One Royal Way (OOTP 23)

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World Series: Game 5

Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago White Sox
Nov 4, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Los Angeles Dodgers (3-2)	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	3	5	0
Chicago White Sox (2-3)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
W: Clayton Kershaw L: Lucas Giolito S: Blake Treinen

It was a defining performance. A legacy-defining performance, one that will go on and be the latest touchstone in a career that seems destined for the Hall of Fame someday. It could also be his last in the Blue & White, as he's destined to hit the free agent market this offseason.

With the Dodgers needing a win in the always-key Game 5, Clayton Kershaw came through in what might be his last start with L.A., going 7 1/3 shutout innings as the Dodgers moved to within one game of their second Fall Classic title in three years.

He allowed just three hits, struck out nine, and looked nothing like the pitcher that has struggled for much of this past season.

"No matter what you want to say about that guy, he just takes the ball every fifth day and gives 100%," said Dodger manager Dave Roberts. "He'll be the first to tell you it hasn't been a great year for him, but the postseason is a different animal. He's been big for us when it counts."

Battling hip soreness, Lucas Giolito battled with Kershaw nearly pitch-for-pitch, but couldn't get through the seventh. He allowed three earned runs over 6 1/3 innings, striking out six with a couple of walks.

"He's a warrior, that's all I can say about that," said manager Tony La Russa. "He told me this morning that he wanted the ball, and was going to give everything he had because he knew who was in the other dugout opposing him."

Chicago will look to send the series to seven games by sending Michael Kopech to the mound when the series heads back to L.A. for Game 6. Tyler Anderson is the projected Los Angeles starter for Sunday night's matchup.

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MLB News (11/05)

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Re: One Royal Way (OOTP 23)

Royal Rumblings

By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | November 5th, 2022

Four Royals Named Gold Glove Finalists: A quartet of Royals have been named as American League Gold Glove finalists -- pitcher Brady Singer, catcher Salvador Perez, shortstop Nicky Lopez, and third baseman Bobby Witt, Jr.

It's the first time being named a finalist for Singer and Witt Jr., the second time for Lopez, and the ninth time for Perez, who has won five Gold Gloves for his work behind the plate in his career. However, his last one came in 2018.

Lopez appears to be a pretty strong candidate to win the Gold Glove at shortstop, although a rash of poor play down the stretch might be what costs him the award. He's also played approximately 300 fewer innings at the position than the other two finalists, Carlos Correa of Minnesota and rookie Jeremy Pena of Houston.

Only Correa has a better ZR number (19.4) than Lopez's 17.7 amongst qualifying AL shortstops, and Correa's EFF is only .0012 higher than Nicky's 1.117.

Former Royal Michael A. Taylor, who was traded away before the deadline in early August, was named as a finalist in center field as a member of the Blue Jays.

Below are the positions and the three finalists for each one. This particular award will be announced on November 16th:

AL PITCHER: Tanner Houck, Boston; Brady Singer, Kansas City; Michael Wacha, Boston

AL CATCHER: Sean Murphy, Oakland; Salvador Perez, Kansas City; Mike Zunino, Tampa Bay

AL FIRST BASE: Ji-man Choi, Tampa Bay; Ty France, Seattle; Ryan Mountcastle, Baltimore

AL SECOND BASE: Nick Allen, Oakland; DJ LeMahieu, New York; Tyler Wade, Los Angeles

AL THIRD BASE: Matt Chapman, Toronto; Gio Urshela, Minnesota; Bobby Witt, Jr., Kansas City

AL SHORTSTOP: Carlos Correa, Minnesota; Nicky Lopez, Kansas City; Jeremy Pena, Houston

AL LEFT FIELD: Randy Arozarena, Tampa Bay; Austin Hays, Baltimore; Steven Kwan, Cleveland

AL CENTER FIELD: Byron Buxton, Minnesota; Cristian Pache, Oakland; Michael A. Taylor, Toronto

AL RIGHT FIELD: Aaron Judge, New York; Max Kepler, Minnesota; Kyle Tucker, Houston

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World Series: Game 6

Chicago White Sox at Los Angeles Dodgers
Nov 6, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Chicago White Sox (2-4)	1	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	1	5	8	1
Los Angeles Dodgers (4-2)	0	0	5	2	1	0	1	0	X	9	12	0
W: Tyler Anderson L: Michael Kopech S: None

For the second time in the last three years, the Dodgers hoisted the World Series trophy on their home field. Trea Turner drove in four runs on four hits to pace L.A.'s offensive attack as they capped off another superb season with a 9-5 victory in Game 6.

