Royals Rumblings - News for July 24, 2018

Royals Rumblings - News for July 24, 2018

Danny Duffy freaked out fans when he changed his Twitter handle.

A simple tweak of his Twitter handle sent a fraction of his followers — hopefully a small one — into a frenzy on Tuesday. Duffy removed the “KC” from his username, changing from “duffkc41” to “duffman.”

And seven days before the MLB trade deadline, the rumors started flying.

“I think they freak themselves out,” said Duffy, visibly exasperated by the situation. “I didn’t do anything. I just wanted that handle, and that’s what happened.

Ned Yost is trying to get Brandon Maurer back on track.

“I wouldn’t say I’ve given him a lot of opportunities,” Yost said. “The guy was so bad [at the beginning] we sent him to Triple-A. How many times have I pitched him since?

”I’m waiting for him to perform. But I’m not handpicking save spots to put him in. I want him to get confident. For the most part all of our save opportunities have come with [former closer Kelvin Herrera] and once he left, Peralta.”

Pete Grathoff takes a closer look at Maurer’s struggles.

Former GM Jim Duquette suggests the Brewers acquire Whit Merrifield.

Brewers get: Second baseman Whit Merrifield

Royals get: Third baseman Lucas Erceg (Brewers’ No. 3 prospect, per MLB Pipeline) and right-hander Luis Ortiz (Brewers’ No. 4 prospect)

The Brewers clearly need help on the offensive side, particularly in the middle infield. Merrifield fits that criteria, as he’s a productive bat (120 OPS+) with a solid glove at second base. Merrifield is also under control through 2022, so Milwaukee may be willing to give up more for him than it was for impending free agent Manny Machado. Acquiring the Royals’ second baseman would free up Brad Miller to platoon solely at shortstop with Tyler Saladino.

Paulo Orlando goes down to Omaha.

Craig Brown at Baseball Prospectus Kansas City looks at the bleak reality of the offense.

So how do the numbers stack up when looking at the 2018 version of the Royals offense?

The Royals don’t walk and they don’t hit home runs. The numbers don’t lie. Their walk rate of seven percent is 28th in baseball. (But third in the Central. My goodness, this division is abjectly awful.) They’re dead last in home runs, with 81 through the weekend. Although they are lurking behind the Marlins and Tigers at 83 and 82 dingers, respectively. By this fact, the Royals should fare worse in OPS+, which places more weight behind the free pass and the dinger, than your other favorite composite offensive metric.

Bleed Cubbie Blue looks at whether the Cubs should pursue Duffy.

Salvador Perez wins the Heart and Hustle Award for the Royals.

Alex Duvall at Royals Farm Report thinks the next crop of bullpen arms is shaping up nicely.

Doc Riddle at Baseball Prospectus Kansas City profiles prospect Holden Capps.

Yesterday was the 35th anniversary of the Pine Tar Game.

The Yankees acquire reliever Zach Britton from the Orioles.

The seven biggest questions going into the trade deadline.

The trade that saved the Seattle Mariners.

Another rookie Cardinals pitcher carries a no-hitter deep into his debut.

Is 2018 the year of the pitcher?

Nebraska coach Scott Frost has a pretty feasible plan for expanding the college football playoffs.

Get to know Jason Brown, the coach at Independence Community College in Kansas and the star of the new season of Netflix’s Last Chance U.

Employers are embracing apps that allow them to pay workers daily.

Some Uber drivers are scamming passengers with fake vomit.

A parasite found in cat poop could reduce your fear of failure.

Your song of the day is Steriogram with Walkie Talkie Man.