Weekend Rumblings - News for November 19, 2022

The Royals tendered contracts to their nine remaining arbitration-eligible players.

David Lesky writes about the tender decision the Royals had on Brad Keller.

I’m a little surprised that we haven’t seen an announcement on who will be the pitching coach for this team yet because as we get to the non-tender deadline this afternoon, I would think they’d want to have someone in place who could say yay or nay to any of the potential arms. And that’s because I think the biggest question about what the Royals do with some of their arbitration-eligible players fall on the pitching side. The biggest one is, of course, Brad Keller. He looked poised for a decent extension after the 2020 season but has had two straight subpar years.

Craig Brown at Into the Fountains reacts to Dayton Moore’s recent comments about his firing.

I’m not sure what path Moore was on, but it sure didn’t feel like the right one. We’ve been over this before and there’s really no need to rehash it again and again, but there was a certain kind of organizational rot that was setting in—a reluctance to adapt and evolve in a game that is constantly changing. And that, to me, is why the change in leadership is so exciting. After 16 years we are going to see what new leadership in the organization can bring. This change feels cathartic.

Vahe Gregorian writes about what we know and don’t know about a new downtown stadium.

So why is it taking so long to propose a site? It’s believed that the process rests on a variety of factors, from varying infrastructure matters here to potential financial perks there to securing land anywhere and political considerations everywhere.

And, the Royals stress, wanting more community input as they further study the best prospects. Toward that end, Sherman wrote that the Royals “look forward to seeking input from the public … about our vision to best serve our residents and build on the momentum our city is experiencing.”

Lynn Worthy looks at the economic benefits touted by new baseball stadiums.

The benefits for the local community, according to the letter, would include approximately $185 million more in regional economic output than currently created by Kauffman Stadium. Sherman also claimed the district would lead to greater regional visitation that will sustain more than 600 new jobs and spending that will spur $60 million in new tax revenue over the first decade.

The economic impact of the proposed Royals downtown ballpark district will likely warrant further discussion, involve varying assessments and provide a topic of rigorous debate.

The Athletics claimed outfielder Brent Rooker off waivers from the Royals.

The Dodgers non-tender outfielder Cody Bellinger, and he headlines a list of non-tenders that includes Alex Reyes and Luke Voit.

The Angels acquire third baseman Gio Urshela from the Twins.

Cincinnati acquires infielder Kevin Newman from Pittsburgh, and sends infielder Kyle Farmer to Minnesota.

The Giants are interested in reliever Kenley Jansen.

Red Sox pitcher Thad Ward is a name to look out for in the Rule 5 draft.

The Minnesota Twins unveil new uniforms and a new logo.

The man that caught Aaron Judge’s historic home run ball turns down $3 million and will take the ball to auction.

Joe Buck says he turned down MLB’s request for him to call a baseball game this year.

The Chiefs say they will stay at Arrowhead through the expiration of their lease in 2031.

The Buffalo Bills are having a hard time traveling to their “home” game in Detroit.

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes is sentenced to 11 years in prison for defrauding investors.

A new tick-borne disease is killing cattle.

Taylor Swift reacts to the Ticketmaster fiasco.

Your song of the day is Neil Young with Harvest Moon.