Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

KANSAS CITY ROYALS (36-46) @ TAMPA BAY RAYS (40-40)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

06/28: RHP Luis Cessa (5-4, 4.12) vs RHP Brent Honeywell (6-4, 4.65)
06/29: RHP Drew Smith (1-0, 2.45) vs RHP Tyler Glasnow (3-4, 3.45)
06/30: LHP Danny Duffy (5-5, 3.70) vs RHP Yonny Chirinos (6-2, 3.63)
07/01: RHP Jake Junis (4-5, 4.07) vs LHP Blake Snell (7-3, 3.65)

GAME RECAPS

June 28th, 2019
Kansas City (37-46) 2, Tampa Bay (40-41) 1
Winner: Luis Cessa (6-4) Loser: Ian Gibaut (3-5) Save: Jorge Lopez (2)

ROYALS COME OUT ON TOP IN PITCHER'S DUEL

Behind seven strong innings from Luis Cessa, the Royals used a timely homerun from Alex Gordon in the eighth to break a 1-1 tie in Kansas City's 2-1 victory. In the wake of the trade of Trevor Rosenthal to the Dodgers; the Royals' interim closer, Jorge Lopez, locked down his second save in as many chances. Cessa fanned six in seven innings, allowing just three hits and a walk. The only other Royals' run came on a sacrifice fly from Salvador Perez in the fifth, before Brian Dozier tied it up in in the seventh with a solo bomb.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (37-46) 2, Tampa Bay (40-41) 1
LA Angels (40-42) 9, Boston (52-32) 10
NY Yankees (50-33) 9, Baltimore (34-47) 1
Seattle (35-49) 6, Toronto (40-41) 5
Detroit (32-48) 9, Texas (37-45) 4
Cleveland (44-39) 3, Oakland (38-45) 2 (Final/12)
Chi. Sox (43-38) 7, Houston (47-36) 6 (Final/10)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Minnesota (31-49) 4, Pittsburgh (45-37) 6
NY Mets (50-31) 2, Philadelphia (39-44) 5
Miami (34-46) 5, Washington (43-40) 2
Cincinnati (18-64) 1, Milwaukee (39-43) 0 (Final/10)
Atlanta (43-38) 1, Chi. Cubs (50-31) 4
Colorado (53-30) 3, San Francisco (38-44) 5
San Diego (37-45) 2, Arizona (40-41) 4
St. Louis (52-30) 2, LA Dodgers (49-35) 4

June 25th, 2019
Kansas City (37-47) 2, Tampa Bay (41-41) 6
Winner: Tyler Glasnow (4-4) Loser: Drew Smith (1-1) Save: Chaz Roe (17)

RAYS PULL AWAY WITH LATE RALLY

Willy Adames went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI, and Kevin Plawecki and Carlos Gomez each hit two-run homeruns for the Rays as the Royals dropped the second game of their four-game set by a 6-2 count. Drew Smith surrendered four runs (including two homeruns) in four and two-third innings of work, suffering his first loss of the season. Newcomer Drew Muren gave the Royals one and one-third innings of work, fanning one and walking one. Plawecki and Adames gave the Rays the early advantage with a pair of homeruns, and Kansas City fought back to a 4-2 deficit before Gomez's homerun off Kyle Zimmer in the eighth.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (37-47) 2, Tampa Bay (41-41) 6
LA Angels (41-42) 8, Boston (52-33) 4
NY Yankees (51-33) 13, Baltimore (34-48) 4
Seattle (36-49) 15, Toronto (40-42) 2
Detroit (32-49) 0, Texas (38-45) 10
Cleveland (44-40) 3, Oakland (39-45) 4
Chi. Sox (43-39) 3, Houston (48-36) 10

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Minnesota (31-50) 5, Pittsburgh (46-37) 6
NY Mets (51-31) 3, Philadelphia (39-45) 1
Miami (34-47) 1, Washington (44-40) 2
Cincinnati (18-65) 8, Milwaukee (40-43) 10
Atlanta (44-38) 9, Chi. Cubs (50-32) 4 (Final/10)
Colorado (53-31) 1, San Francisco (39-44) 5
San Diego (38-45) 9, Arizona (40-42) 3
St. Louis (52-31) 0, LA Dodgers (50-35) 3

June 30th, 2019
Kansas City (37-48) 4, Tampa Bay (42-41) 5
Winner: Jose Alvarado (1-4) Loser: Nathan Karns (0-2) Save: None

BULLPEN, DEFENSE BLOW IT AGAIN

Danny Duffy had a great performance ruined yet again by a bullpen fiasco, as the Rays scored a run in the eighth, and picked up three in the ninth against closer Nathan Karns in a 5-4 defeat. Tampa Bay's cause in the ninth was aided by a fielding error from first baseman Peter Alonso, who had a groundball kick off the heel of his glove with one out, allowing Jesus Sucre to come up with the bases loaded and two outs after Richard Lovelady fanned Scott Schebler. Sucre poked a single to right off newcomer Drew Muren; and Brett Phillips' throw to home was offline, allowing Willy Adames to score and secure the walk-off victory. Duffy went seven innings, allowing just two hits while walking three. He also fanned eight, and didn't factor into the decision. Cheslor Cuthbert continues to swing the hottest bat on the team, going 2-for-4 with a single and a two-run homerun, his team-best 12th of the season.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (37-48) 4, Tampa Bay (42-41) 5
LA Angels (41-43) 6, Boston (53-33) 11
NY Yankees (51-34) 1, Baltimore (35-48) 5
Seattle (37-49) 4, Toronto (40-43) 0
Detroit (32-50) 0, Texas (39-45) 4
Cleveland (44-41) 4, Oakland (40-45) 6
Chi. Sox (44-39) 6, Houston (48-37) 4

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Minnesota (32-50) 6, Pittsburgh (46-38) 4
NY Mets (51-32) 3, Philadelphia (40-45) 14
Miami (35-47) 6, Washington (44-41) 3
Cincinnati (18-66) 1, Milwaukee (41-43) 3
Atlanta (44-39) 2, Chi. Cubs (51-32) 7
Colorado (54-31) 10, San Francisco (39-45) 8
San Diego (38-46) 4, Arizona (41-42) 5
St. Louis (52-32) 1, LA Dodgers (51-35) 6

July 1st, 2019
Kansas City (38-48) 4, Tampa Bay (42-42) 0
Winner: Jake Junis (5-5) Loser: Fernando Abad (0-3) Save: Tony Cingrani (1)

CUTHBERT, JUNIS POWER ROYALS VICTORY

Third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert drove in three of the four Royals runs, and Jake Junis pitched seven and two-third scoreless innings as the Royals salvaged a split of their four-game road series with Tampa, winning by a 4-0 count. Cuthbert continues his late push for an All-Star bid in a loaded American League third base field of players, hitting his fourth homerun in his last five games as part of a 3-for-5 day that found him a triple short of the cycle. Junis fanned seven while scattering seven hits to even up his record at five wins and five losses apiece, and newcomer Tony Cingrani pitched out the string to pick up his first save of the season. Brian Goodwin, who has been swinging a red-hot bat as well, collected three more hits along with two base knocks apiece from Adalberto Mondesi and Peter Alonso.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Atlanta (44-39) @ Baltimore (35-48) -- PPD
Kansas City (38-48) 4, Tampa Bay (42-42) 0
Detroit (32-51) 1, Chi. Sox (45-39) 14

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
NY Yankees (52-34) 6, Miami (35-48) 3
Minnesota (33-50) 8, Cincinnati (18-67) 3
Toronto (40-44) 1, Philadelphia (41-45) 6
Cleveland (45-41) 2, Milwaukee (41-44) 1
St. Louis (52-33) 3, Arizona (42-42) 12
Chi. Cubs (51-33) 4, San Francisco (40-45) 5
Colorado (55-31) 6, San Diego (38-47) 1

MAJOR NEWS/INJURIES/TRANSACTIONS
06/28: Royals trade closer Trevor Rosenthal to the Dodgers for Cingrani; pitching prospects White & Santana
06/29: Rangers OF Nomar Mazara suffers setback in recovery from bruised wrist; could miss another week
06/30: Harper, Freeman continue to lead respective leagues' All-Star voting in stretch run
07/01: Benintendi, Marte win Players of the Week awards; Lindor and Blackmon named June Hitters of the Month
07/01: Mets' Swarzak, Astros' McCullers win league's Pitchers of the Month for June
07/01: Oakland's Tyler Ramirez, Atlanta's Mike Soroka win Rookies of the Month

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

THE WEEK THAT WAS: JULY 2ND
Rosenthal deal nets two prospects and lefty bullpen arm
By artoodeetoo
07/02/2019

ROSENTHAL SHIPPED TO L.A.; CINGRANI HIGHLIGHTS ROYALS' RETURN

In a sign that the Royals might be punting on the 2019 season, Kansas City has traded closer Trevor Rosenthal to the Dodgers for Tony Cingrani and minor-league pitchers Mitchell White and Dennis Santana.

Cingrani, who spun a 4.19 ERA and fanned fifty-one in 38 2/3 innings of work, fills a huge need in the bullpen for a consistent left-handed bullpen arm, and the prospect duo of White and Santana give the Royals a few more compentent arms in the minor league system.

With former Royal Scott Alexander, Adam Liberatore, Drew Pomeranz, and Mark Rzepzcynski, there were a glut of southpaw bullpen arms in the Dodgers' bullpen, and Cingrani is a free agent after the 2019 season.

