Royals Rumblings - News for January 8, 2018

Royals Rumblings - News for January 8, 2018

Jon Heyman writes that the Royals are looking at infielders like Ryan Goins and Alcides Escobar, but their focus remains the same.

The main pursuits continue to be star free agents Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas. Some think the Royals should just rebuild. But one competing owner saw the value in keeping two stars who helped them get to two World Series. “They should re-sign their two guys – Hosmer and Moustakas,” that owner opined. “Their fan base is loyal, and with those two guys, they could at least compete.”

Joe Posnanski is skeptical of the Hosmer bidding war.

Start with the Royals: General manager Dayton Moore and Co. know that their future -- certainly for the next two or three years -- will be spent rebuilding. Sure, it would be nice to have a guy like Hosmer to help out the younger players, but $140 million for that? I can’t see it.

In some ways, the Padres make even less sense. They want to take a step forward next year, and Hosmer could help their lineup. But acquiring Hosmer would mean moving Myers back to the outfield, where he struggled. That’s partially why they moved him to first base. Why would San Diego give out the largest contract in franchise history in order to rearrange its roster?

Ken Rosenthal reports the A’s were interested in Joakim Soria.

The Oakland Athletics also wanted Soria, and like the White Sox envisioned him as a potential late-inning weapon who might yield a significant return at the non-waiver deadline.

The Mets are interested in Mike Moustakas, but only if the price drops.

Jeffrey Flanagan talks to new pitching coach Cal Eldred.

MLB.com: The game obviously has changed dramatically: It has become home-run-or-nothing as evidenced by the incredible increase in homers and strikeouts since 2015, and that all-or-nothing approach was never more evident than in the 2017 postseason. How do you combat that as a pitching coach?

Eldred: There was so much excitement in the World Series, but I just kept going on, ‘Oh my God.’ High fastballs, hitters are going to adjust. If you’re going to go up there with some consistency, you better have some hair on it. That’s going to be my message.

Bill Mitchell at Baseball America takes questions about Royals prospects like pitcher Josh Staumont.

Every conversation I had with observers both inside and outside of the Royals organization started with me asking if Staumont would be better off moving to the bullpen now. The answer was always No, his stuff is potentially too good to not give him every chance as a starter. One scout mentioned a somewhat similar career path as Dbacks starter Robbie Ray, who also struggled with command early on before finally putting it together in 2017. There’s certainly no guarantee that Staumont will take the same steps forward as Ray, but give it time. If it clicks for him, he could be a very good starting pitcher.

The Royals announce participants for Royals FanFest, to take place January 26-27.

Former Royals outfielder Les Norman was a winner on Wheel of Fortune.

Drew Osborne at Royals Farm Report has a nice primer on how the minor leagues work.

Chris Getz will be a panelist at the annual SABR Analytics Conference.

The Blue Jays get Yangervis Solarte from the Padres.

The Yankees are trying to trade for Manny Machado.

Alex Cobb reportedly rejected a multi-year offer from the Cubs.

Could a team of team of remaining free agents make the playoffs?

Ten rising baseball stars to know about in the 2018 season.

The best players who never received a single Hall of Fame vote.

How an ingenious collector got the elusive autograph of Moonlight Graham.

Jeff Triplette, the official who made the controversial no-fumble call in the Chiefs’ loss, is retiring.

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What to expect from this week’s Consumer Electronic Show.

Your Golden Globes winners.

Your song of the day is Cake with Never There.