Royals Rumblings - News for October 25, 2022

Anne Rogers writes about five questions facing the Royals this off-season.

5. What will be the free agency and trade plan?

Sources have indicated the Royals will be looking for two starters; one could be Zack Greinke if he wants to return — and the Royals believe he does, at least right now — and the other could be another veteran workhorse on the market. Kansas City also wants to acquire a closer-type reliever to help Barlow at the back of the bullpen, and they will likely look for a veteran catcher to act as a backup to Salvador Perez and MJ Melendez, especially when Melendez is playing in left field.

Picollo has cautioned against any flashy additions this offseason because of where the organization stands, but small additions can go a long way to help win on the margins.

Scott Youngson at Pitcher List looks at the all-time Royals lineup.

It was a tough choice between Mike Sweeney and John Mayberry for our first baseman. Mayberry was more dominant in his time with the team but only played for the Royals for six seasons. Thus we went with Sweeney, a very good player who was with the team for a long time.

Sweeney began his career behind the plate and made four plate appearances for the Royals in 1995. He bounced between the minors and majors playing backup catcher until 1999 when he lost the gear and became the team’s first baseman. Sweeney hit .322 with 22 HRs and 102 RBI that year and cemented himself as an everyday player. The following season, he made the All-Star team, an accomplishment he repeated four more times over the next five seasons. During his prime years, from 1999 to 2005, Sweeney hit .313 and averaged 23 HRs and 97 RBI per season.

The Kansas City Business Journal wrote a bit about the revenues of the local sports teams (subscription required)

The Kansas City Royals generated about $263 million in revenue during the 2021-2022 season, posting about $47 million in operating income, according to Statista.

Every team in Major League Baseball received $60.1 million from national television deals and an additional $40 million in local TV deals, according to Craig Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus.

Major League Baseball has a revenue sharing program, with each team pooling 48% of the revenue they earn and splitting it evenly, getting about 3.3% of the total. Teams receive more than $110 million a year in revenue sharing.

The Royals earned about $37 million through gate receipts, according to Statista. That leaves an estimated $55 million in other local revenue such as sponsorships, concessions, gear and other sales.

Ryan Gonzales at Kings of Kauffman writes the Royals should extend Vinnie Pasquantino now.

Jordan Foote at Inside the Royals writes about the improvements to Brady Singer’s sinker.

Jeff Passan writes about the Astros’ quest for perfection.

Will the Phillies are winning now, but will they have a day of reckoning as teams usually do under Dave Dombrowski?

Jim Bowden at The Athletic has his off-season checklist for the Yankees.

Inside the collapse of the Dodgers.

Could Mookie Betts move to second base to make room for Aaron Judge?

The Marlins have four candidates for the managerial opening.

The Guardians have some middle infield decisions to make.

Brock Purdy becomes the first “Mr. Irrelevant” to throw a pass in the NFL.

The Kansas Current are headed to the NWSL championship.

Hans Nieman sues chess champion Magnus Carlsen seeking $100 million for accusing him of cheating.

Record labels say AI music generators threaten their industry.

The final episode for the Thirteenth Doctor in Doctor Who had a ton of cameos.

Your song of the day is After 7 with Can’t Stop.