Royals Rumblings - News for October 28, 2020

Congratulations to the World Series winning Los Angeles Dodgers.

At The Athletic, Alec Lewis asked questions and got answers from pitching coach Cal Eldred.

As you look back at this past year, what impressed you most about the pitching staff?Eldred: Each individual player got better. When a pitching coach says that, everybody is like, “Well …” But no, they got better because they did things. Not that myself or (bullpen coach) Larry Carter did things. These guys recognized there were things they needed to get better at and they worked at them. And I’m not just talking about the 15 or 16 guys we had at the end, I’m talking about the 40-man roster-plus on there. These guys got better.

Two potential Whit Merrifield trade scenarios, from Cody Rickman at KC Kingdom.

At Kings of Kauffman, Mike Gillespie is happy for Brett Phillips getting to be the hero for the Rays in Game 4.

Also at KoK, David Scharff looks ahead to KC’s offseason:

If the Royals decided to part with some of their young pitching talents, they may be able to get some help in areas where they continue to struggle, but even sending Merrifiled alone to another team would seriously hinder the success of the team.

While the Royals may look into some possible trades during the offseason, it’s more likely they will use the free-agent market and internal options to help their lineup and push for progress in 2021.

Still, as Rymer suggests, if teams do start calling, the Royals can at least see what they have to offer. They might just find something worth it.

Clint Scoles at Royals Academy created a handy Rule 5 tracker to the Royals depth chart he maintains for his Patreon subscribers.

Former Royal Jorge Bonifacio is among three players outrighted to Triple-A by the Tigers.

James Paxton is back to normal health, says James Paxton’s agent Scott Boras.

The Onion weighs in on gut feeling vs. statistical analysis in baseball.

A rewind of the 2011 MLB’s season’s final day, which hinged on the Rays’s absurd win.

Wisconsin football will proceed without two quarterbacks following positive covid tests.

Budda Baker was mic’d up when his long interception return was overshadowed by that incredible run-down by DK Metcalf:

A reboot of “Saved by the Bell”: yea or nay?

Two Ask a Manager letters to highlight this week: this letter writer’s coworkers are bullying them for having a nut allergy. They sound like huge jerks! And the first letter here opens up a discussion about when it’s good to be a stickler about people being on time.

Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani are engaged.

For some, it’s a good idea to avoid deli meats right now.

A reminder: your family should have fire drills. Set a meeting spot far away from the house and practice leaving without stopping to grab anyone or anything. (My family once had a drill in the middle of dinner and, as instructed, we went out to the meeting place without the dog. Our beloved Sweetpea took advantage of the moment - we found her ON the dining room table, nibbling at everyone’s abandoned plates.)

SOTD: We The Kings - Check Yes Juliet