Royals Rumblings - News for November 17, 2022

David Lesky at Inside the Crown questions Tuesday’s roster moves:

I am surprised, however, that they didn’t protect TJ Sikkema, the lefty they got back from the Yankees in the Andrew Benintendi deal back in July. As I wrote on Monday, he wasn’t very good in AA, which is where the Royals promoted him to immediately after the trade. But he did pitch pretty well in the Arizona Fall League. I can’t tell you what the Royals were thinking here. I can tell you that they’ve generally done a nice job of being right about who won’t be selected in the Rule 5 draft. They typically don’t lose players they don’t protect. That said, a lefty like Sikkema could be a benefit to a big league bullpen in 2023, I would think. Time will tell on that, but I also think it shows that Beck Way was the prize in that deal in the Royals minds.

Craig Browns at Into the Fountains also writes about the transactions:

I also feel like arguments also could’ve been made for Jonah Dipoto, Drew Parrish and Anthony Veneziano. We’ll see if any of the other 29 teams take a flyer on any of these guys at the end of the Winter Meetings next month.

As far as the DFA’s, Brentz is the only one of note. After a successful rookie season, he was shut down early last year with a flexor strain. When rehabbing the injury was unsuccessful, he went under the knife for Tommy John surgery, as often happens with this injury. The surgery was in July, which means it’s unlikely he will throw in the majors at all in 2023. The Royals will probably try to sign him to a minor league deal to keep him in the organization while he rehabs.

The crew over at Inside the Royals held a roundtable discussing John Sherman’s open letter:

Shawn Bauman: A state-of-art stadium will be a shiny object that will definitely draw visitors for a few years. If long periods of losing baseball continue, though, it won’t be long before the newness wears off. Will the cost required to pay for and maintain the stadium cut into payroll? A public/private partnership means taxpayers will be funding a big chunk of a $2 billion dollar price tag, regardless of what is said. It is exciting to think about it outside of my concerns above. But, as a lifelong Royals fan, I will always have the thought, “do we deserve good things”? Right now it doesn’t seem like we do; hopefully, in 2031 that changes.

Transactions!

• Martín Pérez accepts qualifying offer with Texas.
• Joc Pederson accepts qualifying offer with San Francisco.
• Tyler Anderson signs a three-year deal with the Angels.
• Nick Martinez signs a three-year deal with San Diego.
• Teoscar Hernández traded from Toronto to Seattle.
• Cleveland and Colorado swap talented infield prospects.

Justin Verlander and Sandy Alcantara are unanimous Cy Young winners. This is just the second time both league’s winners were unanimous, with the only other time being 1968.

Bryce Harper will undergo UCL surgery.

Xander Bogaerts could be the safest option among this offseason’s free agent shortstops.

How good could the Orioles be next year if they really tried?

Detailing Klay Thompson’s long journey back to basketball from a series of leg injuries.

UMass retakes the top (bottom?) spot on this week’s College Football Bottom 10.

This week’s rental opportunity is a loft flat with the refrigerator in the living room for some reason.

If you’re planning a vacation to Montana, you can stay at the ranch featured in Yellowstone.

Québec isn’t exactly a tectonic hotspot, but a magnitude 3.7 earthquake was felt by residents of Montréal on Monday.

Three years ago today, what is thought to be the first case of COVID-19 in a human was detected.

Your song of the day is Vibe Check by GRiZ.