Kansas City Royals

The Kansas City Royals have started the season 33-62, falling 26.5 games behind the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central and 20.5 games out in the Wild Card race. 

The Royals are out of the postseason picture, in other words, and are now ready to be sellers ahead of the MLB trade deadline, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com: 

After trading Martin Maldonado last night, the Royals are in sell mode. According to a source, the focus over the next two weeks will be moving Billy Hamilton, Jake Diekman, Lucas Duda and Ian Kennedy.

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 16, 2019

More on the Royals: according to a source, Jorge Soler might be available at the right price, but as far as Whit Merrifield, KC “would have to be blown away” to trade him and his team-friendly contract. Feeling around the league is Merrifield is staying put.

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 16, 2019

Whit Merrifield is obviously the most appealing name on that list. The 30-year-old second baseman is hitting .307 with 11 homers, 45 RBI and 66 runs. But he's also under contract through the 2023 season and will make a total of $16.2 million between the 2020-23 seasons, making him a steal if his current production continues.

Soler, meanwhile, could be an intriguing option for teams looking to add some pop to their lineup, as he's hit 25 homers this year. But the 27-year-old is under contract through the 2020 campaign before becoming arbitration-eligible, so the Royals would likely need to get a sizeable return for him as well.

That makes players like Billy Hamilton, Jake Diekman, Lucas Duda and Ian Kennedy far more likely to be moved, as Feinsand noted. 

Hamilton (.217, 16 stolen bases) hasn't been very good this season but could offer some speed and defense in center field for contending teams, even if it seems unlikely the Royals would get back much in a trade for him.

Terrance Gore in 2019: 37 G, 58 PA, 13 SB, .362 OBP
Billy Hamilton in 2019: 80 G, 271 PA, 16 SB, .284 OBP

A dozen players have at least 15 SB this year; Hamilton's SB percentage of 76.2 ranks 11th of 12.

Gore was DFA'd. Not sure what the Royals think they'll get for Hamilton.

— Ryan Fagan (@ryanfagan) July 16, 2019

Diekman's ERA (4.97) and WHIP (1.37) out of the bullpen leave a bit to be desired, but his 15 holds in 38 innings leads the Royals and his 55 strikeouts are a reminder that he's more than capable of missing bats. For teams in need of bullpen help, he'd be a solid, cheap addition.

Duda is pretty bad at this point. He's hitting just .152 with three homers and 14 RBI in 34 games. It's hard to imagine there being much of a market for his services.

Kennedy, however, would make sense for teams in need of help at the back-end of their bullpen. The veteran closer has posted 14 saves this season, going 0-2 with a 3.32 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 46 strikeouts in 38 innings. 

The issue for the Royals is that Kennedy is owed $16.5 million next year, a pretty big number for a 34-year-old, middle-of-the-road closer who was just converted to that role this season. Teams may balk at absorbing that future salary, hurting his trade value somewhat as well. 

So if the Royals want to acquire major future assets, moving Merrifield or Soler will return far more than any of Hamilton, Diekman, Duda or Kennedy. 

Texas high school star Bobby Witt Jr. was taken No. 2 overall by the Kansas City Royals in the 2019 MLB draft on Monday.

With the 2nd pick of the 2019 #MLBDraft, the @Royals select @CHHS_baseballs SS Bobby Witt Jr.: https://t.co/OHooNe2EPu pic.twitter.com/7rn5IWeAGH

— MLB Draft (@MLBDraft) June 3, 2019

Highest drafted father-son combo in MLB history. Witt Sr. was 3rd overall to Texas in 1985. Witt Jr. now 2nd overall to the Royals.

— Eric Fisher (@AEricFisher) June 3, 2019

Bobby Witt Jr. played in 39 high school games this spring.

The Royals had an executive or scout at all 39.

This was the layup of the draft. And he's got superstar tools.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 3, 2019

The 18-year-old previously committed to play college ball for the Oklahoma Sooners.

The son of former major league pitcher Bobby Witt (the third overall pick in 1985), the Colleyville Heritage High School shortstop has shown the ability to be an impact player at the plate and on the mound. His future as a pro, however, figures to be as a position player.

MLB.com rated Witt as a 60 overall on baseball's traditional 20-80 scale, with his power (55), speed (60), fielding (60) and arm (60) all above-average tools. He is viewed as a potential five-star prospect.

According to MaxPreps, Witt Jr. hit .496 with 15 home runs, 14 doubles, nine triples and 55 RBI in 39 games during his senior season. 