The Dodger shortstop was honored with World Series MVP honors. Asked how it feels to be a champion, Turner was to the point.

"It feels great, like a million bucks. I'm so happy right now, not just for me but for all the guys," he said. "We put a lot of work into this and deserve to be champions."

Los Angeles starter Tyler Anderson wasn't great, allowing four earned runs through six innings. But he was better than Michael Kopech, who was knocked around for five runs through just 2 2/3 innings.

He was brilliant in his first two playoff starts -- 14 innings, twenty-one strikeouts, just four earned runs. But in two World Series starts, he allowed six earned runs over 7 1/3 innings.

The team is planning a victory parade and fan appreciation day later in the week; while the White Sox head home AL champions, but nothing more after that.

"Guys are holding their heads up, but it's tough," said manager Tony La Russa, who has a pretty big decision to make in the coming weeks. "They had a great season regardless of this result, but you don't know when you'll get back here again. That can gnaw at you."

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2022-23 Offseason Preview (11/08)

2023 Payroll Outlook

By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | November 8th, 2022

With the World Series now in the rearview mirror, all 30 teams can now solely focus on the 2022-23 offseason. The Royals don't have any mutual, player, or team options for the upcoming season, so this will be just about the guaranteed contracts (hint: not very much), and the arbitration-eligible players.

This is an absolutely huge offseason for John Sherman. He has a new president of baseball operations, new GM, new manager, and most of the coaching staff is in place already. He has several young, budding stars in Bobby Witt Jr, Nick Pratto, Vinnie Pasquantino, and M.J. Melendez. Salvador Perez is back after another 120+ OPS+ season. Brady Singer showed flashes of being a #1-type pitcher most times out in the second half of the season.

GUARANTEED CONTRACTS
Salvador Perez -- $20 million
Hunter Dozier -- $7.25 million

The Royals actually have very little in the way of guaranteed money for 2023, as Perez and Dozier comprise just $27.25 million to the 2023 payroll. Gone are the contracts of Michael A. Taylor and Whit Merrifield, which freed up about $12 million. They entered the year with a roughly $90 million payroll, and even if ownership decides to not raise the ceiling on that for 2023, there should still be enough money to improve the ball club thanks to the aforementioned savings.

They could free up additional cash by non-tendering some arbitration-eligible players. JaCoby Jones, Ryan O'Hearn, and Cam Gallagher seem like likely candidates.

ARBITRATION (ESTIMATED)
Brad Keller -- $6.5 million
Adalberto Mondesi -- $3.4 million
Nicky Lopez -- $5 million
Scott Barlow -- $4.4 million
Cam Gallagher -- $1.6 million
JaCoby Jones -- $1.3 million
Josh Staumont -- $1.1 million
Ryan O'Hearn -- $1 million
Colin Poche -- $1 million

Even if every single arbitration-eligible player signs for the above estimate, plus the fifteen other players that would comprise the active roster at the 2023 league minimum of $720,000 each, that still puts the Royals at only about $66 million -- well below last year's $90 million payroll to begin the season.

Taking all of that into account, that's enough room to make some serious upgrades to the roster, either via trade or free agency. Two years out from the end of the 2020 season, ballpark revenues are clearly up from that year, and based on attendance figures vis-a-vis 2021 and 2022, the money should be there.

What's also interesting is that the new pre-arbitration pool kicks in for this offseason, as each team will get an equal share of $1.66 million out of the general revenue fund to spend as they see fit, with the only stipulation being it must be spent on players that have not yet reached arbitration.

The clubs are under no obligation to spend any of the money; but will still count towards the total payroll for each team for CBT purposes, so it doesn't make any sense to not use the money since it's already baked in. It can be split evenly between all non-arbitration players, or one player of such status could get all the money. It's up to each team.

Bobby Witt, Jr., figures to get the lion's share of that, but other young players like M.J. Melendez, Vinnie Pasquantino, Brady Singer, and Nick Pratto could also be in line for a little pay bump as they head into next season.

TEAM NEEDS
1. Outfield
2. Bullpen
3. Rotation
4. Second base

I've said it for a while, but the Royals' top priority should be shoring up their outfield, specifically in center if they can manage it. Unfortunately, this is a pretty weak market if you're looking for a CF -- Manny Margot, Kike Hernandez, and Kevin Kiermaier are your best bets at this point if you want to go the FA route. Jackie Bradley, Jr., is also a potential name to make a note of, but is a black hole offensively at this point in his career, and his defense declined pretty precipitously this year.

