Royals Rumblings - News for January 25, 2017

Royals Rumblings - News for January 25, 2017

Sam Mellinger discusses the chances of Eric Hosmer staying in Kansas City past this year.

Oh, he’s gone.

I mean, it’s possible that he signs a long-term contract, and if you want to feel good about it, you can make the misleading but technically true point that it would not be the least likely event of his time in Kansas City.

I do believe he genuinely likes Kansas City, and the Royals, and his teammates. This will always be where he started, and it would be a hell of a story if it’s where he ended, too. The Royals would love to build around him.

He is, basically, the human version of their ideal: talented, hard-working, athletic, multi-skilled, low-maintenance, great teammate, great outside the clubhouse, willing leader, on and on. He checks all the boxes, as you might say.

But, I also believe he genuinely wants to see what’s out there. He would not have chosen Kansas City. He’s from Miami. Grew up a Yankees fan. He is entirely comfortable in the spotlight. He also employs Scott Boras as his agent, and I assume because he is a breathing person, he likes money and could be persuaded by the biggest available contract.

Jeffrey Flanagan writes that Kendrys Morales is the best free agent signing in Royals history.

"I know this much," Moore said, "we couldn't have won a championship without Kendrys Morales. He was a major force in the middle of the lineup."

Added Yost, "You just don't find that kind of production very often."

Especially for a small-market franchise such as the Royals, which is why we'll go ahead and classify the Morales signing as the best in franchise history.

"At first thought, I have to agree that Kendrys Morales would have to be near the top or at the top of the list [of best free-agent signings]," director of the Royals Hall of Fame and team historian Curt Nelson said. "That's from both a productivity aspect and from the perspective of his impact on a World Series championship."

Jim Callis at MLB.com ranks Hunter Dozier as the tenth-best third base prospect in baseball.

A surprise pick at No. 8 overall in 2013, Dozier stalled for two years in Double-A until he finally stopped trying to yank every pitch out of the park last year. He's capable of hitting for some average and power while playing a capable third base, though he's blocked at the hot corner in Kansas City and may wind up on an outfield corner.

Luis Torres at Beyond the Boxscore writes the Royals are poised for one more run.

I am surprised that the Royals did not do more to make the team better in 2017. I understand that there were not a lot of options, of course. Still, I thought that José Bautista would have been a good, cheap deal to add 2-3 wins in 2017. The caveat to this would be that giving up the 15th pick in the draft — one that they could really use given the state of their farm system — would hurt. However, seeing where the team is on the win curve, the extra wins could have ended up being worth it in the short-run.

Vahe Gregorian at the Kansas City Star did a nice job documenting Yordano Ventura’s funeral.

Salvador Perez gave the eulogy.

Chris Young says the tragedy will bring the team closer together.

A mom recalls how Yordano Ventura gave her daughter a chance to be a kid again.

A 94-year old Royals fan left hospice care to attend Yordano’s vigil at the stadium.

The Nationals and Rockies are interested in Greg Holland, who is expected to sign soon.

Former Royals pitcher Yohan Pino signs a minor league deal with the Twins.

The Mets may be stuck with Jay Bruce.

The Dodgers have decided to be intentionally inefficient.

The Braves say Cobb County owes them $14 million more for the stadium it already paid for.

The interwoven history of baseball and tobacco.

The surprising way jet lag affects baseball players.

The top 100 college football games of 2016.

Ted Cruz made the ultimate “Grayson Allen looks like Ted Cruz” joke.

Mark Zuckerberg is not running for president.

The case for riskier playgrounds.

Human poker players are getting thumped by artificial intelligence.

Your song of the day is Jeff Buckley with Last Goodbye.