Royals Rumblings - News for December 20, 2017

Royals Rumblings - News for December 20, 2017

David Lesky at Baseball Prospectus Kansas City thinks Eric Hosmer is in play for the Royals.

Before I make the next big statement, I’m going to qualify it. This is all pending the fact that the Royals are actually being truthful about wanting Hosmer back. If they’re just saying this as a PR move to appease the fans, then what I’m about to say means nothing.

I think the Royals are now the favorites to sign Eric Hosmer.

That’s at this particular moment in time. Free agency is crazy, so anything can happen at any minute, but if the choice is between the Royals and the Padres and the Royals actually mean what they say about wanting to bring him back, they have to be considered the favorites.

Cliff Corcoron at Sports on Earth looks at the remaining first base market.

The Padres should be more attractive to Hosmer than the Royals, at this point. I'm not among those who believe the Padres are on the verge of a breakthrough, but they at least have some graduated prospects in place and a strong farm system. The Royals are dealing with Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain, Jason Vargas and Mike Minor all hitting free agency (Minor has already signed elsewhere, accepting a chance to start with the Rangers). Bringing back Hosmer won't boost their outlook as much as landing Hosmer might improve the Padres.

Sam Mellinger considers whether Yordano Ventura’s death played a part in the decision to rebuild.

I haven’t thought much about how his presence would change the Royals’ present outlook, but I’m not sure it would be significant enough to demand a different plan....

You’d still have Alex Gordon’s contract. You’d still have Joakim Soria’s contract. You’d still have a farm system with few answers. And just to maintain the core of a team that won 85 games, you’d be looking at something like $300 million in total contracts and more than $50 million in 2018 salary.

This feels a little weird to talk about, a tragedy distilled into cold baseball terms, but it’s certainly part of the story. If the Royals still had Ventura, the biggest difference might be that he’d be a trade candidate, or make it easier to trade some of the other valuable pieces.

Aaron Schwenker at Royals Farm Report profiles minor league outfielder Anderson Miller.

Miller started out his career in center-field, but was moved to right-field soon after he was drafted. On the 20-80 scale, his arm ranks 60, speed as 55, and fielding as 60. He certainly does have a cannon for an arm, as seen below. He plays good defense across all the outfield positions and should be a serviceable outfielder for years to come.

The Cardinals are making a play for Josh Donaldson.

Jake Arrieta is still pretty good, so why isn’t he drawing more interest?

The Marlins had a season ticket holder town hall and it was...entertaining.

The Red Sox have a plan to relaunch their offense.

Could JT Realmuto be an answer for the Nationals at catcher?

MLB effectively has a soft salary cap, and it seems to be getting more rigid.

Jake Peavy, who missed all of last year, wants to make a comeback.

David Ortiz is getting his own TV show on Fusion.

RIP Mamie Johnson, one of three women to play in the Negro League.

It looks like Nashville is joining MLS.

The new World Chess Championship logo is uh, NSFW.

Former Chiefs runningback Thomas Jones has a burgeoning acting career.

Are “loot boxes” in video games a form of gambling?

A Virginia House race is determined by one vote, which gives the House of Delegates a party split.

A tribute to the TV shows we lost in 2017.

Your song of the day is David Bowie with The Man Who Sold the World.