Royals Rumblings - News for November 24, 2020

Royals Rumblings - News for November 24, 2020

Clint Scoles at Royals Academy catches up with Assistant GM J.J. Picollo.

On the difficult challenge of deciding where the pitchers will go

It is going to be a challenge, but I feel like things will work out. Our best arms, whether they’re starting at High-A, Double-A, or Triple-A, it doesn’t matter as much as you might think. It’s where they finish up that’s more important. We’ve got anywhere from 13 to 18 pitchers you put on a board for each team. You can’t have that many for each team obviously, but as spring training goes along, you see what type of shape they’re in and how they’re throwing. Then we will weed it out, and somebody may need to go a level higher, repeat, or below a level.

Kevin O’Brien at Royals Reporter reacts to the 40-man roster decisions.

Despite the questionable hitting tool and his lack of buzz among prospect rankings and experts, Moore still added Rivero to the 40-man. This decision is particularly interesting considering that the Royals have three other catchers on the 40-man (Salvy, Gallagher, and Viloria), and Viloria will be out of Minor League options in 2021. The addition of Rivero may signalize that Viloria or Gallagher may be on their way out before Opening Day of 2021.

Thus, Rivero’s addition should make Royals fans wonder: are we sleeping on Rivero as a prospect?

Will Leitch at MLB.com tries to come up with a perfect move for each team, but uh....

Royals: Sign Jay Bruce — The Royals need outfielders, and there aren’t a lot of teams who might feel comfortable putting Bruce out there for 130 games. But he’s a nice fit here, and if he has a big year, there could be Trade Deadline upside as well.

Nick Groke at The Athletic lists each team’s worst trade, and of course it’s the David Cone deal for the Royals.

Even owner Ewing Kauffman made it official. This is “the worst trade in Royals history,” he said. They ripped Cone from their roster before he even had a chance, not even 23 innings into his career. Of course they didn’t know Cone would eventually win a Cy Young. But they traded him for a catcher, in Hearn. That’s odd. The extra gut-punch of it all was how they dismissed destiny. Cone was born to be a Royal, a Kansas City native and a two-sport athlete at Rockhurst High in the city. The Royals forced him to be a hired hand, mostly in New York.

Fox Sports Kansas City may be available for cord-cutters through a new app.

Boston considered trading for Kris Bryant last summer and could acquire him now.

The Rays are open to trading Blake Snell.

Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez could face penalties in the Dominican Republic for violating social distancing rules.

Could the Cardinals make a run at acquiring Nolan Arenado?

Cubs president Jed Hoyer gets a five-year contract.

The Yankees and White Sox will play in the Field of Dreams game in Iowa next summer.

Jim Callis at MLB.com writes about some interesting 40-man roster additions.

Kyle Glaser at Baseball America writes about prospects who impressed in instructional league play.

Yankees pitcher Adam Ottavino shows what it was like to pitch in a pandemic through his photography.

Alexander Chase at Pitcher’s List has a new hard hit metric.

Former big leaguer Micah Johnson has become an artist.

The winners and losers of NBA free agency.

Tottenham may finally have its missing ingredient.

Scientists are trying to figure out how spider silk is stronger than steel.

The U.S. will shut down the huge Arecibo space telescope in Puerto Rico.

The Queen’s Gambit sets viewership records on Netflix.

Your song of the day is Foster the People with Sit Next to Me.