Talkin Royals

The starting pitching for the Royals was as dominant as it could be. Entering the offseason, the team aimed to bring back right-hander Michael Wacha. Many fans were concerned that the 33-year-old would test the free agent market. The front office made it a priority to keep the veteran in Kansas City for an extended period. “There’s no question we’d like to have him back,” General Manager J.J. Picollo said. “How we go about that, I’m not sure just yet. … There are reasons to be optimistic. He pitched very well this year, and he’s going to have opportunities with other clubs. So we’ll work on that.” Wacha also expressed his desire to remain with the Royals, though he was uncertain about his future. “I haven’t really thought too much about it,” he said. “I’ve expressed to these guys how much I enjoy being here and want to be back. I guess when that time comes, we’ll handle it then, but I’m not really thinking too much about it right now.” Wacha joined the team last season on a two-year de...

The Royals have just wrapped up an incredible postseason run, and with the offseason approaching, Kansas City faces critical decisions regarding their pitching staff. One player who has been a topic of discussion is right-hander Brady Singer, who has emerged as a potential trade candidate. Last offseason, Singer's name was linked to teams such as the Reds and the Rangers, with Texas being the most notable. Singer has two years of arbitration remaining, including the upcoming season. While he has been a solid contributor throughout his career, his performance has not been stellar. Despite the trade rumors, it seems unlikely that he possesses the trade value necessary for the Royals to secure a desirable return. Over 127 games, Singer holds a career ERA of 4.28, with one playoff appearance from the bullpen against the Yankees, during which he struck out Aaron Judge. At 28 years old, Singer has maintained relative health, missing only one start due to illness, which was ag...

Following the departure of Eric Hosmer, the Royals have been searching for a long-term replacement at first base. The team brought in several short-term solutions, including Lucas Duda, Ryan O'Hearn, and Carlos Santana. After the Santana era ended, it seemed they had found a potential successor in Nick Pratto. However, that may not be the case. During the 2022 season, the Royals traded first baseman Carlos Santana to the Mariners, opening the door for 11th-round draft pick Vinnie Pasquantino to take over the position. Pasquantino didn’t simply inherit the role; he had to earn it. Pratto had an impressive spring training in 2024, but the Royals ultimately decided to go with Pasquantino. Toward the end of spring training, manager Matt Quatraro explained the decision: "Nick had a phenomenal spring. It was just a bit of a logjam. He can do other things and play in the outfield, but right now, that opportunity is not there. He did everything he could possibly do this sp...

The world was in absolute shock when it was revealed that four planes were hijacked by the terrorist organization al Qaeda on September 11, 2001. At that time, the 2001 Kansas City Royals were not having a stellar season, having lost 97 games and trailing 24.5 games behind the division-leading Cleveland Indians (now Guardians). Remarkably, just over twenty years later, the Royals would again finish with 97 losses in the 2022 season. On September 11, 2001, the Royals were not scheduled to play. Their last game before the attacks had been against the Texas Rangers in Arlington on September 9, which they lost 3-4. Despite not playing on the day of the attacks, the events undoubtedly reverberated through the baseball community. Sports often help bring Americans together after tragic events, and baseball was no exception. The MLB season resumed on September 17, with the New York Yankees playing against the Chicago White Sox and the Mets facing the Pittsburgh Pirates. Yankees man...

Teams sometimes let players go after they struggle in their uniform, and the Kansas City Royals did just that with first baseman Ryan O'Hearn in 2022. Fans often grew frustrated watching him at the plate, and despite his promising start, O'Hearn's performance in his first five years with the Royals was underwhelming. Kansas City drafted O'Hearn in the eighth round of the 2014 MLB Draft. During his minor league career, he showcased his power with 120 home runs. The Royals and their fans hoped he could translate this success to the big leagues, but unfortunately, his performance didn't meet expectations. O'Hearn managed to stay with the Royals longer than many fans anticipated, playing a total of 342 games. Over his time in Kansas City, he accumulated 210 hits, 99 RBIs, and 38 home runs. Although his major league numbers were not stellar, his rookie season was a bright spot. In 44 games, O'Hearn hit 12 home runs and drove in 30 runs. The following ...

