Royals Rumblings - News for October 17, 2023

Thomas Freistad of the Kansas City Business Journal reports Jackson County has made a counteroffer on public financing for a new stadium.

Jackson County has devised a counteroffer to the public financing the Kansas City Royals want for a $1 billion new stadium in the East Village, under which the county would pay $300 million from unspecified sources over a 20-year period to bring about the new venue....

But while the Royals privately have expressed interest in a 40-year extension of the sales tax, Jackson County’s overview does not specify a funding source for the proposed $300 million contribution. The counteroffer came days after county officials began publicly floating possible alternatives to a sales tax extension. County Administrator Troy Schulte told Fox4 that officials have concepts in which a Royals ballpark could be treated “like an economic development project and not a traditional lease,” and an unnamed top county official told The Kansas City Star that the county has asked the team to consider a ticket tax, which the Royals and Chiefs historically have opposed.

Just Baseball ranks their top 100 prospects, with Royals catcher Ramon Ramirez coming in at #99.

Starting slightly stacked on his back side, Ramirez really gets into his back leg/hip with a big gathering leg kick, but showcases impressive balance and body control. Despite some moving parts, Ramirez is consistently on time with a fantastic feel for the barrel.

In his 41 DSL games, he ran a zone contact rate right around 90% while walking more than he struck out. There’s already flashes of above average power from Ramirez, posting a 90th percentile exit velocity of 103 MPH and a max of 108 MPH.

Kevin O’Brien at Royals Reporter argues the Diamondbacks could be a model for the Royals.

One major difference between the Diamondbacks and Royals though is that the Diamondbacks have cashed in on top talent for prospect hauls when the time was right.

Back in 2016, Arizona acquired Ketel Marte and Taijuan Walker (at the time) in a deal that sent Mitch Haniger and Jean Segura to Seattle. They traded Paul Goldschmidt to St. Louis in 2018 for Carson Kelly, Luke Weaver, and what ended up being a 2019 competitive balance round B pick. The Diamondbacks also traded Jazz Chisholm, Jr. for Zac Gallen in a 2019 trade at the Deadline.

Finally, this last offseason, their biggest trade involved them acquiring Gabriel Moreno and Gurriel from Toronto in exchange for Daulton Varsho. Considering Varsho’s offensive struggles in 2023 and the production from Moreno and Gurriel, it’s safe to say that Arizona won that deal.

The Royals are named a finalist for the 2023 Allan H. Selig Award for Philanthropic Excellence.

Jacob Milham at Kings of Kauffman reviews Jackson Kowar’s season.

Max Scherzer will return to start Game 3 of the ALDS for the Rangers.

Kim Ng departs her position as GM of the Marlins.

The Red Sox receive permission to interview Twins GM Thad Levine.

Rob Manfred defends the post-season format amid criticism.

Are the Astros the best dynasty since the 1990s Yankees?

The post-season pitching/hitting divide may be growing.

The 2023 MLB post-season announcer rankings.

Baseball will be featured at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Kansas tops the pre-season AP college basketball poll.

A profile on reporter Shams Charania details how he helps NBA teams tamper with deals.

A trial for a gene therapy to cure deafness begins.

The next big solar storm could fry the grid.

Amid streaming success of the original show Suits, a new version is in the works.

Your song of the day is George Harrison with Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth).