Royals Rumblings

Royals Rumblings - News for October 27, 2023

A new ballpark could have a hefty price tag.

By Max Rieper@maxrieper Oct 27, 2023, 8:00am EDT

Anne Rogers writes about what the Royals should address this off-season.

Free agency isn’t the only way to acquire new talent, and if the Royals aren’t going to spend big, they need to deal big. That might mean trading a bigger name as part of a package to get a player who can help them win. The Royals don’t have any top 100 prospects on MLB Pipeline’s extensive list, but being open to trading some of their top names like Ben Kudrna or Cayden Wallace could help. At the big league level, players like Melendez, Nick Loftin or Nick Pratto could garner interest.

The biggest name, though, is Salvador Perez, but it’s not clear where the Royals stand on trading their captain. They could pick up conversations they had at the Deadline about their veteran catcher, but they will maintain that trading Perez wouldn’t be a salary dump and insist on a bigger package for the 33-year-old. If the Royals can find the right match and the right package, they’ll have to seriously consider it to bring in the talent needed.

Mike Hendricks acquires leaked documents from the county that show the Royals ballpark proposal would cost far more than they’ve suggested.

A new Royals ballpark in downtown Kansas City would cost Jackson County taxpayers far more than its $1 billion sticker price.

It’ll be more like $4.4 billion to $6.4 billion, if the stadium sales tax and other payments required by the current lease agreement extended 40 years beyond its expiration date in 2031, as the Royals have suggested....

But what shocked Schulte was the $2.9 billion that the county would spend in increased insurance payments for the downtown ballpark over those four decades. “The property insurance costs are staggering,” Schulte wrote, “given that our current below market costs of property insurance (but still expensive) will need to be adjusted to actual value when a new stadium is opened.”

The Mayor refutes the claim.

Nothing I have ever seen about a new Royals stadium even remotely suggests the cost will be between $4 billion and $6 billion. That would place it as one of the most expensive stadiums ever built in the history of the United States.
— Mayor Q (@QuintonLucasKC) October 26, 2023

Jackson County Legislator Manny Abarca also claims the numbers the Star alleges are off.

Regarding the @Royals, it is clear the is an attempt to poison the well with misinformation. Although, I cannot share the full details of the confidential documents I can share that there is at least a billion dollar error and no clear source for the figures.

It’s almost like…
— Manny Abarca (@MannyAbarcaIV) October 26, 2023

Jared Perkins at Just Baseball gives the off-season outlook for the Royals.

The Royals have traditionally not spent much on free agent starting pitching in the past, even during the competitive years from 2013 to 2017. The organization has tended to prefer one-to-two-year deals for veterans looking to rebound who can eat innings and hopefully find some batted ball luck in Kauffman’s spacious yard. It worked in 2013 and 2014 with Jeremy Guthrie and in 2015 with Edinson Volquez. Unfortunately, the strategy backfired in 2021 with Mike Minor and last season with Jordan Lyles.

If the Royals want to continue this trend, then it seems like Lucas Giolito, Luis Severino, Kenta Maeda, and Jack Flaherty could all be Royals targets this offseason. All four have demonstrated flashes of brilliance over their careers but are coming off inconsistent or injury-plagued seasons. If J.J. Picollo is willing to spend a little more than the team traditionally has, Michael Wacha, Jordan Montgomery, and Marcus Stroman could be higher-profile targets who will cost a bit more per year but would bring some much-needed consistency at the top of the Royals rotation.

Zack Greinke wins the Fielding Bible for the pitcher position.

Bobby Witt Jr. is one of the ten most-endorsed players in MLB, according to one study.

The Royals have an 18.3 percent chance of winning the #1 overall pick.

Zac Gallen and Nate Eovaldi will get Game 1 assignments for the World Series.

The Rangers open the Fall Classic as heavy favorites.

Do the Rangers and Diamondbacks offer a road map for how to get back to contention?

Kevin Ginkel went from unknown reliever to post-season X-factor.

Astros manager Dusty Baker announces his retirement.

The Mets will interview Craig Counsell for their managerial opening.

The Padres interview Mike Schildt and Ryan Flaherty for their manager position.

Joe Buck is among ten broadcasters nominated for the Ford C. Frick Award.

The Braves re-sign pitcher Pierce Johnson to a two-year, $14.25 million deal.