The Kansas City Royals have bolstered their outfield depth by adding Tommy Pham and Robbie Grossman, both of whom bring valuable experience as the team eyes a return to the playoffs. Pham was claimed off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals, while Grossman, a switch-hitting outfielder, was acquired from the Texas Rangers. Notably, both players began the season with the Chicago White Sox before being moved. Grossman, unlike Pham, has the added benefit of World Series experience, having been a part of the Rangers' recent championship team. While neither Pham nor Grossman is expected to be an everyday player, they each offer unique strengths. The 34-year-old Grossman, for example, has posted a respectable .227 batting average in 70 games this season and can contribute from both sides of the plate, potentially earning him more playing time than Pham. Manager Matt Quatraro may decide to rotate Pham and Grossman based on the opposing pitcher, especially since Kansas City has ...

The Kansas City Royals were active during the trade deadline, making several deals with the White Sox and Athletics. However, even with the deadline behind them, the Royals aren’t finished adding to their roster. Despite failing to acquire veteran outfielder Tommy Pham from the White Sox at the deadline, Kansas City persisted and ultimately landed the 36-year-old after continued pursuit. The addition of Pham, in my opinion, is somewhat perplexing. Pham has shown signs of decline recently, but the Royals believe he still has something to offer as they aim to make a push for October. Earlier this season, Pham signed a minor league deal with the White Sox before being traded to the Cardinals in a three-team deal involving the Dodgers. St. Louis hoped Pham could provide a spark off the bench, with the team stating, "One thing we are super excited about with Tommy is just the fact that we have a long history with him. Whenever he goes to a new place, he performs really well...

The Royals over the years have worn patches on their uniforms to remember tragic periods in American history including 9/11 and more. Kansas City in 2007 was stunned after learning that local teenager Kelsey Smith was abducted and murdered. The Royals wore light blue ribbons on their wrists in remembrance of the 18-year old after former manager Buddy Bell spoke to the Smith family.  Many Kansas Cityians remember the Kelsey Smith case well after the story of her abduction hit the local media and national media. On June 2, Smith was shopping at her local Target in Overland Park, KS looking for a picture frame for her boyfriend John Biersmith. While at Target, Smith's killer followed her throughout the store after noticing her at the jewelry counter. While Smith was in the checkout line, her abductor ran to his vehicle to grab his gun and waited for her to leave the store to grab her. The 18-year old was unable to fight off the kidnapper and was forced into her vehicle and...

Since the departure of Whit Merrifield, the Kansas City Royals have struggled to find a long-term replacement at second base. Although Merrifield has been gone for just two seasons, the team has faced challenges in securing a dependable option for the position. Over this period, the Royals have experimented with various players, including Nicky Lopez, Chris Owings, and Nick Loftin. Despite being part of the 2022 and 2023 rosters, Massey has not been able to firmly establish himself at the position, due to ongoing competition from other players. In the most recent offseason, the Royals added Adam Frazier and Garrett Hampson to their roster. While these additions were not intended to replace Massey, they were meant to provide depth. General Manager J.J. Picollo explained the strategy: “He’s a player we’ve had a lot of interest in over the last couple of years, and when we thought about the offseason, we were thinking about how we need to put a team together and what we need. ...

Kansas City's front office continues to add to the team. The offense, for the most part, has been alright this season aside from Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez. Manager Matt Quatraro has tried multiple players in the leadoff spot, including Adam Frazier, Maikel Garcia, and Garrett Hampson. Despite Garcia's struggles, I believe he will return to form before October. In my opinion, Frazier has been the best of the three, but not by much, with a batting average of .197 as of late. Although Garcia and Hampson have better numbers than Frazier, neither one has been able to get the ball rolling at the top of the lineup. Kansas City decided enough was enough with the lack of production from the top of the order and struck a deal with the White Sox for veteran shortstop Paul DeJong. Chicago had brought in DeJong on a one-year deal worth $1.75 million plus incentives. The White Sox are a dumpster fire this season, clearly in a rebuild phase, but it wasn't supposed to b...

