Royals Rumblings - News for October 22, 2020

Royals Rumblings - News for October 22, 2020

In his Mellinger Minutes, Sam writes that the Royals are looking to win now.

If they make a significant trade, the one that would make the most sense could be trading from a place of strength (starting pitching) for a place of need (position players, particularly outfielders).

There are other factors at play, though. The front office has a new owner that just paid a billion dollars for the team, then immediately got blasted with a season that wrecked everyone’s financials. That owner has seen a team lose 100 games two seasons in a row, and then in 2020 was no higher than fourth in the division from the fifth day of the season on.

Sherman has subtly made it clear that on-field progress is both expected and required. Dayton Moore and his assistants know this. They understand it. This isn’t setting up a playoffs-of-bust season, that’s not what I’m saying.

What I’m saying is that in the words of an old Kansas City football coach, it’s time to take the diapers off. They need to make progress. And progress would be made difficult by trading two of the big league team’s better players (who are under long-term control) for some guys who might or might not be in the big leagues in a few years.

Kevin O’Brien at Royals Reporter considers a reunion with Eric Hosmer.

Hosmer still is a free-swinger, but he did increase his contact rate to over 82 percent in 2020 (it was below 75 percent the past two years), which may be a sign that Hosmer is getting better at seeing the ball and improving his approach at the plate, which could tend to be wild, even back when he was a Royal. And thus, while the price tag may make Royals management uncomfortable, the Royals would be getting a productive hitter who could provide the kind of on-field production and clubhouse leadership that this organization sorely needs to be competitive again (especially in the wake of Alex Gordon’s retirement). Furthermore, it would be better for the Royals to invest in Hosmer, and let young outfielders such as Franchy Cordero and Edward Olivares prove themselves over a full season rather than acquire a wild card free agent outfielder like Jurickson Profar or Jackie Bradley, Jr. who may be at risk of becoming “Billy Hamilton 2.0”.

Aramark is cutting more than 550 jobs at Kauffman Stadium and the convention center.

Shawn Bauman at Kings of Kauffman thinks the Royals need a new hitting approach.

Famed sports writer Thomas Boswell has covered 252 straight World Series games, but that streak was snapped this week.

How Mookie Betts won America free tacos - twice.

Are neutral site World Series games here to stay?

The truth about Clayton Kershaw’s playoff history.

Former Mariners pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma will retire after this Japanese season.

Padres catcher Luis Campusano is arrested for felony marijuana possession.

Padres pitcher Luis Perdomo has Tommy John surgery.

Who is a match for a Francisco Lindor trade?

Dodgers owner says the fan experience will be back to normal by 2022.

Dan Szymborski looks back at the Bartolo Colon trade to Montreal.

XFL owner Dany Garcia, the first female to own a sports league, has big plans.

LSU football self-imposes penalties and bans Odell Beckham, Jr. after improper payments.

Quibbi is done after just seven months.

A series based on the film Willow is in the works for Disney Plus.

The 50 best TV and movie twists of all time.

Your song of the day is Eric B. & Rakim with Paid In Full.