They could also use a more consistent right-handed bat to pair with Kyle Isbel in one of the corners. We all had pretty high hopes for Edward Olivares, but he really struggled down the stretch, and ended the season with an OPS of .540 (52 OPS+, yikes!) Dozier could also be a nice OF option against lefties, especially if the Royals upgrade center field through free agency or trade.

Colin Poche is a nice start in the bullpen, but I'd like to see them add another veteran arm or two, even if they are minor league free agents to start out, as they can push some of the younger arms. Thankfully, unlike the outfield market, the pitching market is pretty deep, so they can afford to take their time.

After that, any additional resources could be used to pursue an upgrade at the keystone, but I think with Michael Massey waiting in the wings down in Omaha; and Ernie Clement and Maikel Garcia already getting time at the major league level, it's pretty clearly down the list.

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Notable Option Decisions (11/08 -- 11/11)

TEAM OPTIONS DECLINED (ALL BUYOUTS $0 UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)
Orioles: Trey Mancini, Jordan Lyles
Rays: Kevin Kiermaier
White Sox: Lance Lynn, Josh Harrison, Dallas Keuchel
Twins: Chris Archer, Dylan Bundy, Sonny Gray, Miguel Sano
Angels: Whit Merrifield ($750,000 buyout)
Athletics: Elvis Andrus, Stephen Piscotty
Rangers: Kole Calhoun
Mariners: Chris Flexen
Astros: Pedro Baez
Braves: Charlie Morton, Travis d'Arnaud, Will Smith
Marlins: Anthony Bass
Mets: Taijuan Walker
Phillies: Aaron Nola
Nationals: Nelson Cruz
Cubs: Drew Smyly, Jonathan Villar
Reds: Tommy Pham
Brewers: Kolten Wong, Brad Boxberger
Diamondbacks: Ian Kennedy, Ken Giles, Rougned Odor, Zach Davies
Rockies: Scott Oberg
Dodgers: Justin Turner, Daniel Hudson, Hanser Alberto
Padres: Wil Myers, Robert Suarez
Giants: Evan Longoria

TEAM OPTIONS EXERCISED
Yankees: Luis Severino ($15,000,000)
Mets: Carlos Carrasco ($14,000,000)
Phillies: Jean Segura ($17,000,000)
Pirates: Dan Vogelbach ($1,500,000)
Dodgers: Max Muncy ($13,000,000), Blake Treinen ($8,000,000)

PLAYER OPTIONS DECLINED
White Sox: AJ Pollock
Yankees: Anthony Rizzo
Cubs: Mychal Givens

PLAYER OPTIONS EXERCISED
Tigers: Andrew Chafin, Jonathan Schoop
Astros: Justin Verlander, Jake Odorizzi
Rockies: Charlie Blackmon
Dodgers: Trevor Bauer

CONTRACT OPT-INS
Red Sox: Chris Sale (through 2024)
Marlins: Jorge Soler (through 2024)
Padres: Eric Hosmer (through 2025), Nick Martinez (through 2025)

CONTRACT OPT-OUTS
Red Sox: Xander Bogaerts
Twins: Carlos Correa
Mets: Jacob deGrom
Giants: Carlos Rodon

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Arbitration Period -- Week 1 (11/12 -- 11/15)

NOTABLE TRADES
November 12th -- Mets trade C Jose Marcano to the Yankees for RHP Jimmy Cordero

NOTABLE COACHING/F.O. CHANGES
November 12th -- Royals fire pitching coach Cal Eldred
November 12th -- Mariners take interim tag off Chris Peters; is now full-time GM
November 13th -- Joe Espada hired as new Houston skipper; Gary Pettis named bench coach
November 14th -- Arizona hires Cleveland assistant GM James Harris as new GM
November 15th -- Toronto hires former Philadelphia GM, Brewers assistant Matt Klentak as GM

NOTABLE EXTENSIONS
Marlins: Brian Anderson (1-year, $6.6 million)
Tigers: Austin Meadows (1-year, $7 million)
Guardians: Shane Bieber (1-year, $20 million)
Yankees: Gleyber Torres (1-year, $7.9 million); Jordan Montgomery (1-year, $12.1 million)
Red Sox: Alex Verdugo (2-year, $17.3 million)
Twins: Chris Paddack (2-year, $13.54 million); Gio Urshela (3-year, $46 million)
Brewers: Rowdy Tellez (2-year, $12.54 million); Hunter Renfroe (2-year, $19.2 million); Brandon Woodruff (1-year, $17.8 million)
Cardinals: Tyler O'Neill (2-year, $15.2 million); Gio Gallegos (1-year, $7.9 million); Harrison Bader (1-year, $8.4 million)
Rangers: Mitch Garver (2-year, $20.5 million)
Rays: Francisco Mejia (2-year, $11.42 million)
Dodgers: Julio Urias (2-year, $27.7 million); Cody Bellinger (1-year, $23.6 million)
Mariners: Jesse Winker (3-year, $43.4 million)
Angels: Taylor Ward (3-year, $12.78 million); Shohei Ohtani (1-year, $19.8 million)
Padres: Jake Cronenworth (3-year, $20 million)
Mets: Pete Alonso (3-year, $37.6 million)
Giants: Thairo Estrada (3-year, $17.16 million); Logan Webb (1-year, $7.8 million)
Astros: Yordan Alvarez (3-year, $33.5 million)
Royals: Brady Singer (4-year, $14 million); Nicky Lopez (3-year, $17.5 million)
Athletics: Frankie Montas (1-year, $7.8 million)

