Royals Rumblings - News for January 11, 2016

Royals Rumblings - News for January 11, 2016

Craig Brown at Royals Authority looks at a Royals future with Alex Gordon.

That "digital dandy" Symborski estimates a value of a win at around $6.5 million, meaning he expects Gordon to be worth around the $72 million the Royals owe him. Handshakes and backslaps all around. But if you chose to believe the value of a win is higher and that Gordon will finish his new contract with the 11 wins mentioned a couple of graphs above, then the contract looks like a little more of a bargain for the Royals. The Baseball Prospectus post tags the value of a win at around $7 million. That means according to their PECOTA projections, Gordon would produce around $85 million in value.

I’ve heard rumblings the value of a win this winter could be set even higher – closer to $8 million. If that’s the case, and if Gordon produces the aforementioned 11 wins, then he would be worth closer to $95 million. Taking that figure and applying an inflation amount at four years and $72 million, the break even point for Gordon and the Royals is around 8.4 WAR total.

Paul Casella at Sports on Earth says Gordon is one of the best gloves in the business.

1. Alex Gordon, Royals

DRS: 2nd

UZR: 3rd

ARM: 1st

Total score: 6

Gordon was the only player to finish in the top three in all three categories, proving that he not only excels with his glove, but also with his arm. In fact, over the last five years, Gordon has tallied an ARM rating of 38.6, while no other outfielder has topped 30 during that span -- and only two (Adam Jones and Cespedes) have a rating above 20. So even though Gordon will turn 32 in February, his elite arm should help keep him ranked among the game's best outfielders, even if he begins to lose a step in the coming years.

ESPN has its writers give their predictions for each team in 2016.

All that big-game experience is not what will push the Royals in 2016. The bold prediction here is that the Royals will sustain their edge, thanks primarily to one player who wasn't even a regular starter last year: Jarrod Dyson. Not only will Dyson make over 100 starts in the outfield for the first time in 2016, as a new regular he will provide the spark that some teams might lose after winning it all. He can give manager Ned Yost more of a traditional and disruptive leadoff presence or be a nice transition to the top of the order from the No. 9 spot. He also will make an excellent defensive outfield even better, which is good news for KC's starting staff.

David Lesky at Pine Tar Press considers if Ian Kennedy would make for a good addition for the Royals.

He’s a guy I haven’t spent much time thinking about because I didn’t think he was worth giving up a draft pick. Honestly, I still really don’t think he’s worth a draft pick, but if the Royals are truly interested, we have to pay attention. He’s a guy who strikes hitters out, limits walks well enough and lives by the fly ball. That’s kind of the formula for pitchers the Royals go after. He had a crazy bad home run rate in 2015, which is weird considering his home park suppresses homers about as well as Kauffman Stadium does. The Royals defense is considerably better than the Padres, though, so that would help him a lot. One thing to consider with Kennedy is that he really struggled through May, but posted a 7-10 record with a 3.41 ERA and struck out more than a batter per inning. He still didn’t average six innings, but he was closer and much better than in his first eight starts

The Star projects Royals payroll to be around $125 million as it currently stands.

If you're in northwest Arkansas, you can soon see the World Series trophy.

BREAKING NATURAL NEWS: #NWANaturals to Host World Series Trophy Viewing at Arvest Ballpark on Mon, Jan.18 (2:15-4pm) https://t.co/0DJ8lFBVXv

— NW Arkansas Naturals (@nwanaturals) January 8, 2016

Joel Goldberg writes about the Alex Gordon behind the scenes.

The Blue Jays gets reliever Drew Storen from the Nationals for outfielder Ben Revere.

Why hasn't Justin Upton signed anywhere yet?

Buster Olney at ESPN (Insider) expects some big names to be dealt this summer.

Is Vladimir Guerrero a Hall of Famer?

The Rays may start looking for a new stadium site in the Tampa area.

A virtual baseball simulator could change how players train.

The Chiefs win their first playoff game in 22 years with a 30-0 shellacking of the Houston Texans.

Just what exactly happened in the final minutes of the Steelers win over the Bengals Saturday night?

The Vikings heart-breaking loss on a missed field goal Sunday has already produced internet memes.

Elon Musk predicts a Tesla will drive itself across the country by 2018.

Sean Penn's interview with drug kingpin "El Chapo" may have led authorities to the notorious escaped convict.

Here is your list of Golden Globe winners.

Your song of the day is They Might Be Giants with "Ana Ng."