Royals Rumblings

Royals Rumblings - News for October 26, 2021

Could Danny Duffy return to Kansas City?

By Max Rieper@maxrieper Oct 26, 2021, 8:00am EDT

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Royals Rumblings - News for October 26, 2021

Craig Brown at Into the Fountains considers if Danny Duffy will return.

Should Duffy decide to return, I’m not certain there’s a fit with the Royals. Certainly, Dayton Moore (and presumably JJ Picollo) value that veteran pitching presence, but there is so much youth assembled—both in the rotation and in the bullpen–that the Royals have to be smart about who they bring in to bolster the arms. They just showed they could cobble together a full season with Duffy bringing just 12 starts and 61 innings. It was a rocky path to get to the finish line, but they still got there and experience counts.

That said, the Royals will be looking for left-handed bullpen help this winter.

Anne Rogers at MLB.com breaks down Royals’ roster options for 2022.

1B/RF Ryan O’Hearn (first-year arbitration eligible)O’Hearn got plenty of looks on the Major League team this season, playing 84 games and accumulating -0.7 fWAR. He played right field, left field, first base and designated hitter, and while he still offers power potential, the Royals have yet to see it consistently with a .694 OPS across four big-league seasons. It’s hard to see where he fits on the 2022 roster, with an MLBTR-projected $1.4 million salary in arbitration.

Alec Lewis at The Athletic writes that the high school pitchers the Royals drafted last summer are meshing well.

Kudrna and Panzini tried to hold their giggles in. They knew Mozzicato had given up a home run to Cleveland shortstop prospect Brayan Rocchio, who posted an .865 OPS this past season at Double-A.

“I got away with that in high school every time,” Mozzicato said. “I remember throwing it and missing my spot by like four feet. He hit it, and I was like, ‘Oh, god.’ This is going to be a long career.”

(The room laughs.)

“And I remember watching it and going, ‘Well, we can’t do that anymore,’” Mozzicato continued. “But it’s a huge difference. The hitters’ takes, I mean, It’s a whole different world. Shane can say the same.”

Kudrna is a guest on the Royals Rundown podcast.

Former Royals outfielder Franchy Cordero cleared waivers and was assigned to Boston’s minors.

Jerry Edwards at Inside the Royals looks at shipping Carlos Santana to Toronto.

Who has the edge between the Astros and Braves?

Astros pitcher Lance McCullers, Jr. won’t pitch in the World Series.

A look at the Braves’ worst post-season exits over the years.

The Padres interview former Mets pitcher Luis Rojas for their open position.

Was Boston’s unexpected success a sign of things to come or an aberration?

The Yankees had an altercation this season between Gerrit Cole and Brett Gardner over a joke.

The Red Sox fire first base coach Tom Goodwin, but insist it is unrelated to his status as unvaccinated.

Baseball is headed to a work stoppage by December 2.

Ken Griffey Jr. joins the Mariners ownership group.