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Arbitration Period -- Week 2 (11/16 -- 11/22)

NOTABLE TRADES
November 21st -- Dodgers acquire RHP Montana DuRapau from the Cubs in exchange for OF Damon Keith

NOTABLE COACHING/F.O. CHANGES
November 16th -- Mets promote bench coach Glenn Sherlock to manager; hires Eric Chavez as bench coach
November 18th -- Toronto hires White Sox third base coach Joe McEwing as manager, signs four-year contract
November 20th -- Rick Renteria signs as Braves manager; inks five-year deal

NOTABLE EXTENSIONS
None.

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Arbitration Period -- Week 3 (11/23 -- 11/30)

QUALIFYING OFFERS ($18.9 MILLION)
Xander Bogaerts, Boston -- Rejected
Anthony Rizzo, New York -- Rejected
Joey Gallo, New York -- Rejected
Corey Kluber, Tampa Bay -- Accepted
Lance Lynn, Chi. Sox -- Rejected
Carlos Correa, Minnesota -- Rejected
Michael Brantley, Houston -- Rejected
Edwin Diaz, NY Mets -- Accepted
Chris Bassitt, NY Mets -- Rejected
Jacob deGrom, NY Mets -- Rejected
Josh Bell, Washington -- Rejected
Justin Turner, LA Dodgers -- Rejected
Joe Musgrove, San Diego -- Rejected
Mike Clevinger, San Diego -- Accepted
Brandon Belt, San Francisco -- Rejected
Matt Boyd, San Francisco -- Rejected
Carlos Rodon, San Francisco -- Rejected

NOT OFFERED ARBITRATION; HEADING TO FREE AGENCY
Anthony Santander, Baltimore; Jeimer Candelario, Detroit; Amed Rosario, Miami; J.D. Davis, NY Mets; Eric Lauer, Milwaukee; Brent Suter, Milwaukee; Adrian Houser, Milwaukee; Ryan Yarbrough, St. Louis

NOTABLES HEADING TO ARBITRATION
Luis Castillo, Reds; Tyler Mahle, Reds; Juan Soto, Nationals; Tyler Glasnow, Rays; Luke Voit, Blue Jays; Franmil Reyes, Guardians; Dominic Smith, Mets; Adrian Morejon, Padres

NOTABLE TRADES
November 24th -- Arizona trades RHP Blake Workman to Cleveland for RHP Xzavion Curry
November 25th -- Royals trade C Cam Gallagher to San Diego for OF Brent Rooker

NOTABLE COACHING/F.O. CHANGES
November 28th -- White Sox hires John Farrell as manager; signs four-year deal

NOTABLE EXTENSIONS
Royals: Scott Barlow (1-year, $4.15 million); Brad Keller (1-year, $6.2 million)
Blue Jays: Matt Chapman (2-year, $30.8 million); Teoscar Hernandez (2-year, $25.4 million); Bo Bichette (3-year, $35.2 million)

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Offseason Report #1 (12/12)

Offseason Report #1

By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | December 12th, 2022

We're almost a few weeks into the offseason, but already the Royals have made a couple of minor moves, signing outfielder Travis Blankenhorn and first baseman Bobby Bradley to minor league deals, both with invites to spring training.

Bradley especially is quality depth, given that he's a bit younger than previous first base reserve Ryan O'Hearn (26 vs 29), and even in a limited amount of plate appearances for the Guardians last year, still put up a respectable .776 OPS, which came out to an OPS+ of 113. His wOBA was also a few ticks higher than his actual OBP (.332 vs .318).

They also added to their bullpen depth with veteran Adam Cimber, a soft-tossing sinker-slider type that has historically been very tough on right-handed hitters. He signed a one-year deal for roughly $1.4 million, and figures to be in the mix for a bullpen role.

