Here we go! They really could use a 6-3 homestand to hit the road at 10 games over.
Regarding 2025: 46 interleague games weren't enough, I guess, so 48 it is. I understand wanting to make sure that the "natural rivals" all get six games, so I'm not too down on it. I wonder when MLB is going to completely drop the pretense of two separate "leagues" and just realign or at least leave the teams where they are and change the name to "conferences."
I have to think a major realignment is coming. It just makes too much sense. And then they'll do whatever gives them the best option to add postseason games. Money, money, money.
Cayden Wallace might have been the 5th best in the Royals farm system, but would he be top 10 in most other organizations? In short, maybe it's not an overpay for a reliever?
Agree. I'm in no way an evaluator of farm systems, but from what I've seen, the Royals organization (pre-draft, at least) is thought to have a pretty flat set of prospects - no can't miss studs, but a relatively large number of of guys who could fit in the top 20, so dropping a nominal #5 doesn't mean as much for them.
Indeed. These prospect rankings are easy to get hung up on, but it's all relative to the organization. The Royals #5 prospect is not going to have the same cachet as the Orioles #5. At the moment.
The part I didn't like about the deal was the draft pick because that meant in addition to the loss of the pick, a smaller draft pool. That doesn't really seem to have hurt them in this draft. And probably the cost of securing a reliever with that extra year of club control.
I find it interesting that Q didn't reset his rotation starting tonight to Lugo, Ragans, Wacha, Singer, Marsh. Maybe the first two pitching in the All Star game interfered, but an inning each from them isn't much different from an off-day bullpen session. Maybe I'm missing something?
I think it's even more interesting that it looks like they're flipping Cole and Seth and saving Cole until Arizona gets here. I'm not opposed to giving his & Seth's arms a little break.
I'd still love it if they could go to a 6-man rotation to give all of the guys extra rest, given the way the entire rotation other than Wacha is blowing way past any innings totals from prior seasons. I thought a month or so ago that Bubic might be a candidate but I'm pretty happy having him in the bullpen to help shore up the issues there.
I like Bubic in the bullpen, too. Although if he continues to pitch the way he showed on the road trip, the calls for him to go back to the rotation will only grow. And likewise on the six-man rotation. I've long wondered if the Royals decide to go that route, especially if they remain in contention.
A year ago, I didn't think I'd be writing about starting pitching depth like this.
The Chicago lineup is heavy on right-handed bats. So it probably makes sense to push Ragans. Plus, that rest is probably worth it. In addition to the inning of work, those two days are pretty much a whirlwind, so a little down time coming off of that has to be welcome.
Meanwhile, the Mets are currently the 3rd WC team in the NL, at 3 games above .500. There's a nonzero chance a losing team makes the playoffs this year.
The NL is incredibly soft this year. I feel good that at least one of those .500 teams will catch a little second half fire. But with six teams from each league making the playoffs, it feels like we're bound to have a sub-.500 team qualify soon.
I know it is dangerous to trade starting pitching, but Brady Singer is at the top of his trade value. The Orioles need a starting pitcher really bad. The Orioles have a glut of infielder prospects. What would say to a trade to the Orioles, Singer for the #3 ranked prospect, Coby Mayo and the #28 prospect Carter Baumier.
This is not an uncommon thought. As you write, Singer is at the height of his value. I tend to think the winter would be the best time to shop him around. Or take calls. Two more years for a guy who is now pushing himself toward the number two spot in a rotation has tremendous value. The O’s will definitely be a match.
I hope Harvey is all the Royals think he can be. The Royals bullpen is always scary especially when the Royals are leading by less than 5. :)
I think he's going to be a key piece of this bullpen. Not a huge leap of faith at the moment, but gotta start somewhere.
Here we go! They really could use a 6-3 homestand to hit the road at 10 games over.
Regarding 2025: 46 interleague games weren't enough, I guess, so 48 it is. I understand wanting to make sure that the "natural rivals" all get six games, so I'm not too down on it. I wonder when MLB is going to completely drop the pretense of two separate "leagues" and just realign or at least leave the teams where they are and change the name to "conferences."
I have to think a major realignment is coming. It just makes too much sense. And then they'll do whatever gives them the best option to add postseason games. Money, money, money.
Cayden Wallace might have been the 5th best in the Royals farm system, but would he be top 10 in most other organizations? In short, maybe it's not an overpay for a reliever?
Agree. I'm in no way an evaluator of farm systems, but from what I've seen, the Royals organization (pre-draft, at least) is thought to have a pretty flat set of prospects - no can't miss studs, but a relatively large number of of guys who could fit in the top 20, so dropping a nominal #5 doesn't mean as much for them.
Indeed. These prospect rankings are easy to get hung up on, but it's all relative to the organization. The Royals #5 prospect is not going to have the same cachet as the Orioles #5. At the moment.
The part I didn't like about the deal was the draft pick because that meant in addition to the loss of the pick, a smaller draft pool. That doesn't really seem to have hurt them in this draft. And probably the cost of securing a reliever with that extra year of club control.
I find it interesting that Q didn't reset his rotation starting tonight to Lugo, Ragans, Wacha, Singer, Marsh. Maybe the first two pitching in the All Star game interfered, but an inning each from them isn't much different from an off-day bullpen session. Maybe I'm missing something?
I think it's even more interesting that it looks like they're flipping Cole and Seth and saving Cole until Arizona gets here. I'm not opposed to giving his & Seth's arms a little break.
I'd still love it if they could go to a 6-man rotation to give all of the guys extra rest, given the way the entire rotation other than Wacha is blowing way past any innings totals from prior seasons. I thought a month or so ago that Bubic might be a candidate but I'm pretty happy having him in the bullpen to help shore up the issues there.
I like Bubic in the bullpen, too. Although if he continues to pitch the way he showed on the road trip, the calls for him to go back to the rotation will only grow. And likewise on the six-man rotation. I've long wondered if the Royals decide to go that route, especially if they remain in contention.
A year ago, I didn't think I'd be writing about starting pitching depth like this.
The Chicago lineup is heavy on right-handed bats. So it probably makes sense to push Ragans. Plus, that rest is probably worth it. In addition to the inning of work, those two days are pretty much a whirlwind, so a little down time coming off of that has to be welcome.
Meanwhile, the Mets are currently the 3rd WC team in the NL, at 3 games above .500. There's a nonzero chance a losing team makes the playoffs this year.
The NL is incredibly soft this year. I feel good that at least one of those .500 teams will catch a little second half fire. But with six teams from each league making the playoffs, it feels like we're bound to have a sub-.500 team qualify soon.
I know it is dangerous to trade starting pitching, but Brady Singer is at the top of his trade value. The Orioles need a starting pitcher really bad. The Orioles have a glut of infielder prospects. What would say to a trade to the Orioles, Singer for the #3 ranked prospect, Coby Mayo and the #28 prospect Carter Baumier.
This is not an uncommon thought. As you write, Singer is at the height of his value. I tend to think the winter would be the best time to shop him around. Or take calls. Two more years for a guy who is now pushing himself toward the number two spot in a rotation has tremendous value. The O’s will definitely be a match.