Kansas City has made significant strides this season to field a competitive team every night. The Royals' rotation is solid, with both Lugo and Ragans leading the pack. JJ Picollo made moves to improve the bullpen with the additions of Will Smith, Chris Stratton, and John Schreiber. However, aside from Schreiber, the bullpen has been inconsistent. Before the trade deadline, Picollo was looking to add an outfielder and a bullpen arm. The team struck its first deal with the Rangers to acquire pitcher Michael Lorenzen. Lorenzen is an upgrade over Alec Marsh, but it's unclear if he will be in the rotation or the bullpen. Shortly after acquiring Lorenzen, the Royals made a trade with Oakland for lefthander Lucas Erceg. Erceg is a great addition to the bullpen now and for years to come. Erceg is under team control until 2030 and isn't a financial burden. Although Erceg has years of team control, he's no spring chicken. The 29-year-old has a year and a half of big ...

era of 3.81 with a win-loss record of 5 and 6. The righthander has the ability to go deep into games, almost hitting 200 innings on the season. Lorenzen isn't a financial burden for the Royals. The Rangers brought the 32-year old to Texas on a one-year deal worth $4.5 million dollars guaranteed. The deal can max out at $7 million with incentives. Lorenzen has plenty of pitches at his disposal, seven. The seven pitches include: fourseamer sinker changeup slider cutter curveball sweeper The righthander doesn't rely on one pitch more than the others, he likes to mix it up. Kansas City in my opinion may have given up a little more than they should have for a rental player. What did the team give up? The Royals have decided to part ways with lefthander Walter Pennington. Many fans and likely the team had high hopes for the 26-year old. Pennington had made his major league debut on July 5th against his home team in the Rockies. Following the lefthander's debut, the te...

This past offseason Kansas City has shown they were willing to move on from struggling players, even if their defense is some of the best in the majors. Baseball for years has been a league where if you can't hit, you're out of a big league job.  The Royals under JJ Picollo have had shorter leashes on players. With that being said, Kyle Isbel's time in a Royals uniform may be running out. Fortunately for Isbel, Kansas City's Triple-A outfield depth is very thin other than Nick Pratto in terms of players that have pop in their bats. Aside from Pratto, the only outfielder in Omaha with big league experience is Drew Waters. Waters has been a disappointment to say the least. Waters came to Kansas City via trade with the Braves back in 2022 for the 35th pick for that year's draft.  Even with good play in Omaha, that doesn't mean a player is one flight away from returning to Kansas City. That's right, Nick Pratto. Pratto at this point in his career has...

Kansas City's rotation has been one of the best in the Major Leagues this season, with Seth Lugo standing out in particular. During the past offseason, the Royals made bolstering their rotation a top priority. Kansas City's front office successfully signed both Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha to strengthen their starting five. General Manager J.J. Picollo's ability to lure Lugo from the Padres to Kansas City was particularly impressive. Since the beginning of his career with the Mets, Lugo had always aspired to be a regular member of a team's rotation. However, opportunities in New York were limited due to the presence of stellar arms such as Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, and Noah Syndergaard. Following his departure from the Mets, Lugo secured a starting role with the Padres, where he performed admirably with a 3.57 ERA and 140 strikeouts. Opting out of his deal with the Friars, Lugo joined the Royals, and since arriving in the Midwest, he has been a puzzle for op...

The boys in blue made a splash to bolster the bullpen, minutes after President Trump was nearly shot at during a rally in Pennsylvania (pierced the President's ear).  Kansas City's bullpen up to this point had been struggling, primarily at the closer’s role. The team started the season with Will Smith as the team's shutdown guy. Smith lost his job as the closer after blowing multiple save opportunities. The front office struck a trade with Washington on Saturday to acquire closer Hunter Harvey. Kansas City's farm system entering the season was considered weak, but despite the depleted system, the Royals were able to acquire right-hander Hunter Harvey for third baseman Cayden Wallace and Competitive Balance Round A pick 39. Harvey was a former first round selection by the Orioles. Harvey's journey to the US Capitol was thanks to a waiver claim by the Nationals. In 2022 the Nationals claimed the right-hander off waivers from the Giants.  Harvey comes to Ka...