Rosenthal converted on just nine of his thirteen save opportunities, posting a 4.03 ERA in 22 1/3 innings of work, although his strikeout numbers were very good, with twenty-seven.

Manager Ned Yost says he will go with a 'closer-by-committee' approach, much like he did a year ago after they dealt Kelvin Herrera to Washington. Blake Treinen is scheduled to come off the disabled list in a matter of days, so it appears that Jorge Lopez will likely get the first crack, along with Nathan Karns, or even Cingrani.

ROYALS PREPPING FOR INTERNATIONAL SIGNING PERIOD

Kansas City should have the full allotment of bonus pool money for this class, as they have been forced to be a little more conservative the past few years per MLB regulations, after going over the threshold in 2015 to get Seuly Matias and Jeison Guzman, with each of them now in the Royals' top thirty prospects.

Matias is ranked fifth and is in Double-A, where he's off to a fast start after being called up from High-A roughly two to three weeks ago. Guzman is the 22nd-ranked prospect, and is splitting time at shortstop at Rookie-level Burlington. There's actually chatter that Matias could entirely skip; or at least have a truncated stop at, Omaha before the majors in 2020.

The signing period begins today, and will run through the first week of August.

2019 TOP PICK PROMOTED AFTER ONE WEEK

It was a short, but productive stay in Burlington for catcher Adley Rutschman, who hit .357 (10-for-29) in seven games, including three doubles, nine RBI, and four homeruns while throwing out three of seven baserunners. He was promoted to Single-A Lexington, where he'll get the lion's share of the playing time most likely.

Scouting director Lonnie Goldberg noted that this would likely be the only move for Rutschman this season; but predicted that he would make another move early next season, provided he continues to progress.

"He's the complete package," he said when interviewed alongside general manger Travis Greenleaf after the draft earlier this month. "His in-game acumen and leadership skills are second-to-none in this class. We hope, and expect, that he'll move pretty quickly through our system."

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

GENERAL MANAGER'S JUNE REPORT

AL CENTRAL STANDINGS

Chicago White Sox: 45-39
Cleveland Indians: 45-41
Kansas City Royals: 38-48
Minnesota Twins: 33-50
Detroit Tigers: 32-51

MAJOR TRANSACTIONS

We received a great offer on Trevor Rosenthal, and decided to jump on it quickly. The hope is that Tony Cingrani can help add a solid left-handed arm in the bullpen, as Tim Hill and Richard Lovelady have not worked out as hoped to this point, although both are still in the team's future plans. The other two minor league pitchers acquired, Mitchell White and Dennis Santana, provide quality depth to the system.

The first few weeks of this next month are critical in determining how the trade deadline strategy goes. If we rattle off eight of ten, or nine of twelve, it could put us squarely in the hunt, as currently I don't think we're in a realistic position for the playoffs.

MINOR LEAGUE AFFILIATE RECORDS

Omaha: 41-35 (T-2nd, PCL Amer. North)
NW Arkansas: 36-40 (3rd, Texas League North)
Wilmington: 44-30 (1st, Carolina League, Northern Division)
Lexington: 46-28 (1st, South Atlantic League, Southern Division)
K.C. DSL 1: 9-10 (T-5th, Boca Chica NW)
K.C. DSL 2: 11-7 (2nd, Boca Chica NW)

REPORTS FROM MINOR LEAGUE MANAGERS

There have been few reports of negative chemistry from the minor league managers, but the recent spate of losing from Northwest Arkansas has prompted some heated clubhouse arguments between players, especially more veteran players who feel they're not getting enough innings or at-bats, which could threaten their status with the organization. So far, manager Gerald Perry has kept things together, but I'd like him to come back next month with some better news on that front. Lexington manager Scott Thorman has also said that he hopes the recent promotion of Adley Rutschman brings a little bit of leadership to that club, although they're having a successful season to date without having a true "bellcow" type of player. Thorman seems to be a manager who would rather let his players self-police instead of micro-manage, which is nice to see.

The lower-level Dominican teams are harder to read. They're full of players from the ages of 17 to 21, so it's difficult to discern player leadership. We'll lean pretty heavily on the coaching staffs to provide discipline and order as needed, unless they can find players willing to take on a leadership-type of role.

PLAYERS OF THE MONTH - JUNE

Kansas City: Luis Cessa, RHP
With a 3-1 record and 1.85 ERA in thirty-four innings, Cessa took the team by surprise with a great June. He doesn't have eye-popping strikeout numbers, but he has been a nice find for us as a waiver-wire acquisition.

Omaha: Samir Duenez, 1B/DH
No one else came close in June. He hit .407/.476/.583 with nineteen runs scored, four homeruns, fourteen RBI, and fifteen walks in 108 PA. For the year, he's leading the PCL in hitting with a .376 BA.

NW Arkansas: Seuly Matias, OF
He hasn't been with the Naturals long, but the still-green 20-year-old Matias has already made a profound impact -- in 77 June plate appearances, he's slashing .324/.346/.514 with eight doubles, two homeruns, and ten RBI. Strikeouts are an issue, but if his homerun power comes around like it has at every other level, that problem is diminished somewhat.

Wilmington: Jace Vines, RHP
It wasn't quite the month he had in May, but Vines still had a solid month of June (3.52 ERA, 0.97 WHIP) despite going 2-3 to earn his second straight monthly award. He barely edged out first baseman Nick Pratto, who shrugged off a slow start to post a .309/.391/.447 slash in June.

Lexington: Kyle Hinton, RHP
Yet another pitcher to win a monthly award in back-to-back months, Hinton followed up his huge May with a great June, notching eleven saves in twelve chances (fifteen total June appearances). He fanned twenty-two hitters in sixteen innings, walking just three.

Royals DSL 1: Wilmin Candelario, SS
The 17-year-old Candelario, the Royals' second-ranked prospect and a top-20 overall prospect, slashed an absurd .346/.440/.526 with four doubles, two triples, and two homeruns with more walks than strikeouts (9/6); often playing against players several years older.

Royals DSL 2: Junior Matias, C
Stockily built at five-foot-ten and 175 pounds, Matias drilled six homeruns in 78 at-bats, driving in twenty runs with four doubles and a triple in June. He also has controlled the basepaths well, as only three baserunners have attempted to steal on him in seventeen games behind the dish.

Next month, we'll follow up with Burlington, Idaho Falls, and the Royals' Arizona League squads as they don't have enough games under their belts to properly suss out the players of the month.

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

KANSAS CITY ROYALS (38-48) @ PITTSBURGH PIRATES (46-38)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

07/02: RHP Trevor Oaks (8-4, 3.24) vs RHP Jameson Taillon (7-4, 4.02)
07/03: RHP Luis Cessa (6-4, 3.90) vs LHP Steven Brault (2-0, 2.96)

GAME RECAPS

July 2nd, 2019
Kansas City (39-48) 5, Pittsburgh (46-39) 3
Winner: Nathan Karns (1-2) Loser: Jameson Taillon (7-5) Save: Blake Treinen (7)

TREINEN, ROYALS HANG ON FOR VICTORY

Both starting pitchers were knocked out due to injury as the Royals came out on top with a 5-3 victory at Pittsburgh. Trevor Oaks left after just three and one-third innings with what was diagnosed as a sore elbow, but not before helping his own cause with an RBI double in the second inning, going 1-for-1 while also adding a sac bunt. Pittsburgh had to pull starter Jameson Taillon after just three innings; favoring his back, later being diagnosed with a back strain according to manager Clint Hurdle. Four Pirate relievers combined to allow just one earned run in relief, as the Royals did the vast majority of their damage against Taillon. Nathan Karns picked up the victory, going two and two-thirds scoreless, allowing just two hits and fanning four. Brett Phillips reached base four times, singling twice and walking twice, and driving in one.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Atlanta (45-39) 8, Baltimore (35-49) 1 (G1)
Atlanta (45-40) 4, Baltimore (36-49) 6 (G2)
LA Dodgers (51-36) 6, Texas (40-45) 8
NY Mets (52-32) 3, Tampa Bay (42-43) 2 (Final/10)
LA Angels (41-44) 9, Houston (49-37) 10
Seattle (37-50) 2, Oakland (41-45) 7
Detroit (32-52) 4, Chi. Sox (46-39) 8

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (39-48) 5, Pittsburgh (46-39) 3
NY Yankees (53-34) 10, Miami (35-49) 1
Minnesota (34-50) 9, Cincinnati (18-68) 6 (Final/12)
Boston (53-34) 4, Washington (45-41) 8
Toronto (40-45) 4, Philadelphia (42-45) 6
Colorado (56-31) 5, San Diego (38-48) 2
Cleveland (45-42) 8, Milwaukee (42-44) 9
St. Louis (52-34) 3, Arizona (43-42) 6
Chi. Cubs (52-33) 6, San Francisco (40-46) 1

July 3rd, 2019
Kansas City (40-48) 14, Pittsburgh (46-40) 2
Winner: Luis Cessa (7-4) Loser: Steven Brault (2-1) Save: None

