Talkin Royals

The Royals signed an old friend to strengthen a starting rotation that has struggled the past few seasons. On March 16, the Royals signed Zack Greinke to a one year deal worth $13 million. Greinke last pitched for the Royals in 2010 before being part of one of the most famous trades in Royals history. The Royals traded Greinke and Betancourt in 2011 to the Brewers for four players that included shortstop Alcides Escobar, outfielder Lorenzo Cain, pitcher Jeremy Jeffress and pitcher Jake Odorizzi. Since being traded to Milwaukee, Greinke has played with the Angels, Dodgers, Diamondbacks and the Astros.Although the Royals have many young pitchers in the starting rotation, the team believes bringing in a veteran starter like Greinke will help the young starters grow and become reliable pitchers for the team down the road. In an interview with MLB.com's Anne Rogers, Royals president of baseball operations Dayton Moore said: “It seems like over the last three or four years it...

The Royals this offseason continue to add bullpen arms by signing free agents, and now by trade. The Royals and the Reds swapped veteran pitchers. Cincinnati traded away a big piece of their bullpen in Amir Garrett. The 29-year old struggled last season with a 6.04 ERA, however, the Reds relied on the lefty heavily despite his struggles. Following the trade to Kansas City, Garrett said: "It sucks, but they've got to do what is best for the organization." Garrett continued: "There are no hard feelings, these guys have been here with me through it all man, so all I can do is say thank you." Shortly after arriving in Kansas City, Garrett spoke with Royals beat writer Anne Rogers: " This is a very family oriented organization. Heard nothing but great things from former players and coaches that this is a great organization to be a part of. I'm looking forward to that, I've got a lot I can bring to the team." Following the tra...

The Royals are still making free agent signings despite the MLB lockout. Heading into the 2022 season, the Royals were looking to add veteran bullpen depth after a rocky 2021 season from the pen. The Royals have signed several pitchers in hopes of revamping the bullpen including right-handers Arodys Vizcaino, Taylor Clarke, and Daniel Mengden. Although the Royals signed Peacock to a minor league deal, this move can still have a big impact on the bullpen. Royals fans should be very familiar with Brad Peacock. On May 8, 2019, Peacock had a career high 12 strikeouts in seven innings against the Royals. Peacock was an important part of the Astros bullpen from 2017 to 2018. The 34-year old pitched for Houston for eight years, but his final year with the team was a disaster. Peacock posted a 7.71 ERA leading him to settle on a minor league deal with Cleveland. Shortly after signing Peacock to a minor league contract, the Royals assigned the veteran reliever to Double-A Northwest ...

  Before the MLB lockout began, the Royals were looking to add a few bullpen arms to a shaky pen. The Royals as of right now haven't handed out any significant contracts to free agents; however, the team did bring in reliever Taylor Clarke on a major league contract back on December 1. According to Clarke in a December interview he said, "They showed a lot of interest in me, so it's really nice to go somewhere you feel wanted. I've heard a lot of good things about their organization, so I was excited about the opportunity to join them." Clarke also noted that he heard nothing but great things from former and current players about the organization. Last season with the Diamondbacks, Clarke had a 4.98 ERA in 43 games. The Royals signed Clarke with hopes of a bounce back season from him like they are with Arodys Vizcaino; however, I believe Clarke has a higher ceiling than Vizcaino because of Vizcaino's injury history and the slight age difference. In...

Former MLB outfielder Jeremy Giambi passed away at the age of 47 at his parent’s house in Southern California on Wednesday. According to TMZ, Giambi died at 11:40 am. The 47-year old played for the Royals organization from 1998 to 1999. The Royals traded Giambi to the Athletics in 2000 for pitcher Brett Laxton. Giambi was a member of the 2002 World Series team with Oakland. Unfortunately for Giambi, he was part of an infamous postseason run. Giambi was thrown out at home by Yankees hall of fame shortstop Derek Jeter. The 47-year old struggled with the use of steroids in the early 2000's. In 2001, Giambi was caught with marijuana at a checkpoint at the McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. Giambi was also caught using anabolic steroids in 2005 as a member of the White Sox organization. Giambi had a decent career with six organizations throughout his playing days, including the Athletics, Royals, Phillies, Red Sox, Dodgers, and White Sox. The left-hander hit 52 hom...

The Royals want to put a competitive team on the field in 2022 with many young prospects on the way, including first base prospect Nick Pratto. Carlos Santana is hoping to have a bounce back season with the Royals, and the Royals are hoping the same thing. The 36-year old signed a two-year deal worth $17.5 million with the Royals in 2020. The Royals would like to get a big bounce back season from Santana to possibly attract trade partners when the MLB trade deadline approaches. Last season Santana posted a .214 batting average with 19 home runs and 69 RBIs. While Santana's numbers aren't great, his numbers from 2021 are better than his 2020 stats; however, 2020 was a much shorter season with 60 games compared to the typical 162 game season. Although Santana only hit eight home runs and had 30 RBIs in 2020 with Cleveland, the Royals were hoping for much more from the veteran first baseman in 2021. Before signing with the Royals, Santana had great numbers at Kauffman ...

The Royals ownership group, led by John Sherman, have considered building a new stadium downtown for many years; but now the conversation is coming back up in the local media. The Royals’ current deal with Jackson County runs through the year 2030, and Kauffman Stadium opened in 1973. The ballpark was last renovated in 2009. According to KMBC 9 News, the renovation cost $250 million dollars. The most recent renovation included a Royals Hall of Fame area, expansion of concessions, dining, additional restrooms, children's activities area, retail shops and more. Probably the most notable part of the renovation was the removal of the Sony JumboTron and the addition of a massive video board behind centerfield. While the Royals ownership group is considering building a new ballpark downtown, it's important to remember that Kansas City had a downtown ballpark at one point. Municipal Stadium opened July 3, 1923 and was home to many Kansas City sports teams including the Ath...