He was just one of two high school players nominated for the Golden Spikes award, given to the top amateur player in the country, this year, though he wasn't a finalist

Being viewed as one of the top prospects in this year's draft class has fueled the teenager for some time now.

"It's almost like motivation for me," Witt Jr. said in June 2018, per MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo. "Other kids out there, they put a target on me to try and be better than me. So I always have to be working hard every day just to get better and keep that spot. It's almost like a goal to have, keeping that spot, trying to be the best player out there on and off the field."

With the Royals coming off a 58-win season in 2018, Witt will be viewed as the face of the franchise's rebuild.

Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Lorenzo Cain are nothing but distant memories for Kansas City at this point. The team was able to boost its farm system in last year's draft, adding pitchers Brady Singer (the team's No. 1 prospect), Jackson Kowar (No. 7) and Daniel Lynch (No. 2) in the first 34 picks.

Witt, just the second position player taken by the Royals in the first round since 2014, gives the organization a high-upside bat to complement its pitching depth.

The jury is still out on the Royals' recent top draft picks, but the addition of Witt will help improve a farm system that was unable to crack MLB.com's top 10 prior to the start of the 2019 season.

Nobody told the residents of Kansas City that the Royals had a baseball game on Wednesday afternoon.

Jeff Passan of ESPN shared an image of a near-empty Kauffman Stadium for the first leg of a doubleheader with the Tampa Bay Rays:

I know that it's a Wednesday afternoon during the school year in a city that doesn't draw well against a team that doesn't attract a road crowd. But I've never seen so few people at a major league game as the one just starting now between Kansas City and Tampa Bay. pic.twitter.com/z3QUdfdWiT

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 1, 2019

If Adalberto Mondesi hit a two-run homer during the game (he did) but nobody was there to hear the crack of the bat, did it even make a sound?

The opener is no match for Adalberto Mondesi!
Mondi drives in the first two runs Ryne Stanek has allowed as a starter this season with this blast to right field.
The #Royals are on FSKC and FSGO: https://t.co/0xOrwuMKdF #AlwaysRoyal pic.twitter.com/9M9RfQEeKr

— FanDuel Sports Network Kansas City (@FanDuelSN_KC) May 1, 2019

Philosophical queries aside, the Royals won the first game of the doubleheader 3-2, behind a gem from starting pitcher Jakob Junis, who gave up just two runs on six hits in 6.1 innings of work. He gave up about as many hits as there were fans in the crowd.

The Kansas City Royals have received bad news regarding catcher Salvador Perez, who will reportedly miss the entire 2019 season with an elbow injury. 

Per MLB Network's Jon Heyman, doctors have recommended Perez have Tommy John surgery, and he's expected to undergo the procedure next week. 

Per MLB.com's Jeffrey Flanagan, the Royals announced Friday their All-Star catcher will be out indefinitely after an MRI showed damage in his UCL.

The Royals said in a statement Perez suffered the injury during Wednesday's spring training workout. He will visit Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles for a second opinion next week.

Perez has been hit by injuries in each of the previous two seasons. He missed two weeks in August 2017 due to an intercostal strain and the first 20 games in 2018 with an MCL tear.

With Perez expected to miss the entire season, Cam Gallagher will likely take over behind the plate. Kansas City will host the Chicago White Sox in its season opener March 28.

Since taking over as Kansas City's starter in 2013, Perez has established himself as one of MLB's best catchers. The Venezuela native ranks sixth among all players at the position with 14.2 FanGraphs wins above replacement over the past six seasons and tied his career high with 27 homers last season.

The Kansas City Royals and starting pitcher Homer Bailey reached an agreement on a contract Saturday following his release by the Los Angeles Dodgers in December.

Per The Athletic's Rustin Dodd, Bailey received a minor league deal from the Royals with an invitation to spring training. 

Bailey spent the first 12 years of his MLB career with the Cincinnati Reds before getting dealt to L.A. in December as part of a blockbuster trade that saw outfielders Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig and starting pitcher Alex Wood head to Cincy. He was immediately released.

The 32-year-old right-hander has been one of baseball's worst starters in recent years. He finished the 2017 season with a 6.34 ERA and 1.69 WHIP across 18 starts and only slightly improved on that poor performance last year, posting a 6.09 ERA and 1.64 WHIP in 20 outings.

In September, Bailey was dropped from the Reds' rotation and turned down an opportunity to join the bullpen because he wasn't comfortable with changing roles amid an ongoing season, per Joe Kay of the Associated Press. The starter also lamented his consistent struggles.

"It was frustrating in April," he said. "It's like normal now."