KANSAS CITY OPENS UP BIG LEAD EARLY; COASTS TO WIN

With eight runs in the first three innings, including six in the first off starter Steven Brault, the Royals put it on cruise control the rest of the way in a 14-2 shellacking of Pittsburgh to sweep the short two-game road set with the Pirates. Jose Iglesias went 4-for-5, falling a triple short of the cycle and driving in three runs. Cheslor Cuthbert also drove in three runs, hitting a pair of doubles as part of a 3-for-5 day. In fact, every Royal who had an at-bat, except for one, had at least one hit (the lone exception being reliever Drew Muren, who grounded out in the ninth). Cuthbert's average now sits at .322, the highest mark since April 21st when he was hitting .323. Luis Cessa continues to impress as he went six innings, allowing eight hits and two earned runs, to go with three strikeouts. Brault allowed a whopping fourteen hits in three and two-third innings of work, including eight earned runs as he fell to 2-1 on the season.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Atlanta (45-41) 3, Baltimore (37-49) 6
LA Dodgers (52-36) 4, Texas (40-46) 2 (Final/10)
NY Mets (53-32) 3, Tampa Bay (42-44) 0
LA Angels (41-45) 3, Houston (50-37) 6
Seattle (38-50) 4, Oakland (41-46) 1
Detroit (33-52) 5, Chi. Sox (46-40) 0

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (40-48) 14, Pittsburgh (46-40) 2
NY Yankees (54-34) 9, Miami (35-50) 3
Minnesota (35-50) 9, Cincinnati (18-69) 2 (Final/10)
Boston (53-35) 5, Washington (46-41) 8
Toronto (41-45) 7, Philadelphia (42-46) 2
Colorado (57-31) 5, San Diego (38-49) 3
Cleveland (46-42) 6, Milwaukee (42-45) 1
St. Louis (53-34) 3, Arizona (43-43) 1
Chi. Cubs (53-33) 10, San Francisco (40-47) 5

MAJOR NEWS/INJURIES/TRANSACTIONS
07/02: Rockies lose closer Bryan Shaw with torn UCL, will miss rest of 2019 and most of 2020
07/03: Orioles ink top pick Bobby Witt, Jr., with $4.175M bonus
07/03: Pirates activate 3B Adrian Beltre from the disabled list
07/03: Reds OF Jesse Winker to miss five to six weeks with ankle sprain

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

SIX KEY PLAYERS WHO SHOULD BE TRADED, BUT WON'T
By Evan Jones, MLB.com

When the calendar turns to July, that means one thing in the baseball world -- trades! There have already been a few deals go down, with Trevor Rosenthal trading Royal blue for Dodger blue, and Scott Schebler getting moved from the mess in Cincinnati to Tampa Bay. For a variety of reasons, the players in this piece should be traded, but for one or two big, sticking-point reasons, likely won't be moved. They could be on veteran teams that expect to contend in 2020, or they are players that their current club feels they can re-sign this offseason, or strike an extension before season's end, to name some examples. There are also some instances where executives' hubris can get in the way of an inevitable rebuilding job, as they hang on to talented, but aging stars for one season too long chasing a playoff berth.

This article kicks off our coverage of the trading deadline, and the events that occur between now and then. MLB.com will be bringing you all the latest trade news, rumors, innuendos, whatever you want to call it; it will be here as the news breaks.

Nicholas Castellanos, Detroit: The 27-year-old Castellanos has seemingly been around forever; but at twenty-seven, he's become one of the more under-rated right-handed bats in the American League, and still really hasn't hit the prime years yet. Just two years ago, he was a 3.1 WAR player, leading the league in triples with ten and slashing .272/.320/.490 with twenty-six homeruns and over a hundred RBI. He's been dealing with injuries the last few seasons, but has been productive when healthy. However, with Miggy and Jordan Zimmermann's contracts hanging around the franchise's neck like an albatross, they need to start thinking about the future. It's certainly possible that Al Avila thinks that Castellanos could be a part of that, but they honestly aren't going to compete until those contracts are gone, which is still going to be a while, at least in Miggy's case. He was moved to the outfield to make room for Jeimer Candelario, but his best fit defensively is at third. At his age and recent production level, he should get tons of interest for either left field or third base should Avila make him available, even as a rental.

Zack Greinke, Arizona: The D-Backs are still in the playoff hunt, as they are 7.5 games back of the second wildcard spot. They've done their work this season largely without the 35-year-old veteran, as he's missed the last two months with a rotator cuff strain. He's supposed to return next week, but will likely take a detour to Reno to rehab for a couple of outings before returning to MLB duty. His price tag will be steep -- he's owed $64M over the next two seasons after this one, and GM Mike Hazen is probably going to have to eat a large chunk of that salary to move him. Even if that is what it takes, Arizona should bite the bullet and move him if they get a solid package of prospects. They have young pitchers in Cody Reed and Taylor Clarke that are big-league ready, and they'll need to free up some salary to bring back Paul Goldschmidt, who will be a free agent after this season; and some room for arbitration cases that are sure to come up in the offseason.

J.A. Happ, Texas: I know, I know, Happ just signed his most recent contract prior to this season with the Rangers, and he still has a year left after 2019. But the Rangers still have some money tied up in iffy contracts, and they're going to have to pay up in arbitration for Joey Gallo and Jurickson Profar; not to mention they're still on the hook for $4.8M of Mike Minor's salary as he pitches for the Blue Jays. Despite being thirty-six, Happ still holds a boatload of value in a trade, as he's 1) left-handed, and 2) his price tag is a bargain for his production ($19M through next season). The FIP- figure is a little troubling (87), but has managed to keep the ball in the ballpark for the most part (1.0 HR/9), and has ten quality starts out of eighteen.

Felix Hernandez, Seattle: there is a large caveat to King Felix, as he has 10/5 rights and can refuse any trade to any team. He's slated to earn a total of $27M in 2019, and even if the Mariners are willing to eat some of his remaining salary, it's likely not going to be enough to sway a savvy general manager. That said, his peripherals suggest he's not as awful as his 2019 surface numbers might say, as his FIP is three-quarters of a run lower than his 5.47 ERA, and his FIP- is 96, just barely below average. His defense around him is also not great, with a -16.4 defensive runs saved (ZR) mark, which puts those numbers into even better perspective. Problem is, there aren't a lot of teams with the werewithal to put up the capital in both prospects and/or cash to get him. The usual suspects in Houston, Boston, the Yankees, and Mets are in play, but that salary hit is a big one, especially for a rental. He might be better off waiting until the waiver deadline to get dealt.

Salvador Perez, Kansas City: He's enjoying a great, perhaps yet another Gold-Glove defensive season, but is having a horrid season at the plate with a .212/.255/.353 triple-slash. In his favor, he still mashes LHP to the tune of .291/.313/.582, which is why he continues to hold some value in the market. He's probably behind Realmuto and possibly Grandal in the catching market, but he's only guaranteed through the end of this season, in which after that has a team option for $13M over each of the next two seasons. There could be some value in holding on to Perez in the hopes of signing him to a cheaper deal while 2019 top pick Adley Rutschman develops over the next couple of seasons; and from a fan interest standpoint, it would be devastating to a city that sees him as one of the most beloved players in team history. On the other hand, they should trade him while he still has some residual value and continue to build up their farm system.

Joey Votto, Cincinnati: -- As a preface, I find it hard to believe that Votto will be anywhere other than Cincinnati this season; or the next, or the next one after that. He has a full no-trade clause, and there are few teams with the willingness, let alone the capital, to take on some or all of his remaining contract. That said, he'll turn thirty-six before the end of the season, and there have been multiple instances of clubhouse tension that first-year manager Sandy Alomar has yet to get under control. As the players' face of the franchise, Votto claims that the negativity hasn't gotten to him or anyone on the roster, but he's currently suffering through his worst season since his injury-riddled year in 2014 with a .223/.365/.426 line.

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

OAKLAND (41-46) @ KANSAS CITY ROYALS (40-48)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

07/04: RHP Yusmeiro Petit (3-3, 4.77) vs RHP Drew Smith (1-1, 4.02)
07/05: RHP Chris Bassitt (3-8, 5.93) vs LHP Danny Duffy (5-5, 3.55)
07/06: RHP Kendall Graveman (5-9, 5.77) vs RHP Jake Junis (5-5, 3.79)
07/07: RHP Andrew Triggs (5-5, 4.94) vs RHP Trevor Oaks (8-4, 3.30)

GAME RECAPS

July 4th, 2019
Oakland (42-46) 10, Kansas City (40-49) 5
Winner: Kaleb Fleck (3-1) Loser: Drew Smith (1-2) Save: None

BARRETO'S FOURTH OF JULY EXPLOSION

The Royals didn't have an answer for Franklin Barreto, who hit a pair of three-run homeruns in the Royals' 10-5 defeat to Oakland to kick off a key four-game series between the two wildcard contenders on Independence Day. Drew Smith slogged through his first poor start since being re-called from Omaha, allowing six runs in four innings, including a trio of homeruns to fall to 1-2 on the year. Oakland jumped out to a 4-0 lead early in the first, and kept adding to that lead before the Royals finally broke through in the fifth with a run, but not before Oakland's lead ballooned to 9-0. The Royals added one in the fifth, two in the sixth, and two in the eighth. Yusmeiro Petit got the start for Oakland, his first start of the season in an emergency role, but left after four and two-third innings with an arm injury.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
LA Angels (41-46) 3, Houston (51-37) 4
Oakland (42-46) 10, Kansas City (40-49) 5
Boston (54-35) 5, Minnesota (35-51) 2
Cleveland (46-43) 1, Seattle (39-50) 2

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Philadelphia (43-46) 10, Miami (35-51) 3
Chi. Cubs (53-34) 4, Colorado (58-31) 5
Atlanta (45-42) 6, Cincinnati (19-69) 7
LA Dodgers (52-37) 7, San Francisco (41-47) 8

July 5th, 2019
Oakland (42-47) 4, Kansas City (41-49) 5 (Final/10)
Winner: Josh Fields (5-3) Loser: Liam Hendriks (5-3) Save: None

