Weekend Rumblings - News for November 12, 2022

David Lesky at Inside the Crown looks at 2023 Steamer projections.

These projections are kind of interesting. Maybe it’s recency bias, but I don’t remember a Royals offense being so well regarded by a projection system. Vinnie Pasquantino is projected to put up a 140 wRC+. That’s 13th best in the game. Remember when I said he’d be a top-30 hitter in 2023 (and then realized he was a top-30 hitter in 2022)? Well, Steamer agrees. It has MJ Melendez sitting at 118, Bobby Witt Jr. at 114, Salvador Perez at 109, Edward Olivares at 107, Nick Pratto at 107, Michael Massey at 101 and Drew Waters at 99. That’s eight guys who are average or better. It also has Tyler Gentry at 116, which means the system likes him as much as I do. It’s less encouraging on the pitching side. Brady Singer’s 3.81 ERA and 3.69 FIP are solid. Daniel Lynch at 4.32/4.30 isn’t bad by any stretch. But that’s really about it on the pitching side.

The team at MLB Pipeline lists the toughest Rule 5 protection decisions for each team.

Royals: Diego Hernandez, OF (No. 20)

Signed out of the Dominican Republic in July 2017, Hernandez finally broke through this season with a .284/.347/.407 line and 40 steals in 115 games at High-A and Double-A. He entered 2022 with two career homers and proceeded to go deep nine times this summer alone. Hernandez’s plus-plus speed, impressive range and strong throwing arm could all play in the Majors now, but his bat would need more time, even with the modest jump in power. It’s all part of the equation for a Royals system that can’t afford to lose any promising young talents.

Craig Brown at Into the Fountains profiles potential free agent target Tyler Anderson.

He would cost the Royals their third-round pick in the 2023 draft were he to sign with Kansas City. When I started writing this, I was envisioning something along the lines of a two-year deal at an AAV of around $14 million. He will be 33 next year and has, outside of his breakout last summer, been a largely league-average starter. A qualifying offer changes everything. If that happens, I would assume Anderson accepts, tries to replicate his successes from ‘22 and then strike an even larger payday hitting the market a year later and without the QO. If he declines, I would expect teams to be hesitant to surrender a draft pick for two or three years from a starting pitcher.

Royals pitcher Victor Pena was named an All-Star in the Dominican Summer League.

Mike Gillespie at Kings of Kauffman looks at how the Royals are reshaping their 40-man roster.

The Astros part ways with General Manager James Click.

The Braves sign reliever Nick Anderson.

The Yankees are looking for a left-handed impact bat.

Seattle may be willing to trade their back-end starting pitchers.

Arizona will have some payroll flexibility to use this off-season.

The Mets’ deal with Edwin Diaz will pay him through 2042.

Which players could become non-tendered free agents?

Should the Phillies get rid of Rhys Hoskins?

Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen could miss the 2023 season after surgery.

Pete Rose makes his case with Rob Manfred for entry into Cooperstown.

The biggest snubs from the US Men’s National team World Cup roster.

The Indiana Fever get the first pick in the WNBA draft for the first time.

A new book remembers the forgotten father of the Underground Railroad.

Why shadow banking by crypto exchanges will continue to be a problem.

Wakanda Forever changes how superhero stories handle death.

Your song of the day is The Beatles with A Hard Day’s Night.