Royals Rumblings - News for January 20, 2016

Royals Rumblings - News for January 20, 2016

Buster Olney ranks the Royals as the second-best team in baseball, behind the Cubs.

If you've been paying attention to statistical projections this winter, then you know that once again, some metrics suggest the Royals will be a sub-.500 team. I'm not smart enough to understand why it is that Kansas City's model doesn't seem to translate well in these metrics. Maybe they don’t take into account the true impact of a home ballpark that protects and cultivates pitchers, or maybe they don't measure the culture of loyalty that has developed within the organization. Whatever. The Royals are an excellent team toughened by their postseason experience, right in the middle of their window of opportunity. It will not be easy for another American League Central team to knock off a club that makes few mistakes defensively, and has arguably baseball's best reliever in Wade Davis. Also, the Royals' rotation has a chance, it appears, to be K.C.'s best and deepest in recent seasons.

Craig Brown at Royals Authority chimes in on recent Royals developments.

I love LoCain, but this is a bit of a head scratcher to me. I’m not sure the benefit of locking him in for his final year of arbitration is at this point. If he had another stellar season where he finished in the top three of the MVP vote, how much more than the $11 million the Royals are now committed to paying would he have earned? It feels like picking at nits, but it just kind of seems like a gamble on the part of the Royals in an effort to gain some cost certainty.

Having said that, I went searching for comps for what Cain could earn in arbitration as a third-time eligible players. This year, MLB Trade Rumors estimated Mark Trumbo, who has just over five years service time (an amount similar to where Cain would be at this point next year) would make a shade over $9 million. Seattle traded Trumbo to Baltimore and settled on a deal that will pay him $9.15 million. Before you start hammering the comment button, I’m not comparing Cain to Trumbo. I’m comparing their situations. Clearly, Cain is a better player, so maybe that $11 million they are going to pay him in 2017 is a bargain. We’re only guessing at this point. You could justify either outcome.

Mike Bates at MLB Daily Dish doesn't think the Ian Kennedy deal will hurt the Royals much.

So, I guess the answer to my question is that neither the Kennedy nor the Leake signings are likely to be problems for their new clubs for the next 2-3 years. The trouble with signing these low upside arms is when you buy them in bulk, exclusively using free agency to fill out your rotation with long and expensive commitments. It reduces the flexibility that any club needs to adapt when prospects develop or retreads break out. Every organization can use an Ian Kennedy or a Mike Leake. They just can't really use more than one.

David Hill at Kings of Kauffman thinks the Royals' window of contention is undefined.

Former Royals reliever Joe Blanton signs a one-year, $4 million deal with the Dodgers.

Uh oh, Jonathan Sanchez is trying a comeback.

MLB's settlement on a lawsuit will mean in-market streaming of games with cable authentication.

Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish is under investigation by MLB for his connections with a gambling ring.

Pete Rose is going into the Hall of Fame - the Reds Hall of Fame.

Are the Tigers too right-handed?

The internet wins, John Scott will be an NHL All-Star.

Former NFL player Antwaan Randle El has serious regrets about playing football due to his current health.

Get ready for the "Blizzard for the Ages", East Coast!

HBO will begin a streaming service in Spain.

The satirical newspaper "The Onion" is sold to Univision. Seriously!

Your song of the day is The Buzzocks with "Ever Fallen in Love."