WALK-OFF WALK WINS IT

Kansas City held a 4-3 lead going into the ninth, but Blake Treinen allowed a run to tie the game before sending into extra innings, where the Royals won it by a 5-4 count with a bases loaded walk from Ryan O'Hearn. Josh Fields picked up his fifth victory of the season out of the bullpen, pitching a perfect tenth with one strikeout. Aside from a three-run homerun from Matt Olson in the first, Danny Duffy pitched extremely well in allowing just three runs in six innings, fanning four and scattering three hits with just one walk. Peter Alonso was the offensive stalwart, hitting the go-ahead homerun in the fifth inning, a three-run blast off starter Chris Bassitt. He also added a single in the seventh and a pair of walks. Brett Phillips and Adalberto Mondesi also had two hits apiece; and even though he doubled in the sixth as part of a 1-for-5 day, Cheslor Cuthbert's streak of multi-hit games was snapped at six.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Oakland (42-47) 4, Kansas City (41-49) 5 (Final/10)
Texas (40-47) 1, Detroit (34-52) 3
Baltimore (37-50) 0, Tampa Bay (43-44) 12
San Diego (39-49) 2, Houston (51-38) 1
Boston (55-35) 3, Minnesota (35-52) 2
Arizona (44-43) 12, LA Angels (41-47) 5
NY Yankees (55-34) 9, Chi. Sox (46-41) 1
Cleveland (46-44) 5, Seattle (40-50) 7

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Milwaukee (43-45) 7, Pittsburgh (46-41) 1
Toronto (54-32) 4, NY Mets (54-32) 11
Philadelphia (44-46) 6, Miami (35-52) 3
Atlanta (45-43) 2, Cincinnati (20-69) 5
Washington (46-42) 2, St. Louis (54-34) 6
LA Dodgers (53-37) 9, San Francisco (41-48) 1
Chi. Cubs (54-34) 12, Colorado (58-32) 6

July 6th, 2019
Oakland (42-48) 1, Kansas City (42-49) 9
Winner: Jake Junis (6-5) Loser: Kendall Graveman (5-10) Save: None

GORDON, PHILLIPS POWER ROYALS VICTORY

Both Jake Junis and Adalberto Mondesi had to leave the game early with injuries, but the Royals received plenty of help elsewhere as they shellacked Oakland 9-1 to secure a split of the four-game home set. Alex Gordon and Brett Phillips each hit two-run homeruns, and Cheslor Cuthbert was 2-for-3 with a double and a pair of RBI. Junis picked up the victory, his 25th career win, by going five innings. He fanned four and scattered three hits before leaving with shoulder tightness.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Oakland (42-48) 1, Kansas City (42-49) 9
Texas (40-48) 3, Detroit (35-52) 4
Baltimore (38-50) 10, Tampa Bay (43-45) 2
San Diego (40-49) 4, Houston (51-39) 1
Boston (56-35) 15, Minnesota (35-53) 4
Arizona (45-43) 7, LA Angels (41-48) 5
NY Yankees (55-35) 3, Chi. Sox (47-41) 10
Cleveland (47-44) 5, Seattle (40-51) 4

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Milwaukee (44-45) 6, Pittsburgh (46-42) 2
Toronto (40-48) 7, NY Mets (55-32) 8
Philadelphia (44-47) 1, Miami (36-52) 2
Atlanta (46-43) 2, Cincinnati (20-70) 0
Washington (47-42) 5, St. Louis (54-35) 3
LA Dodgers (53-38) 3, San Francisco (42-48) 6
Chi. Cubs (55-34) 10, Colorado (58-33) 5

July 7th, 2019
Oakland (43-48) 9, Kansas City (42-50) 0
Winner: Daniel Mengden (3-1) Loser: Brad Keller (1-3) Save: None

OLSON OVERPOWERS ROYALS IN SHUTOUT LOSS

Matt Olson was 3-for-5 with a pair of homeruns, including a three-run bomb in the ninth for an exclamation point, as the A's knocked off the Royals 9-0 to salvage the series split. Brad Keller made his first start since being re-called for Trevor Oaks, and didn't fare well in allowing six runs over five innings, including giving up a trio of homeruns. The Royals collected just seven hits, with Ryan O'Hearn singling twice in four at-bats. Nicky Lopez went 1-for-3 with two walks and a stolen base as the Royals suffered their 50th defeat of 2019.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Oakland (43-48) 9, Kansas City (42-50) 0
Texas (41-48) 6, Detroit (35-53) 5
Baltimore (39-50) 3, Tampa Bay (43-46) 2 (Final/12)
San Diego (40-50) 3, Houston (52-39) 6
Boston (57-35) 10, Minnesota (35-54) 4
Arizona (46-43) 6, LA Angels (41-49) 5
NY Yankees (56-35) 8, Chi. Sox (47-42) 2
Cleveland (48-44) 7, Seattle (40-52) 2

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Milwaukee (45-45) 6, Pittsburgh (46-43) 4 (Final/10)
Toronto (41-48) 2, NY Mets (56-32) 10
Philadelphia (45-47) 3, Miami (36-53) 1
Atlanta (46-44) 3, Cincinnati (21-70) 6
Washington (48-42) 8, St. Louis (54-36) 4
LA Dodgers (53-39) 2, San Francisco (43-48) 5
Chi. Cubs (56-34) 13, Colorado (58-34) 2

MAJOR NEWS/INJURIES/TRANSACTIONS
07/05: Angels acquire Mark Trumbo from Baltimore for IF Alen Hanson and OF Derek Jenkins
07/05: Indians IF Jose Ramirez extends hitting streak to 20 games
07/05: Rockies RHP German Marquez out for rest of season with radial nerve compression in right elbow
07/05: Cardinals' Matt Carpenter has second surgery on thumb; will miss rest of season
07/06: Astros OF George Springer to miss additional week with sprained ankle
07/06: Yankees' Stanton, White Sox' Burr suspended three and seven games respectively

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

THE WEEK THAT WAS: JULY 8TH
Cuthbert, Duffy make first All-Star team; West named number-two prospect overall
By artoodeetoo
07/08/2019

07/07/2019: DUFFY, CUTHBERT LAND ON AL ALL-STAR SQUAD

The Royals will have a pair of first-timers heading to the Mid-Summer Classic this year, as Danny Duffy and Cheslor Cuthbert have been chosen to represent Kansas City. Shortstop Adalberto Mondesi was a candidate for a spot in the final vote, but finished third in that voting as Texas' Joey Gallo won the vote to get in with his AL-leading 32 homeruns. Mondesi is top-five in the American League in doubles (28) and steals (30).

The aforementioned Cuthbert is having a career season, ranking sixth overall in the American League in BA (.325) and eighth in RBI (71); while leading all AL third basemen in BA, OBP (.378), and is second only to Gallo in RBI at the position. His 116 total hits also leads all ML third basemen.

Duffy is eighth in the AL in ERA (3.59), while ranking third in innings (117 2/3), seventh in strikeouts (114), and fourth in WHIP (1.12).

07/06/2019: ROYALS HAVE NEW TOP PROSPECT

Baseball America has come out with their first post-draft re-rankings, and second-round pick (47th overall) Derek West has supplanted shortstop Wilmin Candelario as their top prospect. In fact, West has been ranked as the number-two prospect in all of baseball, behind only Antoine Kelly of Houston. Candelario fell roughly a dozen spots to 25th overall from the previous ranking last month.

The six-foot-five, 230-pound West has been dynamic in his first two professional starts with Burlington, the Royals' highest Rookie affiliate. In ten and one-third innings over two starts, he's fanned twelve with three walks and nine hits allowed with a 1.74 ERA. He pitched collegiately at the University of Pittsburgh.

The Royals landed only one other player in the top 100 (Brady Singer, 28th), but had six others in the top 200, with catcher Adley Rutschman (107th), outfielders Seuly Matias and Khalil Lee (108th, 117th), right-handed pitcher Cody Ponce (138th), catcher M.J. Melendez (143rd), and first baseman Peter Alonso (163rd), who is now with the Royals while still qualifying for prospect status with less than seventy-five days of MLB service.

07/05/2019: TOBAR, MURRAAS SIGN INTERNATIONAL DEALS

The first two international signings for the Royals have commenced, as they inked southpaw pitcher Michael Tobar and Venezuelan shortstop Celso Murraas to minor league deals, according to Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com.

Tobar was amongst the top twenty international free agents, signing for a $1.25 bonus. The six-foot-eight, 205-pound Tobar throws in the mid-90's with a five-pitch mix of a fastball, curveball, slider, changeup, and forkball, with four of those pitches (with the exception of the slider) expected to be above-average MLB offerings. He is still only seventeen until August 26th, so he is unlikely to pitch this season; but rather begin next season with the Royals' Dominican League club next summer.

Murraas, just sixteen, is a rangy shortstop that will probably fill out and move to third base down the road. He was ranked as the forty-eighth best international prospect according to Baseball America, so the Royals are off to a solid start in the international signing period. He was signed for $340,000.

07/03/2019: ROYALS PREPPING FOR INTERNATIONAL SIGNING PERIOD

Kansas City should have the full allotment of bonus pool money for this class, as they have been forced to be a little more conservative the past few years per MLB regulations, after going over the threshold in 2015 to get Seuly Matias and Jeison Guzman, with each of them now in the Royals' top thirty prospects.

