Royals Rumblings

Royals Rumblings - News for December 14, 2020

Bubba is back.

By Max Rieper@maxrieper Dec 14, 2020, 8:00am EST

Royals Rumblings - News for December 14, 2020

Longtime Royals scout Gene Watson has taken a job with the Angels, writes Jeffrey Flanagan.

“Kansas City, with all that young pitching coming up, is ready to rock ‘n roll again,” Watson told MLB.com by phone. “And you have that three-headed monster right now with Dayton Moore, John Sherman and Mike Matheny that’s going to lead them right back to another championship. I’m absolutely sure of it.

“It is very difficult to leave that behind. But at the end of the day, the opportunity for me was just too great to pass up. This is going to be a dream job, and I’m going to be able to advise Perry on every aspect of Angels baseball. This is going to be exciting.”

Clint Scoles at Royals Academy looks at what might be next for the Royals this off-season.

The pitching market hasn’t developed much thus far, with quite a few intriguing arms available. While a return of Trevor Rosenthal and Greg Holland seems likely, the Royals should look into Blake Treinen also. At 33, he may not be a super value, but his stuff in the playoffs appeared to return to old form. The right-hander’s sinker matched the previous season’s spin and velocity, while the slider was again high quality in 2020. The Royals have a pitcher in Jesse Hahn who exhibits excellent spin. Adding Treinen with his manipulation and sink would be another good addition to the pen.

The Royals re-signed outfielder Bubba Starling, and pitchers Foster Griffin, and Carlos Sanabria to minor league deals after non-tendering them earlier this month.

Kevin O’Brien at Royals Reporter looks at how Dayton Moore’s philosophy works.

Moore’s “baseball over business” focus is not perfect by any means, and even he understands that the Royals need to win soon to justify his tenure as the Royals’ general manager. While teams seem to be non-tendering perfectly productive players left and right due to financial concerns, the Royals made splashes in free agency with Mike Minor, Michael A. Taylor, and Carlos Santana, and pretty much tendered every regular player a contract with the exception of Maikel Franco, whose release may actually be a blessing in disguise for the organization.

This off-season so far is a prime example of Moore’s philosophy: it’s the players in the locker room, not the numbers in the spreadsheet, that matter most.

He also looks at some Royals prospects making noise in winter leagues.

The Mets are on the verge of signing catcher James McCann to a four-year, $40 million deal.

The Mets offer their general manager position to Diamondbacks executive Jared Porter.

How is the JT Realmuto market shaping up?

Eric Longenhagen at Fangraphs has scouting reports for the Rule 5 draftees.

The Tigers are looking for a sustainable approach, not a quick fix.

What is lost when minor league baseball leaves a town?

MLB’s silence on the designated hitter rule leaves players and teams in limbo.

The Cleveland Indians will choose a new name this year, according to a report.

White Sox manager Tony LaRussa agrees to a guilty plea for his DUI arrest.

Pitcher Corey Kluber will throw a bullpen session for interested teams.

Former country music legend and Negro Leagues pitcher Charley Pride dies at the age of 86.