Royals Rumblings - News for October 10, 2023

David Lesky at Inside the Crown makes the case for and against trading Salvador Perez.

Knowing that the team has the pieces to move on from him, the question now becomes the return. This is where there are unknowns, of course, but with two guaranteed years left, the money left on his deal is something that the Royals would likely be willing to pay enough of to be able to get the return they need. The problem with someone like Perez is values can be tough to determine, even with the Royals covering salary. Would the Marlins part with Braxton Garrett for Perez because they just want Perez and know that they’ve got pitching to cover? Maybe! If they would, I feel like getting a 26-year old starter with four years of control and a 6.4 percent career walk rate would be pretty attractive.

Kevin O’Brien at Royals Reporter takes a deep dive into Cole Ragans’ season.

One of the biggest developments for Ragans in his move to the Royals organization was his addition of a slider to his repertoire. The usage of the pitch was encouraged not just by pitching coach Brian Sweeney but Director of Pitching Development Paul Gibson after Ragans suggested utilizing it after he was traded over from Texas.

Remember, this organization basically prevented Kris Bubic from throwing his slider during the 2022 season despite Bubic utilizing it a lot during Spring Training.

That shows how different this coaching staff and development team is under JJ Picollo and manager Matt Quatraro.

Josh Norris at Baseball America writes about Royals catching prospect Ramon Ramirez.

Over the course of 41 games, the 18-year-old Venezuelan hit .344/.440/.615 with eight home runs, 27 RBIs and more walks (21) than strikeouts (18). He also posted a 90th percentile exit velocity of roughly 102 mph, well above-average for the level.

“When you’re talking about Ramon, obviously what he did this summer in the DSL as an 18-year-old, it’s pretty impressive,” Royals farm director Mitch Maier said. “He hit for average, the bat-to-ball skills are really good, and the hard-hit for a young player playing a premium position behind the plate, and he can throw.”

Thomas Friestad at the Kansas City Business Journal writes about why development hasn’t happened at the Truman Sports Complex and what could happen there if the Royals leave.

The Royals echoed those sentiments at team listening sessions earlier this year, saying developers have shown far more interest in risking capital with projects in an urban-core setting, versus the comparatively distant Eastern Jackson County.

“We’d have a hard time being sold to build apartments out there,” Mike McKeen, president of EPC Real Estate Group LLC, said in a recent call of the area around Truman Sports Complex. “It’d be hard to get financing because there’s not any comparable product that you could look to to show value to our investors.”

At least two legacy proposals within the complex also did not get traction, in part, because the Chiefs did not want to shrink the sports complex’s parking — and the resulting revenue.

Mike Gillespie at Kings of Kauffman looks at ways John Sherman could infuriate the fanbase.

The Braves come from behind and hold on with an amazing catch to beat the Phillies in Game 2.

Historically, a layoff has not hurt playoff teams.

Warriors owner Joe Lacob is interested in buying the A’s if they were for sale.

The Red Sox fire pitching coach Dave Bush and third base coach Carlos Febles.

The Nationals also dismiss four coaches.

Orioles closer Felix Bautista undergoes Tommy John surgery.

Kevin Cash says he’s happy with the Rays amid speculation the Guardians could be interested in him.

Should the baseball playoffs have re-seeding?

What will the Yankees do about their middle infield situation?

Joe Maddon would love to manage the Mets.

ESPN+ will produce a documentary about Shohei Ohtani.

The Cardinals will aggressively pursue starting pitching this off-season.

The 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles may add baseball as a sport.

The Big 12 resumes negotiations to add Gonzaga.

The success of Ozempic is causing fast food stocks to drop.

MGM Resorts loses $100 million in a cyberattack.

Every Saw trap, ranked.

Your song of the day is Jimmy Eat World with The Middle.