Matias is ranked fifth and is in Double-A, where he's off to a fast start after being called up from High-A roughly two to three weeks ago. Guzman is the 22nd-ranked prospect, and is splitting time at shortstop at Rookie-level Burlington. There's actually chatter that Matias could entirely skip; or at least have a truncated stop at, Omaha before the majors in 2020.

The signing period begins today, and will run through the first week of August.

07/02/2019: 2019 TOP PICK PROMOTED AFTER ONE WEEK

It was a short, but productive stay in Burlington for catcher Adley Rutschman, who hit .357 (10-for-29) in seven games, including three doubles, nine RBI, and four homeruns while throwing out three of seven baserunners.

Scouting director Lonnie Goldberg noted that this would likely be the only and last move for Rutschman this season; but predicted that he would make another move early next season, provided he continues to progress.

"He's the complete package," he said when interviewed alongside general manger Travis Greenleaf after the draft earlier this month. "His in-game acumen and leadership skills are second-to-none in this class. We hope, and expect, that he'll move pretty quickly through our system."

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

2019 ALL-STAR TEAMS ANNOUNCED
Rosters include a record thirty-two first-timers
By Jason Frampton, MLB.com

The 2019 All-Star rosters were unveiled earlier this morning, roughly one week before the beginning of the All-Star Break. Boston led the way with five selections, but no other team had more than three. Both the Red Sox and Indians each had three players voted in as starters for the American League side, while the team with the best record in baseball, Colorado, had just two All-Stars in all with reserve third baseman Nolan Arenado and starting center fielder Charlie Blackmon.

Cleveland is barely above .500, and managed to get three players into the starting lineup (Francisco Lindor, A.J. Pollock, Yonder Alonso). Joey Gallo won the American League's final vote, with Gregory Polanco winning the final vote in the National League, edging out Atlanta's Freddie Freeman by less than 2,000 votes. Just 4,588 votes separated first place and third place in the American League vote, as Oakland first baseman Matt Olson finished second, and Kansas City shortstop Adalberto Mondesi finished third.

The game will be played on July 16th at Cleveland's Progressive Field, and the homerun derby will precede the game on July 15th. The rosters in full are below:

2019 MLB All-Star Game Rosters
American League		National League
Manager: Alex Cora, Boston		Manager: Dave Roberts, LA Dodgers
Pos	Starters	Pos	Starters
C	Gary Sanchez, NY Yankees	C	Buster Posey, San Francisco
1B	Yonder Alonso, Cleveland	1B	Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona
2B	Jose Altuve, Houston	2B	Joe Panik, San Francisco
3B	Josh Donaldson, Toronto	3B	Kris Bryant, Chi. Cubs
SS	Francisco Lindor, Cleveland	SS	Trea Turner, Washington
LF	Andrew Benintendi, Boston	LF	Michael Conforto, NY Mets
CF	A.J. Pollock, Cleveland	CF	Charlie Blackmon, Colorado
RF	Bryce Harper, Boston	RF	Wil Myers, San Diego
DH	J.D. Martinez, Boston	DH	Steven Souza Jr., Arizona
Pos	Pitchers & Reserves	Pos	Pitchers & Reserves
SP	Masahiro Tanaka, NY Yankees	SP	Jacob deGrom, NY Mets
SP	Danny Duffy, Kansas City	SP	Bryan Mitchell, San Diego
SP	Sean Manaea, Oakland	SP	Jose Quintana, Chi. Cubs
SP	Lance McCullers, Jr., Houston	SP	Robbie Ray, Arizona
SP	Shohei Ohtani, LA Angels	SP	Max Scherzer, Washington
SP	James Paxton, Seattle	SP	Noah Syndergaard, NY Mets
SP	Blake Snell, Tampa Bay	SP	Michael Wacha, St. Louis
RP	Diego Castillo, Tampa Bay	SP	Alex Wood, LA Dodgers
RP	Jandel Gustave, Houston	RP	Keone Kela, Pittsburgh
RP	Archie Bradley, Boston	RP	Kyle Barraclough, Miami
RP	Edwin Diaz, Seattle	RP	Zach Britton, Atlanta
RP	Ken Giles, Toronto	RP	Phil Maton, San Diego
RP	Roberto Osuna, Houston	RP	Andrew Miller, Chi. Cubs
C	Welington Castillo, Chi. Sox	RP	Anthony Swarzak, NY Mets
C	Jonathan Lucroy, LA Angels	C	Willson Contreras, Chi. Cubs
2B	Jose Ramirez, Cleveland	C	Francisco Mejia, San Diego
3B	Jeimer Candelario, Detroit	1B	Carlos Santana, Philadelphia
3B	Cheslor Cuthbert, Kansas City	1B	Joey Votto, Cincinnati
3B	Rafael Devers, Boston	3B	Manny Machado, LA Dodgers
3B	Joey Gallo, Texas	3B	Nolan Arenado, Colorado
OF	Nicky Delmonico, Chi. Sox	SS	Orlando Arcia, Milwaukee
OF	DJ Stewart, Baltimore	OF	Ian Happ, Chi. Cubs
OF	Byron Buxton, Minnesota	OF	Starling Marte, Pittsburgh
OF	Mike Trout, LA Angels	OF	Gregory Polanco, Pittsburgh
OF	Aaron Judge, NY Yankees	OF	Domingo Santana, Milwaukee

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

TRADE RUMORS: EAST DIVISIONS UPDATE
Red Sox, Mets look to add bullpen depth
07/08/2019
By MLB.com Staff

Boston may own the AL's best record, but they've managed to do with a pitching staff that's largely underachieved for most of the season. Archie Bradley and Brad Boxberger have been the only two consistently reliable relievers that the Sox have had in 2019 (thanks, JBJ!), and they'll likely be one of the more aggressive teams at the deadline. Bret Barberie, who took over for Dave Dombrowski as the team's top personnel decision-maker after he stepped down due to health issues post-2018, has stated that the Sox will need to make multiple moves to get better after July 31st, and that the bullpen is likely the top target. They also could be in the market for a starter, but they may end up leaning on a veteran rotation that got it done in the postseason last year on their way to a World Series title. --Evan Jones

With Scott Schebler already in hand from the Reds for outfield prospect Joe McCarthy, the Rays are looking to add more to make a run at the Indians for the second wildcard. According to the Tampa Bay Times, general manager Erik Neander is in the market for a catching upgrade or to deepen their bullpen. There are not a shortage of catching options, but they appear to be zeroing in on two main targets -- Miami's J.T. Realmuto and Texas' Yasmani Grandal. Grandal's Rangers are still in the hunt, just a few games back of the Rays, so it's unlikely at this point they'll be willing to deal their starting catcher, but Realmuto would be a good catch for the Rays. It will cost more in prospects and capital to pry him from the Marlins since he's controlled through 2020, but is a significant upgrade over both Kevin Plawecki and Jesus Sucre. --Brian Smith

Toronto has lost nine of their last ten, and has slipped out of the wildcard picture barring a late July run. GM Ross Atkins hasn't come out and stated it publicly (and won't until a trade actually happens), but it's assumed that Marcus Stroman is available, as he's received heavy interest in the right-hander in the past week according to the Toronto Sun. First baseman Justin Smoak is also a candidate to be moved, with first base prospect Rowdy Tellez destroying Triple-A right now. The Jays are also shopping infielder Devon Travis and Gold Glove outfielder Kevin Pillar, but they each have an additional year of control in 2020, and are less likely to be moved unless Atkins gets a deal he can't turn down. --Brian Smith

The Mets are hamstrung with bad contracts from Jay Bruce and Juan Lagares, as they have expressed interest in adding to their anemic outfield offense aside from Michael Conforto. Yoenis Cespedes and Bruce have dealt with injuries that have reduced them to pinch-hit and platoon roles; while Lagares, who still plays outstanding defense, is slashing .206/.281/.323 in 285 plate appearances. With that in mind, Sandy Alderson would be better off supplementing his strong starting rotation with some bullpen depth to help bridge the gap between the rotation and closer Anthony Swarzak. --Evan Jones

Washington manager Dave Martinez has said that getting outfielder Michael Brantley back from his hand injury is like "getting a big-timer" at the deadline, but they have a ways to go to catch the Dodgers, who are five games ahead of the Nats for the second wildcard position. Los Angeles already strengthened their pen with Trevor Rosenthal from the Royals, increasing the pressure on Mike Rizzo to make a move. Most of the bigger-name pitchers that might possibly be available for them are still on teams hanging around in playoff races, but there could be some moves to make in the meantime, such as upgrading the offense. The Nats need to upgrade the offense, especially at first base, where they are now relying on a platoon of Jose Marmolejos and veteran Ryan Zimmerman. A few players to watch for here would be the aforementioned Justin Smoak, and Justin Bour, who is currently with the Twins. Washington would also love to have either one of J.A. Happ or Danny Duffy, but are waiting for one or both of them to fall out of contention. --Jason Frampton

Teams are expressing interest in Miami second baseman Starlin Castro, but as a third baseman instead, according to the Miami Herald. St. Louis has shown the most interest in the wake of Matt Carpenter's injury setbacks that led to season-ending surgery on his thumb, but the Angels, Mets, and Yankees have also inquired with the Marlins' front office. Castro has a $16M team option for 2020, so there is little risk for an acquiring team; but the Marlins will likely not net a huge return for who will essentially be a rental player. --Evan Jones

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

KANSAS CITY ROYALS (42-50) @ TORONTO BLUE JAYS (41-48)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