Bailey's overall track record is better. He has a 4.56 career ERA, including a career-best 3.49 mark in 2013, but he's failed to make much of a positive impact since 2015 because of injuries and lackluster numbers.

Signing Bailey is nothing more than a long shot flier for the Royals. He never developed into the ace the Reds expected when they selected him with the seventh overall pick in the 2004 MLB draft, and he's struggled mightily as of late.

A team such as the Royals is the best fit for Bailey. They are still in the early stages of rebuilding mode after going 58-104 in 2018. Their starting rotation heading into spring training, which begins Tuesday, is a mess, with Danny Duffy, Brad Keller, Jakob Junis and Ian Kennedy in the top four spots. 

Bailey should compete with pitchers such as Jorge Lopez and Heath Fillmyer for the final spot in Kansas City's rotation to start 2019.

Second baseman Whit Merrifield will reportedly remain with the Kansas City Royals for the foreseeable future.

According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, Merrifield and the Royals agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $16.25 million with $2 million in performance bonuses. Jon Heyman of Fancred noted the extension will include a fifth-year club option that could bring the deal to more than $30 million if it is completely maxed out.

Merrifield is 30 years old but is relatively inexperienced seeing how he didn't break into the major leagues until 2016. He tallied a career-best 19 home runs in 2017 and was then one of the better offensive players in the league in 2018 when he slashed .303/.367/.438 with 12 home runs, 60 RBI and a league-best 45 stolen bases.

He led the majors with 192 hits last year, and Lynn Worthy of the Kansas City Star noted he joined Dee Gordon and Ichiro Suzuki as the only three players to lead the majors in hits and stolen bases in the same year since World War II.

It wasn't just his bat that stood out in 2018, though, as he played second base, first base and all three outfield spots as a versatile defender who allowed manager Ned Yost to mix-and-match the lineup on a daily basis depending on opponents and team needs.

He was also particularly impressive at second base and was responsible for eight defensive runs saved above average, per FanGraphs.

The fact that the Royals were able to lock up the player who led the majors in hits and stolen bases while playing plus defense in 2018 on a team-friendly deal is notable, especially as major free agents such as Bryce Harper and Manny Machado remain unsigned.

Kansas City missed the playoffs the last three seasons and is looking to turn things around, and it now has Merrifield as a centerpiece to build around for the next few years.

Kansas City Royals pitcher Eric Skoglund will miss half of the 2019 season after being suspended for violating Major League Baseball's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. 

Per MLB.com, Skoglund received an 80-game suspension after testing positive for androgen receptor modulators Ostarine and Ligandrol.

Royals general manager Dayton Moore issued a statement about Skoglund included in the official announcement:

"Unfortunately when something like this occurs I immediately think about how much work and dedication our medical staff does communicating to the players about the importance of being careful about what they put in their bodies. I'm appreciative that professional baseball players are tested more frequently than any professional athlete and we should all be thankful that testing is working. Eric is a tremendous young man and he unknowingly made a mistake and he will have to accept his suspension, work hard and be ready to go after the suspension is served. We remain proud of who Eric is as a person and will support him as an organization."

Skoglund was going to enter spring training next month competing for the final spot in Kansas City's starting rotation. 

A third-round pick out of Central Florida in 2014, Skoglund made his MLB debut in 2017. The southpaw appeared in 14 games last season, posting a 5.14 ERA with 49 strikeouts in 70 innings. 

The Royals placed Skoglund on the disabled list in May with a sprained UCL in his left elbow. He was effective upon returning in September with a 1.33 ERA in 20.1 innings across five appearances. 

With Skoglund out for the first 80 games, Royals manager Ned Yost still has plenty of options to choose from during spring training to fill out his rotation. Heath Fillmyer, Jorge Lopez, Glenn Sparkman and Trevor Oaks all started games in 2018. 

Kansas City will report to spring training for its first workout on Feb. 13. It will open the 2019 season on March 28 against the Chicago White Sox. 

 

The holiday season is full of heartfelt moments, and Kansas City Royals minor leaguer Brady Singer came through with another one Tuesday.

The No. 18 pick in the 2018 MLB draft posted a video on Twitter of his parents reading an emotional letter thanking them for the support throughout his life and baseball career. It ended with an incredible Christmas gift as Singer said he'd pay off his parents' bank loan as well as all of their current debt:

Today is very special to my heart. To give back to the two people who have given up everything to support my brother and I. I can’t thank them enough. Love you Mom and Dad pic.twitter.com/AFHi2Xma0c

— Brady Singer (@Bsinger51) December 25, 2018

Singer has yet to make his professional debut but signed a contract in July that included a $4.5 million signing bonus. This was apparently enough for him to pay his parents back for everything they've done for him.