Staff Close To Finalized: The Royals have nearly finalized their 2023 coaching staff with the additions of Alex Liddi as third-base coach, Mike Tosar as hitting coach, and the promotion of Dane Johnson from Triple-A Omaha to take over as the Royals' pitching coach.

They join first base coach Louis Boyd. Only the bench coach spot formerly occupied by Pedro Grifol remains unfilled on the major league staff. GM Travis Greenleaf has said in recent interviews they hope to have the job filled by the end of the Winter Meetings later this month.

All three are holdovers from the previous regime, but Johnson in particular is credited with helping Daniel Lynch, Kris Bubic, and Brady Singer turn things around, and Liddi is a former Mariners farmhand that is familiar with new manager Kristopher Negron. Liddi, 34, was the manager for the Arizona Complex Gold squad last season that went 22-30 and finished sixth in their division.

Pitching the primary concern? Greenleaf, who had the interim tag removed from him earlier late last month, has stated in interviews over the past few weeks that they're looking 'very heavily' at upgrading the pitching staff, which isn't surprising given they were bottom-ten in all three pitching categories (total ERA, FIP, strikeouts) last season.

The back end of the bullpen should be pretty good with Scott Barlow closing games, but there are some question marks after that -- where does Dylan Coleman slot in? Adam Cimber is pretty useless against lefties, and Colin Poche is a mystery until he can get through a season completely healthy. And honestly, I wouldn't rule out upgrading the closer's role if one can be had.

I'm a bit more bullish on the starting pitching -- I wouldn't rule out a return from Zack Greinke, but most projections have the Royals moving on from him. Brady Singer is likely the Opening Day starter, with Brad Keller a good number-two behind him. After that, some combination of Angel Zerpa, Daniel Lynch, Kris Bubic, and Jonathan Bowlan will likely compete for the third through fifth roles along with a veteran or two.

There's also solid depth in the minors, as well. Carlos Hernandez and Zach Haake both logged service time with the parent club in 2022, and figure into the mix again this year. He's not on the 40-man roster now, but Ronald Bolanos is also still a possibility as someone with previous MLB experience. Still others such as Alec Marsh, Austin Cox, and Drew Parrish figure in as potential non-roster invitees that could surprise.

Aside from a potential reunion with Zack Greinke, no other names have been speculated, but the aforementioned Winter Meetings is where a lot of conversations start to take place.

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Offseason Report #2 (Winter Meetings, 12/23)

Offseason Report #2 -- Winter Meetings

By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | December 23rd, 2022

Another Winter Meetings have gone by, and while the Royals didn't feature very prominently, they did make one minor move -- they traded infielder Emmanuel Rivera to the Braves for former pitching prospect Victor Vodnik. Vodnik's star has fallen in recent years, but he's still just twenty-three and a pretty nice return for Rivera.

Aside from that, all the headlines came from other teams -- the biggest news was Xander Bogaerts signing with the Brewers on a three-year contract worth nearly $71 million. Closer to home, Brandon Belt and Tyler Mahle are now Twins, with Belt inking a two-year deal worth $42 million, and Mahle was acquired from the Reds for three prospects -- Spencer Steer, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and Steven Hajjar.

The White Sox also made an intra-divisional move, trading prospect Sean Burke away for Spencer Turnbull, likely not feeling very well about the prospects of bringing Lance Lynn back despite giving him a qualifying offer.

Former Royal Eric Hosmer is also on the move, as he was traded to the Red Sox along with a pair of young prospects for lefty Jay Groome, as the Padres continue to clear their books. Wil Myers' option was not picked up earlier in the year, clearing additional payroll from A.J. Preller's club. They're also rumored to be shopping Jurickson Profar.

Rule 5 Draft Takes Place Tonight: The last item on the docket for the Winter Meetings is the Rule 5 Draft, which did not take place last year as a result of the lockout. The Royals have heavily utilized the Rule 5 in previous years (hello, Joakim Soria and Brad Keller!), but it's unclear how the new staff will utilize it.

Some notable unprotecteds include outfielder Brewer Hicklen, who was on the major league roster most of last season; infielder Jeison Guzman, righty Yefri Del Rosario, catcher Sebastian Rivero, and lefty Emilio Marquez.

The latter has become a kind of cult figure in Royals' minor league discussions in recent years, as the dimunitive 5-foot-7 lefty reminds some of Tim Collins, who was a pretty solid reliever for the Royals back in the early 2010's.

In a brief stint with Double-A at the end of 2022, Marquez struck out fifteen in just 6 2/3 innings, allowing five hits and three walks (no runs!). He's not a hard thrower, as he sits in the low 90's.

