Royals Rumblings - News for December 10, 2018

Royals Rumblings - News for December 10, 2018

Dayton Moore assesses the roster and expects to be active for the Rule 5 draft, writes Jeffrey Flanagan.

“We have depth on our 40-man roster in terms of potential bullpen arms,” Moore said. “We have several rotation candidates, and I would suspect those who don’t make the rotation will be bullpen candidates.

”We’ll look at the free-agent market and at potential trades, but if we identify someone, it will have to be an upgrade from what we have. Any tie will go to one of our existing players on the roster.”

David Schoenfield and Bradford Doolittle come up with a couple of trade ideas for Whit Merrifield.

The Kansas City Royals should trade Whit Merrifield to the ... Los Angeles Dodgers for OF Alex Verdugo, LHP Caleb Ferguson and RHP Mitchell White....

Verdugo would be the key to the trade for the Royals. The young outfielder is regarded as the Dodgers’ top prospect, but there isn’t an obvious fit for him right now in Los Angeles -- especially with the team also potentially pursuing Bryce Harper in free agency. Verdugo projects as a high-average, line-drive hitter, a perfect fit for the big alleys in Kansas City. Ferguson is a 22-year-old lefty who pitched well out of the bullpen as a rookie in 2018 but flashed starter potential in 2017 at Class A when he fanned 140 in 122 ⅓ innings. White is a hard-throwing righty who pitched in Double-A in 2018 and at least projects as a good bullpen arm if he doesn’t make it as a starter.

Alex Duvall at Royals Farm Report continues his series comparing the farm system to the 2008 version.

The Nationals don’t expect Bryce Harper to return to Washington.

The Today’s Game Committee elects Lee Smith and Harold Baines to the Hall of Fame.

The biggest Winter Meetings trades of all time.

Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray is still dedicated to playing baseball as a pro.

What does a “process and analytics” coach do?

Eno Sarris at The Athletic writes how teams are innovating and investing a lot in player development.

China’s Anta Sports will purchase the Louisville Slugger and Wilson brands.

An academic research project finds how baseball pitches move differently now.

Police have arrested four people in connection with the car accident that killed Luis Valbuena and Jose Castillo.

Atlanta United tops Portland to win the MLS Cup.

The Dolphins top the Patriots with a crazy sequence of laterals to end the game.

Researchers say we need more power to fight back against algorithms when they are wrong.

The future is bright for retro video games.

Uproxx ranks the 50 best albums of 2018.

Your song of the day is Baltimora with Tarzan Boy.