Royals Rumblings - News for December 29, 2021

At MLB Trade Rumors, Tim Dierkes notes that MLB pitcher contracts that are five years long rarely end well. Two former Royals, Ian Kennedy and Gil Meche, are on the list.

Ian Kennedy: five-year, $70MM deal with Royals

Starts: 86

ERA-: 102

fWAR: 3.9

bWAR: 6.3

When Regret Set In: In Year 2, when Kennedy posted a 5.38 ERA.

How It Ended: Kennedy was moved to the bullpen in the fourth year of the deal, saving 30 games. He struggled in 14 relief innings in 2020 to finish out the contract.

I love the “when regret set in” feature. I wonder if there’s a way to assess that on all long contracts.

Also at MLBTR, this rundown of each team’s largest contracts ever is fascinating. Rewind yourself to the year 2000, when the Pirates signed Jason Kendall for 6 years and $60 million. They’ve never exceeded that contract!

Jayson Stark did his annual “Strange But True!” rundown around MLB. Apparently the Royals were either not strange, or not true, because this was their only mention:

STRANGE BUT TRUE DEBUTS OF THE YEAR: Big-league life is so much harder than it looks. Just ask Royals phenom Jackson Kowar. His first big-league start, on June 7, included this seldom-seen combo: Two outs, three wild pitches! . . . Or you could also consult Brewers rookie Alec Bettinger. His major-league debut went like this: Grand slam in the first, grand slam in the second, 11 runs all told in four innings and a 24.75 career ERA that at least had no place to go but down . . . Jacob deGrom has never allowed a slam in his career. Alec Bettinger gave up two of them to the first 15 hitters he faced . . . Baseball. It’s hard!

The A’s signed old friend Justin Grimm (25 total games between Triple-A and MLB in 2018) to a minors deal. Who could forget the Justin Grimm era?

Are you ready for the LIDOM round robin playoff extravaganza? GET READY.

Please enjoy this collection of Lord of the Rings memes.

Conservators in Virginia livestreamed the opening of a time capsule from underneath the Robert E. Lee monument site. What would you put into a 2021 time capsule?

A deals site I follow posted a deal on a triple bunk bed. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of those, but I think the middle bunk looks like a cozy little sleep cave. Did you have bunk beds as a kid, or in a college dorm room?

Today’s fun Reddit question: What if the last thing you googled was hunting you? (Mine is Jason Kendall’s “rewind yourself” rant.)

SOTD: My Chemical Romance - Helena.