Self-defense is more important now than ever, and teams like the Royals are promoting it through various events. In 2008, the Royals held a self-defense class called T.A.K.E. to support The Ali Kemp Educational Foundation and honor Ali Kemp's life. Similarly, the Kelsey Smith Foundation, named after a girl abducted at a Target in Kansas in 2007, also focuses on teaching self-defense. The Royals later honored Kelsey Smith's memory as well. Ali Kemp's murder in 2002 had a profound impact on the Kansas City metro area. At 19, Ali was working as a lifeguard in Leawood, Kansas, during the summer. Her father believed it was a safe job: "It was a wonderful job, a neighborhood pool. And you would think the safest place in the world." However, her shift on that fateful day turned tragic. Around 3 p.m., Ali called a friend for company, but the friend missed the call. Shortly after, Laurel Vine, another friend, arrived at the pool and saw a man leaving. Thinking ...

The 2004 Kansas City Royals were far from a good team. They finished the season with a dismal record of 58 wins and 104 losses. Despite their struggles, the team boasted a roster that included a mix of past and future All-Stars: Zack Greinke Carlos Beltran Benito Santiago Juan Gonzalez Jose Bautista Mike Sweeney However, the Royals' pitching staff, outside of Zack Greinke, was particularly lackluster. Greinke, starting his career in 2004, made his MLB debut on May 22nd against the Athletics. Despite a promising start, his chance to become the youngest player to earn a win in the majors at the age of 20 was spoiled by a blown save from closer Jeremy Affeldt. Nonetheless, Greinke went on to achieve significant success in his career, winning the CY Young Award in 2009, appearing in six All-Star Games, and earning six Gold Gloves, although he never secured a World Series ring. Outfielder Carlos Beltran, unlike Greinke, expressed reluctance to leave Kansas City: "I crie...

The Royals front office was busy snagging top starters from San Diego this past offseason.  San Diego's inability to retain Michael Wacha was a bit of a head scratcher. San Diego must not have trusted Wacha enough to keep him around, or they wanted to shed salary, so the Friars decided to decline the veteran right-hander's team option. Wacha's option with San Diego was for two years worth $32 million.  Did Kansas City offer the right-hander more money? The answer to that question is no! In fact, the team offered Wacha the same $32 million that the Padres declined. San Diego had the opportunity to pick up Wacha's two year team option. Kansas City jumped on the Padres decision to let Wacha walk. The boys in blue gave Wacha a two year deal worth $32 million with an opportunity to opt-out after the 2024 season.  The Padres and the Royals must love each other's players because the history between both teams clearly shows it. Both the Royals and Michael Wacha ...

The year 2023 for the Royals was an awful one. The team lost an eye popping 106 games, but not everything the team did last season was awful.  Kansas City signed former Yankees all-star closer Aroldis Chapman to a one-year deal in hopes of a bounce back year from the veteran. The gamble paid off big time for the Royals who were able to flip him at the deadline to the Rangers for a pair of players in outfielder Roni Cabrera and pitcher Cole Ragans. This trade shook the baseball world and rightfully so. On June 30, 2023 the Royals acquired pitcher Cole Ragans. Ragans was selected by the Rangers in the first round (30th overall) of the 2016 MLB Draft. Texas had high hopes for the left-hander, but the team couldn't tap into his great stuff. easy. First, we feel for the young players. We know the work they put in and try to understand where they are emotionally. Secondly, for the organization's development, that's a pretty big body blow."  While down on the farm...

Kansas City had a busy offseason, bolstering their roster with new additions. With a focus on acquiring pitching and a corner outfielder, the Royals made significant moves, including signing outfielder Hunter Renfroe to a lucrative two-year contract worth $13 million. Renfroe's arrival signaled the team's willingness to take calculated risks, with Seth Lugo being another notable addition. Renfroe's career trajectory, particularly at the plate, has been intriguing. Bursting onto the scene with the Padres in 2016, he showcased considerable power, tallying an impressive 89 home runs during his tenure in San Diego. Despite his notable contributions, Renfroe often found himself vying for playing time amidst stiff competition from sluggers like Wil Myers and Franmil Reyes. Reflecting on a 2018 article from Friars on Base, which highlighted Renfroe's challenge for consistent playing time, it's evident that his path has been marked by competition for outfield sp...