Royals Rumblings - News for January 13, 2021

Royals Rumblings - News for January 13, 2021

Joel Rueter at Bleacher Report lists each team’s worst free agent signing of the 2000s.

Kansas City Royals: RF Jose Guillen—Three years, $36 million

After posting a 116 OPS+ with 23 home runs and 99 RBI with the Mariners in 2007, Guillen was one of the top power bats on the market, though there was also a reason he had played for eight teams in 11 seasons. He hit .256 with a .308 on-base percentage and 94 OPS+ during his time with the Royals, tallying minus-2.3 WAR in 340 games.

Mike Gillespie at Kings of Kauffman writes about the first time the Royals finished with a winning record.

Then came 1971. The Royals, eagerly awaiting the completion of their new ballpark a few miles to the east, still played at Municipal. Original Royal Lou Piniella remained with the team, Amos Otis, Cookie Rojas and Paul Splittorff were in their second campaigns with KC, Fred Patek came over from Pittsburgh, Dick Drago was the ace of the rotation, and Ted Abernathy, one of the first pitchers to make closing his specialty, was playing the next-to-last season of a big league career he started in 1955.

And it was the season the Royals, still in their baseball infancy, broke through. Playing one game short of a full 162-contest slate, the club won 85 times to earn its first winning season.

How Bob Kendrick became an indispensable figure at the Negro League Baseball Museum.

Owners and union reps will finally meet today, here’s what they might be discussing.

Pitcher Jon Lester announces his retirement.

The switch-hitters who should stop switch-hitting.

The Twins will retire the uniform number of Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Kaat.

There are 12 Cuban free agents to keep an eye on for the international signing period.

How baseball Hall of Fame voting is evolving.

Tampa mayor Jane Castor says a Rays departure would be a blow to the city.

Shohei Ohtani embraces being the face of baseball.

A comparison of each team’s current payroll to previous spending.

Is it time for the Yankees to end their facial hair ban?

The Raptors mascot gets a time out for trying to distract Devin Booker on a free throw attempt.

Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice is considering getting into coaching.

The Chinese government blasts KFC for a toy promo that caused a buying frenzy.

Podcasting hasn’t produced a new hit in years.

The oral history of the meta-horror film Scream.

Your song of the day is Amy Winehouse with Back to Black.