Weekend Rumblings - News for July 22, 2023

Anne Rogers has more on the Daniel Lynch injury.

“He’s been working through some things the last couple starts,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “Just a minor left shoulder strain, something we just felt was better to manage than trying to have to force [him] through.”

Lynch described it as a feeling he can pitch through, but the discomfort doesn’t allow him to fully reach his potential — which is why his velocity drop to 90-91 mph on Tuesday against the Tigers was concerning. Lynch will not be shut down completely from throwing, but the next two weeks gives him time to recover from the fatigue.

“It’s frustrating I did so much work to get back, was pitching well, but obviously the last two outings were kind of declining, so just trying to figure out what I need to do,” Lynch said.

Vahe Gregorian writes it is time for the Royals to spend some money.

Sputtering as they are, the Royals need to do something significant to revive the roster as they presumably are making such developmental advances.

At this stage, they’ve got to prime the pump, to mix metaphors, to at least tread water.

Pony up for a 1-2-type starter, a credible late-innings man in a reconstructed bullpen and one proven big bat and, presto, this takes on a different complexion.

Yep, this is a complete oversimplification of the point. That’s all entirely easier said than done, for reasons from persuading stars to play for a struggling franchise to identifying the realities of these idealist scenarios to being fiscally responsible even while wanting to improve.

Also: It’s always easy to spend other people’s money.

Jim Bowden at The Athletic suggests the Royals trade Salvador Perez and Scott Barlow to the Padres.

The Royals don’t want to trade Perez because he is the face of the franchise and the team leader, but also because of his importance in developing their young pitchers. On the flip side, he’s a 33-year-old catcher, and the eight-time All-Star deserves an opportunity to play on a contender for the final two and a half years of his guaranteed contract. Perez has full no-trade protection but might be willing to waive it to go to a team like the Padres. San Diego also needs another back-end reliever, and Barlow is among the best available on the trade market. In return, the Royals could demand the Padres’ top pitching prospect, 2022 first-round pick Dylan Lesko, as their headliner, along with catcher Luis Campusano and minor-league righties Henry Williams and Ryan Bergert.

David Lesky at Inside the Crown considers some Royals who could be on the trading block.

In addition to him, Nicky Lopez is a name I’ve heard quite a bit, and I think at this point I lean toward being surprised if he isn’t traded, which is kind of a switch from the past. I’m not saying it’s like 95 percent he’s moved, but there are a few teams who I’ve heard connected with him. One that’s kind of surprising is the Astros, who obviously have a pretty stout starting infield, but could absolutely use some depth. But the Red Sox, Brewers and Dodgers have all also come up and I wouldn’t be surprised if other teams are interested.

Baseball America updated their top Royals prospects list with Frank Mozzicato at #1 and Gavin Cross down to #6.

The Royals released pitcher Brooks Kriske so he could return to Japan.

The Cardinals trade pitcher Genesis Cabrera to the Blue Jays.

Baltimore gets pitcher Shintaro Fujinami from the Athletics.

The Rays have interest in Cubs pitcher Marcus Stroman.

Mariners outfielder Jarred Kelenic broke his foot kicking a water cooler in frustration.

Could an outfield logjam cause the Cardinals to make a trade?

The Angels are reportedly not close on a decision on whether to trade Shohei Ohtani.

Ben Clemens at Fangraphs unveils his complete trade rankings (with Bobby Witt Jr. at #36).

Kiley McDaniel at ESPN Insider ranks 2024 draft prospects.

Will Leitch at MLB.com writes about teams headed for breakouts in 2024.

Meet the U.S. women’s national soccer team as they begin their quest for a World Cup.

Dan Snyder is fined $60 million by the NFL after he sells the team.

Developers propose a $2 billion amusement park in northeast Oklahoma.

People are getting fed up with all the useless tech in their cars.

AMC ditches its plan for variable pricing by seat.

Your song of the day is Led Zeppelin with Immigrant Song.