07/08: RHP Luis Cessa (7-4, 3.84) vs RHP Marcus Stroman (5-7, 3.96)
07/09: RHP Drew Smith (1-2, 5.95) vs LHP Mike Minor (4-5, 4.38)
07/10: LHP Danny Duffy (5-5, 3.59) vs RHP David Paulino (3-9, 7.55)

GAME RECAPS

July 8th, 2019
Kansas City (43-50) 6, Toronto (41-49) 0
Winner: Luis Cessa (8-4) Loser: Marcus Stroman (5-8) Save: None

CESSA SPARKLES IN SHUTOUT VICTORY

Behind a complete-game shutout effort from Luis Cessa, the Royals rode a four-run first inning to coast to a 6-0 victory at Toronto. Cessa scattered seven hits with six strikeouts, and the only other baserunners he allowed were a pair of hit batsmen, with both of them being Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. Jose Iglesias was the Royals' offensive star, as he went 3-for-4 with a double, walk, and two stolen bases. Cheslor Cuthbert drove in a pair of runs, while Salvador Perez went 2-for-4 with a solo homerun, his 10th homerun of the season.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (43-50) 6, Toronto (41-49) 0
Milwaukee (46-45) 9, Detroit (35-54) 3
Baltimore (39-51) 4, Boston (58-35) 7
Oakland (43-49) 2, NY Yankees (57-35) 3
Chi. Sox (47-43) 1, Minnesota (36-54) 4
Texas (42-48) 7, Seattle (40-53) 3

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Cincinnati (22-70) 9, Philadelphia (45-48) 6
Washington (48-43) 1, NY Mets (57-32) 4
?Miami (36-54) 3, St. Louis (55-36) 8
Arizona (46-44) 1, LA Dodgers (54-39) 6
Pittsburgh (46-44) 3, Colorado (59-34) 10

July 9th, 2019
Kansas City (44-50) 14, Toronto (41-50) 4
Winner: Drew Smith (2-2) Loser: Mike Minor (4-6) Save: None

PHILLIPS' SIX RBI PACES SURGING ROYALS

Brett Phillips tripled twice (and nearly had a third), hit a sacrifice fly, and drove in a career-high six runs as the red-hot Royals pounded the struggling Blue Jays by a 14-4 count. Brian Goodwin hit his seventh homerun of the season, a three-run bomb off Mike Minor in the fourth for the Royals' other large dose of offense. In addition, Nicky Lopez had four hits, including an RBI double in the eighth, and Salvador Perez was 2-for-5 with a single and a solo homerun off Wade LeBlanc. Drew Smith picked up the victory, shrugging off a rough start in which he allowed two homeruns in the first two innings to go five innings. He scattered six hits and walked two while striking out four. Minor, a former Royals' reliever, allowed seven earned runs in four-plus innings. Once thought of as out of the race a few weeks ago, the Royals have risen to within five games of Cleveland and Chicago in the division.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Chi. Cubs (57-34) 4, Cleveland (48-45) 0
Kansas City (44-50) 14, Toronto (41-50) 4
Baltimore (39-52) 6, Boston (59-35) 7 (Final/11)
Milwaukee (47-45) 8, Detroit (35-55) 4
Oakland (43-50) 2, NY Yankees (58-35) 4
Houston (53-39) 6, LA Angels (41-50) 4
Chi. Sox (47-44) 3, Minnesota (37-54) 9
Texas (43-48) 8, Seattle (40-54) 7 (Final/12)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Tampa Bay (43-46) @ Atlanta (46-44) -- PPD, rain
Cincinnati (23-70) 7, Philadelphia (45-49) 2
Miami (36-55) 6, St. Louis (56-36) 8
Washington (49-43) 5, NY Mets (57-33) 4
Pittsburgh (47-44) 4, Colorado (59-35) 1
San Francisco (43-49) 3, San Diego (41-50) 6
Arizona (46-45) 2, LA Dodgers (55-39) 5

July 10th, 2019
Kansas City (45-50) 10, Toronto (41-51) 5 (Final/12)
Winner: Drew Muren (1-0) Loser: Ken Giles (2-2) Save: None

RED-HOT ROYALS SWEEP JAYS IN EXTRAS

With five runs in the 12th, the Royals doubled up the Jays 10-5 to pulled off their first road sweep of the 2019 season. Peter Alonso played the hero in the ninth, hitting the game-tying homerun off Ken Giles in the ninth. Drew Muren picked up the victory, his first MLB victory with two scoreless innings. Blake Treinen also tossed two scoreless frames in the ninth and tenth innings. First baseman Peter Alonso had four hits in the game as part of a 4-for-7 day, hitting his 11th homerun of the season and driving in three runs.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Chi. Cubs (57-35) 2, Cleveland (49-45) 8
Kansas City (45-50) 10, Toronto (41-51) 5 (Final/12)
Baltimore (39-53) 7, Boston (60-35) 8
Milwaukee (48-45) 5, Detroit (35-56) 3
Oakland (43-51) 3, NY Yankees (59-35) 7
Houston (54-39) 15, LA Angels (41-51) 6
Chi. Sox (48-44) 8, Minnesota (37-55) 2
Texas (44-48) 7, Seattle (40-55) 5

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Tampa Bay (43-47) 4, Atlanta (47-44) 6 (G1)
Tampa Bay (43-48) 7, Atlanta (48-44) 8 (G2)
Cincinnati (24-70) 8, Philadelphia (45-50) 2
Miami (36-56) 2, St. Louis (57-36) 3
Washington (49-44) 6, NY Mets (58-33) 7
Pittsburgh (47-45) 0, Colorado (60-35) 12
San Francisco (44-49) 4, San Diego (41-51) 2
Arizona (47-45) 3, LA Dodgers (55-40) 2

MAJOR NEWS/INJURIES/TRANSACTIONS
07/08: Twins' Bour, Cubs' Contreras win Players of the Week awards
07/08: Cubs LHP Cole Hamels to undergo surgery in Chicago tomorrow for shoulder; will miss rest of season
07/08: Betances, Yankees agree to two-year, $20M extension through 2021
07/09: Pirates RHP Joe Musgrove has shoulder surgery; will miss remainder of 2019
07/09: Oakland trades RHP Liam Hendriks to the Mets for 1B Gavin Garay and RHP Christian James
07/10: Atlanta's Inciarte's hit streak reaches twenty games

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

TRADE RUMORS: WEST DIVISIONS UPDATE
Oakland makes first move; could be first of several
07/11/2019
By MLB.com Staff

You would think season-ending injuries to pitchers German Marquez and Bryan Shaw in the last week would accelerate the timeline somewhat for Colorado to make a move before the deadline, but general manager Jeff Bridich isn't panicking. MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince reports that the Rox are going to continue to take their time evaluating players, and not to expect a deal prior to the All-Star break. With the recent signings of Nolan Arenado and Charlie Blackmon to major extensions, cash will be tight; and Bridich will likely have to get creative to strike a deal. --David LoPietro

Some teams are interested in Angels righty Alex Meyer, who has a 4.03 ERA and ninety-five strikeouts in 91 2/3 innings, but as a reliever, not a starter. The idea being that he can go two to three innings full-bore, bringing his upper-90's heat and devastating change and curveball. His issue has been walks, as he has issued fifty free passes. He could be a huge middle-innings weapon as a follow-up to a left-handed starter, or a spot starter that could give five good innings. His two-seamer has tons of late life, making life tough for hitters on the right side of the plate. RHB are hitting .211 against the six-foot-nine righty in 2019. --Jason Frampton

Oakland is now six games back in the wildcard, and have already unloaded closer Liam Hendriks to the Mets for a pair of prospects. Now it appears that starting pitcher Andrew Triggs may be next, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The Phillies, White Sox, and Red Sox have inquired about the 30-year-old righty, who has a 4.86 ERA and eighty-seven strikeouts in 100 innings of work. Teams have also inquired about ace Sean Manaea, but David Forst's asking price is understandably so high that they eventually gave up on trying, as Manaea is having a Cy Young-type year and has years of control left. The Hendriks trade could set off a cascade of deals from the A's, as standouts Khris Davis and Matt Wieters would likely be moved as well. --David LoPietro

The Dodgers have received both Corey Seager and Clayton Kershaw back from the disabled list earlier this month, so it's like getting two big-time players at the break. But what do the Dodgers do to improve the club? They've already acquired Trevor Rosenthal from Kansas City, and could stand to improve their bench or supplement their bullpen even further. Farhan Zaidi doesn't have a lot of capital in terms of prospects to give; and they already paid a pretty significant price to get Rosenthal, so they're going to have to think outside the box with any additional moves they make. --Jason Frampton

Houston ranks in the top five in most offensive categories in the American League, but that is where they are looking to improve the club. Sam Melton of the Houston Chronicle wrote in his latest piece that GM Jeff Luhnow is looking to add another bat, preferably a left-handed one, to the lineup. Melton also noted that the Astros might be willing to take on additional salary for any player they acquire, so they would be swimming in a pretty deep pool. The Astros are seemingly banking on veterans Collin McHugh and Justin Verlander, who have combined for a 4.51 ERA in 2019, to turn it on in the post-season. --Evan Jones

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

BIGGEST ALL-STAR SNUBS
MLB's homerun leader amongst those left off rosters
07/11/2019
By David LoPietro, MLB.com

Cody Bellinger, Los Angeles -- If it weren't for the rule stipulating each team has a representative, Bellinger would almost certainly be suiting up for the National League in Cleveland. Alas, Cincinnati's Joey Votto and Philadelphia's Carlos Santana took two spots on the roster, but a bunch of arguments could be made that he should have been on the team anyway. He leads the NL in homeruns (35), RBI (91), SLG (.690), OPS (1.070), and OPS+ (177), and also sports a solid .303 BA. He finished third in the NL's final vote behind Gregory Polanco and Freddie Freeman, as both fanbases put up an excellent campaign to get them voted in.

