15 Comments

As you wrote, "getting caught up in the excitement." After such a dismal baseball year for the Royals and a fairly slow postseason, these moves feel like we're getting somewhere!

Happy Holidays, Craig!

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Exactly! We've been starving for these kinds of moves for years. Sure, a cold dose of reality may be coming our way in April and May, but for now, it's just nice to have a little hope and excitement again!

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We haven’t had a December like this for a long, long time. As you said, who knows how these moves will pan out, but they’re moves and they certainly make the team better. Difficult to argue against that.

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Thank you Erika! Not all moves are created equal, but I f someone can’t get excited with what we’ve seen the last couple of weeks…

Happy holidays to you, too!

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We might as well enjoy the offseason, if we can't enjoy the actual games very often!

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Dec 18, 2023Liked by Craig Brown

The other thing all these moves do is give the Royals options if things go wrong, such as Witt getting hurt and missing 6-8 weeks in the first half, causing the Royals to be 8 games out at the All Star break. But even if that bad scenario, if Wacha is pitching well, they can flip him (and Salvy and perhaps others) for some good young players or prospects that will improve the team the next season (and maybe even make Witt worried enough about his health to sign an extension). It’s a much better situation than trying to think about what they can get for Hunter Dozier.

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Dec 18, 2023Liked by Craig Brown

I'm a cynic's cynic when it comes to the Royals, so I'm curious whether the flurry of moves is a further signal they know they aren't getting a deal done with BWJ before voters go to the polls on the stadium, presumably in April.

While it was always a given the ~$30MM was a fake threshold designed to make them look active/aggressive, the relative "flood" of guaranteed money could simply reflect a reallocation from BWJ.

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I get the cynicism that surrounds the Royals. But I think I could flip your argument and say this is an argument for Witt to sign now because it shows the Royals are serious about being competitive. If a young player was on the fence about signing an extension with a team like the Royals, them being players in free agency would probably go a long way.

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My hope is that you are correct. I'm just ready to see that prove up.

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Agree. I’m not a huge fan of the player options, but it could make a trade more impactful at the deadline if a team is getting that extra year. This doesn’t handcuff the team for the future and has a chance at being truly meaningful in the short-term.

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Mr. B,

"Where YOU we start"

Your cleverness and wit make me want to read your posts even if they were about nothing more

than gravel-pitching techniques, which I believe you would cover from a both-handedness perspective.

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Yeah…error in the lede. Hate when that happens. It’s Monday.

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Being a Royals fan is fun again - Yay! Hats off to Sherman and the boys at One Royal Way!

Now some 'you said it' so what are you gonna do about it? He talks about the loss of starts from the projected rotatation and pretty much every pitcher we've signed has a concerning health history. Soooo, wouldn't it make sense to go get another starter and move Lyles firmly into long middle relief for those southward going games?

And speaking of Lyles - can someone contact Gil Meche and ask him to give him a call please??? 8.5M for Lyles - does JL's avariciousness, in spite of performance, have no end? How does he sleep at night?

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I think EVERY pitcher on the market comes with health issues these days. And if someone doesn’t, the price will be enormous. Signing pitching carries plenty of risk. It’s not for the squeamish.

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For years, Royals fans have longed for significant moves in free agency like these. While the outcome of these moves is uncertain, it's refreshing to witness them taking action instead of being idle.

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