Royals Rumblings - News for December 19, 2019

Royals Rumblings - News for December 19, 2019

At the Athletic, Alec Lewis looks at potential free agent possibilities for the Royals at third base.

Travis Shaw (29 years old)

Coming off consecutive seasons with an OPS above .800 with the Milwaukee Brewers, Shaw stepped into 2019 with high expectations. Simply put, he did not meet them. The Ohio native stumbled out of the gate, and on May 13, the Brewers placed him on the 10-day injured list with a strained right wrist. At the time, he was batting .163/.266/.281. He returned at the beginning of June but was optioned to the minors weeks later. Shaw finished the season with a career-worst .551 OPS and -0.9 WAR.

Baseball America chats about Royals prospects.

Bill Mitchell: There are a lot of Khalil Lee questions in the queue, so I’ll bundle my answers here. As the report on him indicates, Lee has been young for every level throughout his career. He still has strong support from most of the scouts that we’ve talked to about him, but there are adjustments to be made in his approach at the plate to cut down on the strikeouts and to tap into his raw power. Scouts commented that he needs to be more aggressive at the plate and that his swing is a bit stiff. Lee controls the zone and shows good pitch recognition, so the foundation is there to improve. He was part of the group of hitters working out with the new hitting staff at the Surprise complex in October.

David Schoenfield of ESPN looks at the best and worst free agent signings for each team this decade.

Good: Edinson Volquez, 2015 (2 years, $20 million)

Volquez was the final piece of the puzzle for the 2015 World Series champs, signed to replace James Shields in the rotation. He went 13-9 with a 3.55 ERA in the regular season and had a solid 3.77 ERA in the postseason over five starts. Not an ace, but he was good enough, and with that great bullpen it was all the Royals needed.

John Buck knows his union history.

Royals Farm Report talks to Wilmington broadcaster Cory Nidoh.

Former Royals Zack Greinke and Wade Davis make David Adler’s all-decade team.

The Marlins sign outfielder Matt Kemp.

The Brewers sign infielder Eric Sogard.

Managers have reservations about the new three-batter minimum rule for pitchers.

Toronto’s financial flexibility is both a blessing and a challenge.

Is it time to believe in the Reds as contenders?

A look at which pitchers should throw certain pitchers more in 2020.

Pitching prospect Noah Song has his petition to waive his service academy obligations denied.

Max Muncy is inundated with autograph requests after his address is leaked online.

Tampa’s mayor is coming around to the idea of splitting the Rays with Montreal.

The worst Pro Bowl snubs.

Miami is showing the NBA how to play positionless basketball.

How Silicon Valley billionaires skirt charity rules.

A summary of the TV shows of the 2010s.

The Far Side is back....sort of.

Your song of the day is The Clash with Train in Vain.