Royals Rumblings - News for August 7, 2017

Royals Rumblings - News for August 7, 2017

Vahe Gregorian thinks the Royals may be just fine without Salvador Perez.

But in the context of this season, the point was both that the Royals can ill-afford to lose any of their key players for an extended time but that he also believes “we can cover it.”

The prospect of covering it doesn’t mean just in the sense of how Drew Butera (.250, two home runs and nine RBIs in 92 at-bats) can stand in Perez’s stead at the plate and behind it.

It also means others picking up the slack, something this core has demonstrated a knack for over the last few years when the odds are laughing at them.

Paul York at Royals Farm Report thinks it is time to bench Alex Gordon.

How about 771 at-bats? That’s all of 2016, and what he’s done so far in 2017. The slash-line from 2016 wasn’t pretty: .220 AVG/.312 OBP/.380 SLG%. Over the course of those 771 at-bats, that’s a slash-line of: .211 AVG/.303 OBP/.342 SLG%.

Those numbers represent more than a year and a half of a putrid level of production. I don’t know that there’s another player in the league that has been given a leash this long.

Shall we go further?

Tyler Dierking at Kings of Kauffman thinks Ian Kennedy could still opt out of his deal.

When you look at the market for pitchers next year, it is very weak. Kennedy, albeit 33-years old, could very well be the fourth best pitcher on the market come this off-season.

As every market is, the top tier pitcher will get the top tier money. Pitchers like Yu Darvish, Jake Arrieta, and potentially Lance Lynn will be the headline pitchers on the market. They will help set the market for every other pitcher. If they set the market high, which is very likely, Kennedy could easily get more than $49M.

Cameron Gallagher’s mother was happy for his first Major League hit.

In his Friday notes, David Lesky considers some August trade possibilities for the Royals.

Anyway, I think they could continue to work on a Marco Estrada deal as I expect him to clear waivers. They could also look to Scott Feldman if he comes off the DL (please no), Ivan Nova or maybe even R.A. Dickey. My guess is they don’t really see a need for a position player, though a utility guy like Jed Lowrie or even Sean Rodriguez might be able to work during this time period. You’re not likely to get a star in August, but you can get a guy who can fit nicely on a roster to help round it out. I won’t be surprised if they do nothing, but I imagine they’ll keep on looking for help.

Sean Rodriguez was dealt to the Pirates over the weekend.

The Mariners pick up Yonder Alonso from the Athletics

The Dodgers are on their best run since 1912.

Is Andrelton Simmons an under-the-radar MVP candidate?

Some highlights from Saber Seminar.

A team of former big leaguers won the amateur National Baseball Congress tournament in Wichita.

Did you catch Noah Syndergaard in last night’s episode of Game of Thrones?

The complicated life and death of former Japanese star Hideki Irabu.

Stefen Romero signs a three-year deal to stay in Japan.

RIP Phillies star and Arkansas City, KS native Darren Daulton.

The NFL has a Hall of Fame problem.

'NBA 2K18's' graphics are so good that '2K17' looks like trash.

What we now know about treating lower back pain.

How will blind astronomers observe the solar eclipse this month?

NBC basically wants to revive all its popular shows from the past.

Your song of the day is Jason Isbell with Brand New Kind of Actress.