The 22-year-old has a bright future ahead of him after winning the Dick Howser Trophy last season at the University of Florida, given to the best college baseball player in the country. And it didn't take long into his professional career for him to make a meaningful impact for two special people.

Free-agent outfielder Billy Hamilton agreed to a one-year deal with the Kansas City Royals, with a mutual option for the 2020 season, the team announced Tuesday.

ESPN's Buster Olney first reported the deal Monday.

The pact is for $5.25 million, but he can make another $1 million in incentives.

Hamilton had been under team control with the Cincinnati Reds for one more season heading into 2019. However, the Reds declined to offer him a contract before the Nov. 30 non-tender deadline, thus making him a free agent.

After the move, Reds general manager Nick Krall indicated the team left its options open regarding a potential return.

"I don't think it closes the door to anything we could do with him," Krall said, per the Cincinnati Enquirer's Bobby Nightengale. "He now can negotiate with other clubs. We just didn't feel that locking him into the budget was a helpful thing for us when pitching is our No. 1 need."

According to Nightengale, Krall also said the Reds didn't have any trade offers for Hamilton. The Athletic's Jayson Stark noted that wasn't always the case:

The irony of the #Reds non-tendering Billy Hamilton: I can think of at least 4 teams in last 2-3 years who thought they'd agreed to a trade for him.#Giants #Indians #Mariners #Royals

Reds reversed course on all of them, presumably b/c ownership loved Billy. Ended up with zilch

— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) December 1, 2018

The fact Cincinnati couldn't swing a trade illustrated how much Hamilton's stock has slipped—or at the very least stagnated—in recent years.

After posting a career-high .321 on-base percentage in 2016, Hamilton took a step backward offensively in 2017. He finished with a .247/.299/.335 slash line along with four home runs and 38 RBI. He also struck out 133 times, which were a personal worst.

The 2018 campaign represented another step in the wrong direction. Hamilton struck out 132 times while watching his batting average and slugging percentage fall to .236 and .327, respectively.

The Reds continued to accept his lack of offensive production in large part because he remained one of the better defensive outfielders in MLB.

Among 57 qualified outfielders, he tied for 24th in defensive runs saved (four) and ranked 15th in ultimate zone rating per 150 games (6.0), per FanGraphs. Even though he no longer possesses an elite glove, there's no question he can adequately cover the gaps.

In addition, Hamilton's speed is invaluable in the right situations. He's always a threat to steal, and he has a nearly unmatched ability to take an extra base when the ball is in play. Since entering the league full time in 2014, he's the runaway leader in FanGraphs' baserunning metric, which not only factors in steals but also a player's baserunning during game action.

Despite his value on the basepaths and in the field, Hamilton's low offensive ceiling make it tough to project him as a worthwhile everyday outfielder.

His durability will be another cause for concern.

Between 2015 and 2016, he missed a combined 91 games. He appeared in 139 games in 2017 after a thumb injury sidelined him for a few weeks in September. Since his first full season in the majors in 2014, only twice has Hamilton eclipsed 150 games over an entire year.

MLB.com's Mike Petriello posited a team could get really creative with Hamilton. A manager could have him replace a position player already on base early in a game. Then the team would have him on base at least once and playing in the field for a few innings while minimizing the damage he does through his lack of offense.

Perhaps Ned Yost is willing to experiment with Hamilton's usage because otherwise this isn't a move that is likely to drastically improve Kansas City's outfield.

Mike Matheny is back in Major League Baseball after being hired by the Kansas City Royals for a scouting job.

The Royals announced on Friday that Matheny will serve as a special adviser for player development.

Kansas City general manager Dayton Moore issued a statement on Matheny's hiring included in the announcement:

"This is a great opportunity to have Mike become a member of our organization. It has always been our policy to hire the best baseball people we can and this is the perfect example of that. Mike has contributed so much to our game as both a player and a manager and has a wealth of knowledge that can only make us better. I'm excited about the possibilities of what he'll bring to our organization."

Matheny previously spent seven seasons managing the St. Louis Cardinals from 2012 to '18. He was fired by the team in July after a 47-46 start.

The 48-year-old Matheny went 591-474, made the playoffs in each of his first four seasons with the Cardinals and reached the World Series in 2013.

Prior to his managerial career, Matheny spent 13 seasons in the big leagues with four teams and won four Gold Glove awards as a catcher.

The Royals are looking for any potential advantage after finishing the 2018 season last in the American League Central with a 58-104 record.