Each game is an opportunity Kansas City can no longer afford to waste
MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported Tuesday afternoon that the Chicago Cubs have “checked in” with the Kansas City Royals ahead of the MLB trade deadline.
ESPN has some trade intel on the Royals, but it shouldn’t surprise many fans.
The Royals have signaled a willingness to trade, but with an eye toward competing again next year — meaning they aren’t willing to part with the core of their pitching staff. Other teams say Kansas City is (unsurprisingly) looking to upgrade its future offense in whatever it does.
Check out the Royals’ “Bring Out the Books” initiative!
Starting with Friday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians, a ticket window at Gate E (Right Field) will be repurposed so that the first 100 fans can exchange a new or gently used children’s book for a View Reserved ticket to a game the same day. “This provides our fans another way to experience Royals baseball while also supporting our partners in the Royals Literacy League and the impactful work they are already doing,” said Adam Cain, Royals Senior Director of Revenue & Brand Innovation. “If we can bring new fans to the ballpark and do something good for the community, it’s a win-win.”
Kings of Kauffman’s Caleb Moddy listed pitcher Kris Bubic, not pitcher Seth Lugo, as Kansas City’s most valuable trade asset ahead of next week’s deadline.
The fact he still has a one more year of team control beyond 2025 is likely the biggest reason why the Royals may opt to hold on to him. However, it also could be the motivating factor for them to trade him, as the return could be far too tempting to pass up for an arm that isn’t guaranteed to be around beyond next season.
Fantasy Sports on SI’s Mark Morales-Smith mocks a trade featuring two top-12 Cubs prospects heading to Kansas City for Lugo.
It looks like Kansas City is slipping out of contention, and injuries are starting to potentially make their outlook look bleak. A small market team like the Royals has to build through their farm system and make smart decisions at the trade deadline. If they don’t plan on paying Lugo long term, then they have to get what they can for him now. This is not a championship team, and if they don’t have a strong surge this week, it will be time to make moves at the deadline.
MLB.com names Noah Cameron as a dark horse for winning this year’s AL Rookie of the Year Award.
In addition to his 2.31 ERA — he’s given up two runs or fewer in 10 of 12 starts — guys are just having a hard time hitting him. He’s only given up 48 hits in 70 innings. That’s 6.19 hits per nine, which, looking at the pool of pitchers with at least 50 IP this year, would make him slightly easier to hit than Wheeler, Carlos Rodón, Brown and Skenes — and that’s it. Granted, he’s issued too many walks, and that will play a part in how hittable a guy is, but opponents are hitting a combined .158 with a .204 SLG against his changeup, slider and curveball, so he’s clearly been making it work. This would genuinely be a cool achievement — Cameron is 26 years old, was a seventh-round pick out of Central Arkansas (a school that’s produced just four other big leaguers) and pitched himself into legitimate prospect status as a professional. What’s more, since Angel Berroa won the award in 2003, no Royal has finished any higher than third in Rookie of the Year voting, and in the years since, 11 of the other 14 AL clubs have had at least one winner.
Underdog Fantasy’s Steve Perrault predicted that Bubic would join the Boston Red Sox at the trade deadline, saying “a lot of Royals fans would say they’re out of it.”
Craig Brown at Into The Fountains talks about Monday’s resounding Royals win, but that feels like old news at this point.
Ditto with David Lesky over at Inside the Crown.
Heavy’s TJ French suggests the New York Yankees should acquire infielder Maikel Garcia.
Shawnee native and Texas commit Beau Peterson won MLB’s high school home run derby.
Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog and his upcoming mayoral race challenger comment on the Royals possibly coming across the state line.
Patrick Mahomes touches on exploring a minority ownership in his current team, the up-and-coming Kansas City Chiefs.
The Seattle Mariners traded minor league catcher Julio E. Rodriguez to Kansas City on Tuesday, just not the All-Star outfielder.
Chiefs president Mark Donovan spoke with ABC regarding ongoing stadium negotiations with Kansas and Missouri, saying they are “not sure which way it will go.”
Lance Brozdowski looks at a trio of pitchers around the league and what is new with each.
How can the United States capture gold in the Men’s Softball World Cup?
McNewton’s Community Outreach in Kansas City is still serving the community after a mudslide caves in one wall.
“Mr. Wrexham” and European Cup winner Joey Jones passed away at 70.
Venus Williams wins her first singles match in years and became “the second-oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match in professional tennis.”
Today’s song of the day is Whiskey Myers with Tailspin.