However, he throws a plus-slider and changeup with about two feet of drop, which is his out pitch. Not only is his 33% strikeout rate impressive, his career walk rate is also outstanding, with a 5.8% rate across 208 career minor league frames.

Royals Announce McMillon As Bench Coach: As expected, the Royals have completed their 2023 coaching staff by announcing the hiring of former big leaguer Billy McMillon has Kristopher Negron's bench coach.

The 50-year-old was a long-time manager in the Red Sox minor league system, managing four different affiliates throughout his time there, including the Pawtucket (now Worcester) Red Sox in Triple-A in 2019 and 2021, before taking last year off.

Kansas City also filled their open Triple-A pitching coach slot with John Habyan, who coached the Columbia Fireflies in Single-A last year. Derrick Lewis, who is the Double-A coach, reportedly declined the promotion before it was given to Habyan.

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Offseason Report #3 (01/07/23)

Offseason Report #3

By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | January 7th, 2023

Even though nothing major happened for the Royals outside of the Emmanuel Rivera trade during the Winter Meetings, often times the groundwork is laid for moves in the days and weeks after they end. Well, while the Royals' slow offseason has continued into the new year, the hot stove has not cooled off a bit -- Juan Soto and Josh Hader were both landed by the Padres in blockbuster deals.

CJ Abrams, Robert Hassell III, and Mackenzie Gore, along with James Wood, are headed to the Nationals in exchange for Soto, who is awaiting an arbitration hearing next month. A few days after that, Hader was acquired from the Brewers for righty Dinelson Lamet, minor league pitcher Robert Gasser, and former Royals farmhand Esteury Ruiz. Hader was signed for $23 million earlier in the offseason to avoid arbitration by the Brewers.

It was also a massive week for the Yankees, inking two of the top five available free agents to huge contracts -- Jacob deGrom signed for $71 million over the next two seasons, while Carlos Correa signed for $86.2 million through 2025. I'd have to put the Yanks as the betting favorite at this point to come out of the AL for the World Series.

It'll cost the Yankees in draft capital, however, as they're now down their third and fourth-round selections in the 2023 draft.

Speaking of that -- the Royals will be selecting 10th overall in the upcoming draft to be held at the All-Star break. The lottery was held on the final night of the Winter Meetings, with the results announced several days later.

Kansas City finished tied for the seventh-worst record in the league with Arizona, and by virtue of losing the tiebreaker with them this season, the Royals had the eighth-best odds of winning a lottery slot with a 5.5% chance of getting their name drawn.

However, the Royals didn't win a slot, as the Phillies ended up with the top slot, followed by Oakland and Detroit. Arizona was fourth, with Cincinnati and Seatttle fifth and sixth. The Diamondbacks also have the third-overall selection, left over from last season after not signing Elijah Green with the second-overall pick this past draft.

The biggest loser was Colorado, who would have picked fourth under the old system, but will now pick ninth. Kansas City follows them with the tenth selection. Oakland was the big winner, now picking second after finishing with the 10th-worst record. They had a 1.8% chance of making it into the top six.

Why has it been so slow? With the biggest pitching name now off the market, we should start seeing some more movement on the starter front. Carlos Rodon just recently signed with the Braves, but there's still a lot of viable names out there in a deep starting class, so I don't harbor a lot of fear that the Royals can't get someone if they're truly interested and willing to put resources there.

That said, Jacob deGrom is in a league of his own right now, so he may not be a fair comparison as he was far and away the most desired (and best) free agent starter on the market. Others like Lance Lynn, Chris Bassitt, Matt Boyd, and Joe Musgrove are B-plus, A-minus-type starters, and would headline a class in any other year except for this one.

Even with the deep class of pitching, the above quintet is still not a pool that they'll likely swim in -- at least not yet. Reasonable targets would appear to be some like Sean Manaea, Joe Ross, or even Clayton Kershaw, who had a rough year by his standards in 2022, but still put up pretty respectable peripherals in his age-34 season.

More Draft News: It was also announced that the Royals would be receiving a Competitive Balance pick near the end of the 'A' round of the 2023 Draft. Cincinnati, Colorado, Seattle, Arizona, Detroit, Oakland, and Baltimore also received compensatory picks for Round A.

Round B selections were handed out to Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Miami, Milwaukee, Minnesota, and San Diego.

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Offseason Report #4 (01/15)

Offseason Report #4

By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | January 15th, 2023

We're about six weeks out since the beginning of free agency, but the Royals have finally entered into the offseason with a bit of a head-scratching move -- signing veteran second baseman Adam Frazier to a three-year, $33 million deal. The third year is a team option that is worth $12.3 million that could be bought out for $2.6 million, so the guaranteed dollars are $25.3 million if they decline the 2025 option.