Freddie Freeman, Atlanta -- Freeman was narrowly leading the first base voting in the National League with just a few weeks prior to the announcement of the teams, but then lost out to Arizona's Paul Goldschmidt only to finish second in a close final vote to Gregory Polanco of Pittsburgh. His numbers aren't quite as good as Bellinger's, but he's on par or better than both Santana and certainly Votto, but who else on the Reds deserved to be in there?

Jon Lester, Chi. Cubs -- The 35-year-old southpaw is having one of his best seasons in recent memory, averaging over a strikeout per inning and posting a sub-1 WHIP (0.97), which he has never done before at this point in any season. His ERA (3.34) isn't as good as some of the others on the NL's staff, but it could be argued that he deserved a spot over Atlanta's Zach Britton, who is middle of the pack amongst closers in ERA, strikeouts, and WHIP, but the Braves needed a representative, and with a stacked first base field (hello, Cody Bellinger!), Britton got the nod.

Patrick Corbin, St. Louis -- He doesn't have flashy swing-and-miss numbers, which is the biggest reason why he didn't make the NL squad, but Corbin is enjoying a season that is on par or close with just about any other pitcher not named Noah Syndergaard. His 9-1 record is noteworthy, but he's managed to post a 2.91 ERA with an impressive 61.8 GB%, and nine double plays turned. It should also be noted that Corbin made the All-Star squad last season with the Diamondbacks with worse statistics, so it goes to show the relative strength of NL pitching in 2019.

Trevor Oaks, Kansas City -- His more well-known teammate, Danny Duffy, is going to represent Kansas City along with fellow first-timer Cheslor Cuthbert in Cleveland, but it can be argued that Alex Cora picked the wrong Royals' pitcher. Like with Corbin, Oaks doesn't wow you with big strikeout numbers, but sports some of the best command ability in baseball with just thirty-three walks in 221 1/3 MLB innings while improving on his GB% from 50.0% to 53.7%, and increasing his K/9 rate from 5.8 to 6.4 over last season. Oaks' stuff and velocity has always been a bit questionable, but he's also managed to drop his H/9 rate from 10.5 to 9.1 over 2018, and his ERA ranks second in the American League at 3.30.

Willie Calhoun, Texas -- The stocky outfielder got off to a screaming start, hitting fourteen homeruns through the first month and change of the season, if you count March games. His outfield mate that did make the squad, Nomar Mazara, is probably the better overall player when you thrown in defensive prowess, but you can also make the case that he should have been in over Mike Trout, who has been putting up mere mortal numbers this season (but still a very good season by most standards). Calhoun has a higher OPS, BA, thirteen more homeruns, has driven in seventeen more runs, and has scored eight more runs than has Trout in 2019.

Dellin Betances, NY Yankees -- In 44 1/3 innings, Betances has given up a ridiculous eighteen hits, including just one homerun. He's walked twenty-three, one of the few qualifying relievers in baseball to have more walks than hits allowed. While his ERA doesn't match up to some, like Diego Castillo or Jandel Gustave, he also ranks third amongst qualifying relievers in K/9 (14.7), and his 0.97 WHIP is tied for third-lowest.

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

KANSAS CITY ROYALS (45-50) @ SEATTLE MARINERS (40-56)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

07/12: RHP Jake Junis (6-5, 3.70) vs RHP Felix Hernandez (5-9, 5.69)
07/13: RHP Brad Keller (1-3, 6.90) vs RHP Dan Straily (3-12, 6.47)
07/14: RHP Luis Cessa (8-4, 3.51) vs LHP Angel Miranda (2-4, 6.24)

GAME RECAPS

July 12th, 2019
Kansas City (46-50) 3, Seattle (40-57) 2
Winner: Jake Junis (7-5) Loser: Ryan Garton (0-2) Save: Blake Treinen (8)

ROYALS RALLY FOR FOURTH STRAIGHT VICTORY

With single tallies in the seventh and eighth innings, the Royals turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 victory over Seattle at Safeco Field on Friday night. Peter Alonso doubled home a run off Dario Alvarez in the seventh, while Nicky Lopez brought home the game-clincher when he singled home Salvador Perez in the eighth after Perez doubled with two outs. Jake Junis picked up his seventh victory of the season, going seven strong innings while allowing just two earned runs with nine strikeouts and no walks. Cheslor Cuthbert was 3-for-5, and drove in the other Royals run in the fifth with a single. Seattle collected just six hits, with Mitch Haniger's four hits leading the way, including his 18th homerun of the season in the second inning off Junis. Blake Treinen worked a shaky ninth for the save, his eighth.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Baltimore (41-53) 5, Detroit (35-58) 4
Kansas City (46-50) 3, Seattle (40-57) 2
Oakland (43-52) 0, Boston (61-35) 13
Tampa Bay (43-50) 5, NY Yankees (61-35) 6
Chi. Sox (49-44) 3, Cleveland (49-46) 1
Toronto (41-53) 1, Minnesota (39-55) 6

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Washington (50-44) 4, Philadelphia (45-51) 2
Miami (37-57) 5, NY Mets (59-34) 2
Texas (45-49) 2, Colorado (61-35) 8
Pittsburgh (48-45) 6, LA Dodgers (56-41) 5 (Final/10)
Houston (54-41) 0, San Diego (42-52) 2
San Francisco (45-50) 0, Atlanta (49-44) 5
Milwaukee (48-46) 2, Chi. Cubs (58-35) 4
Cincinnati (24-72) 1, St. Louis (59-36) 4
LA Angels (43-51) 9, Arizona (47-47) 2

July 13th, 2019
Kansas City (47-50) 13, Seattle (40-58) 2
Winner: Brad Keller (2-3) Loser: Dan Straily (3-13) Save: None

BIG SECOND INNING PACES ROYALS FIFTH-STRAIGHT WIN

Dan Straily walked five straight Royals in the second inning, helping lead to eight runs as Billy Hamilton had a bases-loaded double in the inning, and that directly preceded Cheslor Cuthbert's two-run homerun to stake the Royals to an 8-0 lead as they coasted to a 13-2 victory. Despite just one strikeout in six and one-third innings of work, Brad Keller picked up the victory by allowing just two earned runs, scattering five hits but walking five. Brett Phillips continued his torrid stretch of play going 2-for-3 with three runs scored, two walks, and a three-run homerun, his seventh of the season. The Royals only collected ten hits, but took advantage of nine Seattle walks to win their fifth straight game. Seattle has now lost eight straight, and have fallen completely out of the playoff hunt in the span of a week.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Baltimore (42-53) 6, Detroit (35-59) 3
Kansas City (47-50) 13, Seattle (40-58) 2
Oakland (43-53) 3, Boston (62-35) 11
Tampa Bay (43-51) 6, NY Yankees (62-35) 7
Chi. Sox (49-45) 1, Cleveland (50-46) 4
Toronto (41-54) 5, Minnesota (40-55) 6

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Washington (50-45) 1, Philadelphia (46-51) 5
Miami (37-58) 2, NY Mets (60-34) 4
Texas (45-50) 2, Colorado (62-35) 6
Pittsburgh (48-46) 0, LA Dodgers (57-41) 4
Houston (54-42) 1, San Diego (43-52) 2
San Francisco (46-50) 6, Atlanta (49-45) 5
Milwaukee (48-47) 7, Chi. Cubs (59-35) 4
Cincinnati (24-73) 1, St. Louis (60-36) 4
LA Angels (44-51) 2, Arizona (47-48) 1

July 14th, 2019
Kansas City (48-50) 2, Seattle (40-59) 0
Winner: Trevor Oaks (9-4) Loser: Angel Miranda (2-5) Save: None

OAKS PHENOMENAL AS ROYALS END FIRST HALF ON HIGH NOTE

Coming off the disabled list to bump Luis Cessa's next start to Friday, Trevor Oaks fired his second shutout of the season; scattering six hits and three strikeouts with no walks as the Royals ended the season's first half on a high note, defeating Seattle 2-0. Cheslor Cuthbert doubled home a run in the third, and Adalberto Mondesi singled home a run in the fifth, both off Mariners starter Angel Miranda, who pitched a solid game of his own. Miranda fanned seven over seven innings, allowing just two runs on eight hits. Nicky Lopez collected three hits for the Royals, who now stand at 48-50 and just 2.5 games back of the Indians for the second wildcard spot, and just 3.5 games back of Chicago for the divisional lead.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Baltimore (43-53) 2, Detroit (35-60) 1
Kansas City (48-50) 2, Seattle (40-59) 0
Oakland (43-54) 6, Boston (63-35) 10
Tampa Bay (43-52) 2, NY Yankees (63-35) 6
Chi. Sox (50-45) 6, Cleveland (50-47) 4
Toronto (42-54) 10, Minnesota (40-56) 2

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
San Francisco (46-50) @ Atlanta (49-45) -- PPD
Washington (51-45) 5, Philadelphia (46-52) 2
Miami (37-59) 1, NY Mets (61-34) 5
Texas (45-51) 5, Colorado (63-35) 12
Pittsburgh (49-46) 4, LA Dodgers (57-42) 0
Houston (55-42) 5, San Diego (43-53) 4 (Final/10)
Milwaukee (48-48) 8, Chi. Cubs (60-35) 10
Cincinnati (25-73) 6, St. Louis (60-37) 3
LA Angels (44-52) 3, Arizona (48-48) 4

