Weekend Rumblings - News for December 2, 2017

Weekend Rumblings - News for December 2, 2017

David Lesky at Baseball Prospectus Kansas City isn’t totally ruling out a contender in 2018.

I was reading through a recent Keith Law chat and someone asked if he saw a way the Royals could contend in 2018. He didn’t see it. Honestly, I don’t either, but if I squint, I think I know the formula. I talked a few weeks ago about how I think the combination of Logan Morrison at first and Hunter Dozier at third would be as valuable as Hosmer/Moose in 2018. So signing Morrison (or someone like him) is the first step. Then, Raul Mondesi needs to show his 2017 time in Triple-A was no fluke and he can hold down shortstop at the big league level competently. He’ll also need to stay healthy, which he’s had trouble doing over the course of a full season. Alex Gordon needs to bounce back and Jorge Bonifacio needs to continue to develop. They probably need to sign a guy like Jarrod Dyson or Austin Jackson to play center field and hope they don’t crater. Then in the rotation, they need health and some luck and also some depth signings.

Jon Heyman writes the Padres seriously interested in Eric Hosmer.

The attraction to Hosmer is thought to be based on a belief he’d make a great youngish leader for a team on the rise, and Hosmer’s bona fides in this area are well-known as the leader of a Royals team that twice made the World Series and won it once. And even if they aren’t going to win in the short-term, Hosmer would get a very long deal, meaning he’d potentially line up OK for them in terms of timing.

Evan Davis at FanRag thinks it could be a desperation move by Padres GM A.J. Preller.

Preller is not liked in baseball, by all accounts, and doesn’t seem to know what he’s doing.

It’s entirely possible that he thinks signing Hosmer and trading Myers is the right move for his squad. If he thinks this, he is completely misreading not only the player he’s bringing over, but also the theoretical contention window for the Padres. It’s not at all clear that the team will be contenders in five years, much less two or three. As good as Hosmer might be in the clubhouse, it’s on the field where his impact needs to be felt. Hosmer’s presence at Petco Park could set the team back years.

Jeffrey Flanagan profiles new hitting coach Terry Bradshaw.

Bradshaw said his hitting philosophy is fairly fundamental.

"There are no magical solutions," he said. "You just have to find your best pitch to hit and attack it. That's what we'll concentrate on. I think we've got a lot of talent to work with."

Bradshaw said there is one common denominator to being a successful hitting coach -- work ethic.

"My mentality when I walk through the door is to do the best job I can every single day," he said. "I have to be my best every day I walk through the door. That's it."

In this video, you can also meet new pitching coach Cal Eldred.

Mike Moustakas is named MLB Comeback Player of the Year.

Danny Duffy gets a continuance on his DUI hearing.

Former Royals minor league pitcher Christian Binford signs with the Orioles.

The White Sox sign catcher Welington Castillo.

Ben Lindbergh at The Ringer explains the slow moving off-season.

Giancarlo Stanton met with Giants officials.

Why players should fight for a payroll floor.

Waiting out the market can have benefits for teams.

What should Shohei Ohtani be asking on his questionnaire?

Derek Jeter fired a scout for the Marlins while he was undergoing surgery for colon cancer.

The coaching search at the University of Tennessee has cost over $13 million and they still don’t have a coach.

The winners and losers from the World Cup draws.

Should women be paid for their breast milk?

Presenting the Al Pacino matrix.

A horror reboot of Sabrina the Teenage Witch is coming to Netflix.

Your song of the day is Duke Jordan with Dear Old Stockholm.