Full disclosure -- I don't completely hate the signing, I just think it's a weird fit for the price. The Royals needed another lefty bat, but a power bat would have made more sense.

The Red Sox were also reportedly interested in him, and I think that drove the price up (they ended up signing Rougned Odor a few days later). Now, it's possible that they reached out to Whit Merrifield and were rebuffed, but I would have rather brought him back; he signed with the White Sox for about $8 million for next season a few weeks ago. Frazier is coming off a pretty poor season (86 OPS+, 0.8 WAR), and is now on the wrong side of 30.

Obviously, it begs the question -- what do the Royals do with Michael Massey now? To me, this signing seems like they're hedging their bets a little on him. Frazier does offer a little bit of positional versatility -- he can play some in the outfield, as well as at second base. If Massey comes up, hits in the spring, and makes the team, then it's possible that could push Frazier into one of the two corner outfield spots, where he's played in the past.

There's still a while to go until the season starts, but if this is the 'big' move of the offseason, color me profoundly disappointed. Second base was a need, but it was a low-B or even C-level need going in, mainly due to having a semi-decent regular already on the roster with Ernie Clement, and then Massey waiting in the wings.

Greinke Decides To Retire: Any other week, this would have been the major story, but the other major news of the past week is that Zack Greinke has decided to call it a career rather suddenly. He's the top-rated starting pitcher by both fWAR and rWAR that was still left on the market, but reportedly his market was lagging behind others lower on the list.

This was discussed several times throughout the season; that it wouldn't be a surprise if he just up and decides to just end his career without much notice. What makes it a little bit surprising is that there wasn't much interest in him. He can still clearly pitch, as evidenced by the numbers. The lack of strikeouts are a legitimate concern, but as far as pitchability, he's still at the top of his game, even at 39.

Later in the season, we'll dive a little deeper into his Royals career in its totality, mainly to see if he's Royals HoF-worthy. It's much more certain that his overall career is HoF-worthy, however, even without a World Series ring to his ledger.

[artoodeetoo]

Offseason Report #5 (01/30)

Offseason Report #5

By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | January 30th, 2023

On the heels of signing Adam Frazier a few weeks ago, the Royals have entered the trade market, dealing away four players to grab outfielder Bryan De La Cruz and pitcher Jesus Luzardo from the Marlins. Three pitchers and an outfielder were among the departing players, including Jonathan Bowlan, who made a handful of appearances, including a few starts for the Royals last year. Lefty Austin Cox and righty Alec Marsh are the other two hurlers included, along with outfielder Seuly Matias, once thought to be a potential Opening Day player by this season.

Jason McLeod and his front office are getting plenty of kudos both locally and nationally for this move, but I'm not quite as sold on this trade because 1) not one, but two franchises couldn't iron out Luzardo's issues as a starter, and 2) De La Cruz was roughly a league-average bat in his age-25 season last year. Right now, it's a B- trade mainly because both players have roughly eight seasons of control between them, and they're both still young (Luzardo 25, De La Cruz now 26). If even one of them turns out to be a 2-3 WAR player annually, then it's a successful trade. If both meet or exceed that, it could go down as one of the more consequential trades in team history, on par with the Zack Greinke trade of 2010.

If I had to pick which one hits, it would be De La Cruz as his game is tailor-made for the K -- a high-contact, low-strikeout guy that should rack up 35-plus doubles, and probably 12-15 homeruns per season. That's not star-level, but it's certainly comparable to Andrew Benintendi, who is a good, solid MLB player. My expectations aren't as high for Luzardo, who has number-one stuff, but has had an on-again, off-again relationship with his command plus some documented minor maturity issues. This past season was the first season he spent mainly in the bullpen; and while he still had control issues (5.3 BB/9), his strikeouts jumped and pitched to a 3.52 ERA out of the pen, including an even better 3.10 SIERA.

The price seems pretty steep, as the three prospects were the 10th, 15th, and 27th-ranked prospects in their system, plus a solid young player in Bowlan. However, we have no idea how this front office values these prospects -- it's possible that outside of the very few at the top of the prospect list, this regime will value things differently than Dayton Moore, J.J. Picollo, et al did the last 15+ years. It's fair to quibble about trading away MLB-ready pitching, but De La Cruz is a legit offensive improvement in the outfield with four-plus years of control, and Luzardo is still just twenty-five with multiple years of control beyond 2023. Even if he ends up as a lock-down reliever in the eighth inning, or even as a closer, that's still a pretty high floor.