MAJOR NEWS/INJURIES/TRANSACTIONS
07/11: Mariners trade C Mike Zunino to Washington for IF Yolmer Sanchez and minor-league OF Eric Senior
07/11: Royals, Rangers strike deal to send SS Jose Iglesias to Texas for lefty Joe Palumbo
07/12: Top-5 international prospect, RHP Jorge Alvarado, signs with Toronto for $2.79M
07/12: Mariners RHP James Pazos to miss rest of 2019 and most of 2020 with torn UCL, will need TJ surgery
07/14: Jays' Drury, Twins' Shelby Miller suspended for five and six games, respectively after yesterday's fracas
07/14: White Sox, Rays make late-night deal, sending Chaz Roe and PTBNL to Chicago for minor-league pitchers Edinxon Arias and Andrew Perez

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

TRADE RUMORS: CENTRAL DIVISIONS UPDATE
Missouri squads ponder infield, bullpen decisions
07/15/2019
By MLB.com Staff

There have been a few trades that have gone down, with the Trevor Rosenthal trade from Kansas City to the Dodgers still the highest-profile deal to date. However, Mike Zunino to Washington on Thursday was a big surprise, as well as a late-night deal between the White Sox and Rays, with Chaz Roe going from Tampa to the the South Side, presumably to serve as the team's closer. With the first half in the books, expect the wheelin'-and-dealin' to begin for real once the All-Star Game is over. Here are the latest trade rumors and observations from MLB's Central divisions:

A CARDINAL CONCERN: With Matt Carpenter missing the rest of the regular season with a reaggravation of his elbow injury, the Cardinals are suddenly in the market for an infielder. It's still early in the month, but they've put out feelers to to Miami (Starlin Castro), Detroit (Nick Castellanos), and Seattle (Kyle Seager). Seager still has multiple years remaining on his contract, and it's unclear if Jerry Dipoto would be willing to deal one of his cornerstone players while he's still in his prime years. The most intriguing of the three is Castellanos, who hasn't played third base since 2017, but could easily re-make the transition if needed with his athleticism. It's also possible they move Paul DeJong from short to third, and look to acquire a shortstop, such as Freddy Galvis in Atlanta, or Colorado's Trevor Story, who has fallen out of favor in Denver. Both are huge upgrades defensively over DeJong, who fits better as a third baseman. --Evan Jones

RED-HOT ROYALS IN RACE: With an 11-2 start to July, Kansas City quickly went from on-the-fringe to legit contender. They sit just 2.5 games out of the wildcard; and more importantly, just 3.5 games behind the White Sox for the AL Central lead with a remarkably young roster. People may scoff at winning the AL Central as some sort of impressive feat, but the winner of the division will avoid playing at Boston or New York in the wildcard matchup, which is worth its weight in gold. Since the Royals have moved into contention, the talk around Danny Duffy being moved has ceased; and has transitioned to what they will do at the deadline to supplement the roster for the stretch run. The bullpen has improved since a terrible April, but they're still middle-of-the-pack in the AL, and near the bottom-third of bullpen units in baseball. Travis Greenleaf has been criticized for moving Trevor Rosenthal too early in the wake of this winning streak, but Rosie wasn't super-effective in his time with Kansas City anyway, sporting a 4.03 ERA with four blown saves in thirteen tries, and they got a pretty sweet return for him. The Royals get the Yankees (home) and White Sox (road) right out of the second-half gate; don't be shocked if there are one, possibly two new players in Royal blue by Friday to be ready in time for those two squads. --Jason Frampton

G.M. WILLIAMS HAS REDS FANS SEEING RED: Reds general manager Dick Williams is going through an all-time awful season, but much to the chagrin of Reds fans, he's been reluctant to make certain players available for dealing. Scott Schebler was expendable, as they have other left-handed bats in the lineup and he's probably not going to get much better at twenty-nine, but teams have blown up his phone lines regarding Luis Castillo, Zack Godley, and Jesse Winker (as he sits on the disabled list). The one player that could truly bring back a huge haul would be Joey Votto, but he's given zero indication that he'll waive his 10/5 rights. The cost of an acquiring team to get him would be astronomical, as he's still owed $100M after this season through 2023. With Paul Goldschmidt, Justin Smoak, and Justin Bour on the market, there are at least equal and cheaper options at first base for contending teams. --David LoPietro

ON THE FENCE IN THE STEEL CITY: With a four-game stretch at home against the Cubs to begin the second half, Pittsburgh could be in or out of the race by the end of that series. Pittsburgh has some solid pieces that could help a club, such as Keone Kela, Tony Sipp, and Felipe Vazquez, although the latter has a contract through 2023 (albeit, rather cheap). Corey Dickerson, Josh Harrison, and Adrian Beltre are also possibilities should the Pirates fall out of contention. That said, there isn't any indication from Neal Huntington that they plan to bow out of the race just yet. They've shown interest in starting pitching targets with Joe Musgrove out for the season, and could look to add to an already-strong pen in need of another right-handed arm. Pittsburgh has reportedly been interested in a pair of players for the outfield in Detroit's Nick Castellanos and Seattle's Mitch Haniger. --David LoPietro

TWINS STARING AT REBUILD: The names most closely associated with the Twins have been Michael Pineda and first baseman Justin Bour, but now with Paul Goldschmidt on the market, Bour will get pushed down the pecking order; and may go down further if Joey Votto enters the market, which is still highly unlikely. Closer Addison Reed has had eight straight scoreless outings, covering nine innings with a 15/1 K/BB ratio with a pair of saves. He has emerged as a bullpen target for a number of teams, including all three contenders in the AL Central in Chicago, Cleveland, and Kansas City. He's likely still a backup option for these teams, but as bigger names go off the board, look for Reed to become a hot-ticket item. Other acquisition possibilities out of the Twins' pen are veteran righties Sam Dyson and Trevor May. --Evan Jones

BREW CREW BEGINS TO TURN TO 2020: At 7.5 games back entering the break; and coming off a sweep at the hands of the Cubs, the Brewers seem to have begun the process of evaluating possible trade assets, according to the Milwaukee Sentinel-Journal. They have a number of potential targets, with closer Corey Knebel at the top of the list along with right-handed starter Jimmy Nelson and second baseman Jonathan Schoop. Milwaukee has also explored trading Ryan Braun, but he has a full no-trade clause, and he's still owed roughly $23M through next season before a potential team option would kick in for 2021. An underrated name to watch for -- right-hander Jacob Barnes. Barnes led the league in appearances last season with a whopping ninety-eight (81 1/3 IP), and allowing just ten homeruns while striking out ninety-six. He hasn't been as dominant against RHB as he was in 2018, but he's still sporting a .220 BAA in his career when it comes to right-handed hitters. If Knebel would cost too much to pry away, Barnes is a bit older and doesn't have quite the pure stuff that he does, but has comparable numbers over the last few years. --Jason Frampton

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

THE WEEK THAT WAS: JULY 8TH-14TH
Skaggs set to make first appearance on mound since September of 2018
By artoodeetoo
07/15/2019

07/10/2019: ROYALS SIGN TWO MORE INTERNATIONAL PROSPECTS

With the signings of Gerard Nicoletti and Leon Salinas, the Royals are now up to four international signings, and have been linked to several more. Nicoletti is a native of Italy, but was born in Venezuela to Italian parents and holds citizenship in both countries. The 16-year-old right-handed pitcher is already a pretty sturdy 170 pounds, and has a heater that sits in the high 80's, occasionally hitting 90 to 91.

Salinas is a light-hitting outfielder that profiles out to play centerfield throughout. He's already six-foot-one and 170 pounds, but needs to work on his swing that is a bit loopy and doesn't produce a ton of bat speed. Both were signed for $900K each.

07/11/2019: IGLESIAS TRADED TO TEXAS

On Thursday, the Royals shipped reserve infielder Jose Iglesias to the Rangers for minor-league pitcher Joe Palumbo. Iglesias was originally signed to serve as a starter this season, but ended up relegated to a reserve role when the team called second baseman Nicky Lopez up, shifting Adalberto Mondesi to shortstop.

Palumbo, now in his age-24 season, has spent some time in the majors, even as recently as this season. He allowed one earned run in one inning on April 13th at Houston, allowing two hits while walking two with no strikeouts. Since being drafted in the 30th round out of St. John the Baptist HS in West Islip, NY, he's amassed a 2.71 ERA in 258 minor-league innings.

He was added to the 40-man roster in place of Iglesias, and should expect to get an audition for next year's team in September. His arsenal includes a low-90's fastball, a curveball, and a changeup. His changeup is considered average by league standards, but his other two pitches are of well-above-average quality, especially his curveball.

07/14/2019: SKAGGS TO BEGIN REHAB ASSIGNMENT WITH DOUBLE-A

Tonight will be the first chance that Royals fans can get a look at Tyler Skaggs, whom the Royals acquired in a trade from the Angels for Burch Smith over the offseason in February. Skaggs suffered a torn UCL and underwent Tommy John surgery in September of last season, and was expected to miss a year or more.

However, he received a better prognosis in a mid-May checkup than team officials had hoped, and his timeline for return was moved up to the All-Star break instead of late September. He's expected to make a handful of starts in Double-A before being moved up to Triple-A, and the Royals are hopeful he can get some MLB innings out of the pen in September.