Royals Rumblings - News for May 20, 2020

At the Kansas City Star, Lynn Worthy looks at who would be added to the Royals’ 50-man roster. He includes pitching prospects Brady Singer, Daniel Lynch, Jackson Kowar, and Kris Bubic:

All four have drawn high praise from both inside and outside the organization. Baseball America ranked Lynch the organization’s best pitching prospect. Bubic joined Singer in last year’s MLB All-Star Futures Game in Cleveland.

The case for adding these four is twofold. First, their raw stuff and talent could certainly help in some way at the big-league level. Second, they’d make more progress toward becoming polished pitchers by spending this time with the big club as opposed to throwing in backyards.

Also at the Star, Pete Grathoff takes a look at late Royals owner David Glass’s house, which is for sale.

Jeffrey Flanagan ranked the top 5 designated hitters in Royals history:

2) Billy Butler, 2007-14

Key facts: One All-Star Game appearance, one Silver Slugger Award

“Just a pure hitter,” Brett once said of Butler. “Had a great eye at the plate, didn’t give in to the pitcher. That’s really a trademark of really good hitters.”

Former teammate Raul Ibañez also said of Butler, “He’s a professional hitter. Fans really identify with him, and it’s easy for them to fall in love with a guy like Billy.”

Indeed, Butler, known as “Country Breakfast,” was a loveable Royal who cared about the community. And in eight years with the Royals, Butler averaged .295 with an .805 OPS. His best season came in 2012 — his All-Star season — during which he hit 32 doubles and 29 home runs with 107 RBIs that year.

In preparation for a mock expansion draft, MLB Trade Rumors wants to know: Which 15 players should the Royals protect? #VoteOmar

The New York Post received some email communication regarding the ongoing negotiations between owners and the MLBPA:

The Post, however, has obtained a March 26 email from an MLB lawyer to top league officials that documents the substance of talks between two MLB officials and two MLBPA officials from earlier that morning. The email covers seven points, including that MLB explained to the union officials that MLB would need a second negotiation if games were not played in front of fans to determine pay and claims that union officials understood that concept.

Thus, the email seemingly offers evidence that the union was aware that further talks were potentially necessary.

ESPN dug into what the path back to playing baseball might look like.

Sheryl Ring brings up a fascinating detail to keep in mind when people talk about “MLB teams” potentially losing money.

Which business entity do they mean when they say that a “team” will lose money? Are they talking about a particular holding company for the entity which is the team itself? Does that include separate related entities which may process parking fees, or ticket revenue, or concessions? Does it include an entity which holds an ownership stake in a local sports network? Does it mean the overarching entity which owns all of these subsidiaries?

Layers of corporate structure are designed to allow the hiding of money. At the same time, we need to know which entities’ books are the ones MLB is cracking open. The smart money says that what we’re seeing is a picture painted for our benefit by some crafty lawyers.

San Diego’s player rep in the Union is Austin Hedges. He thinks there will be some kind of 2020 season:

Austin Hedges was excited.

“Over the last 48 hours, it really feels like we’re getting some stuff done,” the Padres catcher said Monday afternoon. “I really do believe we’re to a point where a decision will be made. … I feel very confident it’s going to happen.”

Hedges, the Padres’ representative for the Major League Baseball Players Association, participated Monday in a conference call with other player reps in which they talked about MLB’s proposal to play an 82-game season beginning in early July.

“It sounds like we’re finally coming up with something, at least making decisions,” he said. “Instead of, ‘What if we do this?’ it’s, ‘Let’s do this.’ ”

Minor League Baseball is in crisis and will never be the same, writes SI’s Robert Sanchez.

Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez wants to pitch in MLB again.

Is the KBO using a juiced ball?

Meet KBO superfan “Santa Grandfather.”

The man who made pizza for Michael Jordan the night before his infamous Flu Game denies the pretty serious allegations made in ‘The Last Dance’ that the food was tampered with.

Is Vince McMahon trying to buy back his own bankrupt XFL?

No one in their right mind would order Chuck E. Cheese pizza on food delivery apps, but Mr. Entertainment Cheese is hoping they’d be tricked by changing the name to Pasqually’s.

When you were a kid, did you ever use Kool-Aid to dye your hair?

Apple is buying some shows and movies to go along with its original programming on Apple TV+.

NASA scientists may have found a parallel universe where the physics run backwards from our own - so all bratty kids claiming “opposite day” were on to something.

A doctor in Mississippi is fighting against an epidemic of unnecessary amputations.

An airplane had to make an emergency landing on I-470 in Lee’s Summit.

Instead of paper checks or direct deposit, some people are getting their stimulus money on prepaid debit cards. So if one of those shows up in your mailbox, don’t throw it out!

Happy birthday to my brother, Porcus!

MUSIC! Part of me wanted to do another one of the Goldfinger quarantine videos, because they did ‘Counting the Days’ and it is GREAT. But for this page, we will go with Dolly.