Royals Finalize International Class: The Royals have finalized their 2022 international signing class. The amounts listed below comprise the entire pool of $6,262,600, which was the max that the Royals could go up to without incurring penalties. There were six other prospects signed that did not meet the minimum bonus of $10,000 to be counted towards the bonus amount; those names will be released at a later time.

The headliner was Edwin Rodriguez, who according to scouting director Cesar Geronimo, will likely start out in Single or High-A beginning this season, due to being several years older than your typical signee. He signed for $2.37 million, which is not a club record, but it is a club record for a Cuban player. He was the 28th-ranked player on MLB.com's Top 60 International Prospect rankings. Florie was signed for $1.5 million, which is the highest bonus ever given to a Dutch player since the advent of the international signing period.

In addition, the Royals have already got a jump on the 2023 class in the last few weeks, reaching tentative agreements with Dominican pitcher Ramon Rosales and Australian pitcher/infielder Carlo deGruchy. The terms of those deals haven't been disclosed. The 2023 international period runs from January 15th through December 15th, with the final rankings released around the beginning of July.

2022 SIGNING CLASS: OF Edwin Rodriguez (MLB.com #28) -- $2.37M; RHP Jelle Florie -- $1.5M; RHP Vinny Hoyos -- $0.5M; IF Edgar Melgar -- $0.18M; IF Mario Mojica -- $0.35M; IF Jerry Vela -- $0.45M; IF Daniel Tavares -- $0.375M; OF Ruben Lagos -- $0.225M; RHP Alex Armas -- $0.175M; OF Anthony Gilbert -- $0.0626M; OF Felix Caro -- $0.075M

[artoodeetoo]

Offseason Report #6 (02/15)

Offseason Report #6

By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | February 15th, 2023

What was once a pretty slow offseason for the Royals has heated up considerably over the past month and change. The latest deal from several days ago brings over outfielder Drew Waters and another pair of minor leaguers from the Braves in exchange for the 40th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. The pick is the Royals' Competitive Balance Round A selection, and effectively gives the Braves an additional first-round pick to replace the third-rounder lost when they signed Carlos Rodon earlier in the winter.

Jason McLeod and his front office deserve some kudos if this is the last significant move of the offseason. The outfield was addressed in a major way, both offensively and defensively. There are some questions with Waters' bat, but he's more than athletic and skilled enough defensively to cancel out any offensive deficiencies within reason. De La Cruz could slot in either corner spot, as he has the range and arm for either left or right.

One might wonder why the Braves would part with Waters since he plays a premium defensive position and has six years of team control, but they have a near MLB-ready guy in Michael Harris II who might be an even better CF prospect at this point. In 185 plate appearances with the Braves last year, Waters still managed to post a .693 OPS (93 OPS+), which isn't a terrible number. That will play well there -- given that the rest of the young Royals' lineup continues to show improvement into their second seasons. As mentioned earlier, they also get an additional first-rounder in a deeper draft over 2022.

I'm less thrilled with the pitching acquisitions, although I'm willing to give Dane Johnson a chance with Jesus Luzardo as a starter to see if he can unlock anything that two previous franchises couldn't. At the very worst, he'll give the Royals a solid southpaw bullpen option. I'd also like to see the Royals continue to throw some numbers at the bullpen as the offseason winds down. Colin Poche has health question marks, and Adam Cimber is a guy who'll face mainly righties. There's also still a pretty solid contingent of starters out there that are B/C-level players that they could take a flier on.

There's also the weird fit with Adam Frazier, although his positional versatility could allow the Royals to move him around the diamond, and even in the outfield. When that deal was first announced for three years, I was immediately pretty dismayed. When it was later confirmed that the third year was a team option, I became a little more bullish on the signing, but the $2.6 million buyout of that year is kinda steep -- that's around 20% of the 2025 figure of $12.3 million.

More Players Begin To Arrive In Camp: Pitchers and catchers reported last week, but a few of the position players have started to trickle in to Surprise, Ariz., as the spring heats up. A few of the notable veterans that have reported are Hunter Dozier, Nicky Lopez, and Adam Frazier. First basemen Nick Pratto and Vinnie Pasquantino are expected to arrive in the next few days, while new acquisitions Bryan De La Cruz and Waters are slated to be in by the end of the week.

The Royals currently have five catchers in camp, but only two of them are on the 40-man roster (Salvador Perez, MJ Melendez). Sebastian Rivero, Logan Porter, and Freddy Fermin are the other catchers that will be in camp and competing for a roster spot.

**NOTE** This will be the last offseason report, as we'll move into more team-centric spring training coverage over the next handful of weeks. We'll still bring you any transactions that occur up until the beginning of the regular season.