for J.A. Happ.
The Royals aren't the only ones hoping for a hometown discount, the Orioles don't think they'll be the top bidder for Chris Davis.
Here is what former Royals General Manager John Schuerholz is up to now.
MLB is investigating Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig for his involvement in a fight at a club over the weekend.
This is the last year of the current collective bargaining agreement, so what should we expect from the next round of negotiations?
Could minor league baseball be coming back to Cuba?
ESPN has lost seven million subscribers over the last two years due to cord-cutting.
The Chiefs, like the Royals, went undefeated in the month of November.
Tyson Fury is your new heavyweight boxing champion after defeating Wladimir Klitschko.
KU's winless season makes the Jayhawk mascot sick.
There is a spider web in Tennessee half a mile long.
The New York Times has its 100 notable books of 2015.
The real-life 1800 Presidential election was wilder than the musical Hamilton lets on.
Benedict Cumberbatch releases his inner otter.