Royals

[Sparko]

Ouch. Yeah. Q and his staff are just the worse.

[Sparko]

Holding a 1-0 lead, Q brings in Barlow to face four straight lefties. Five of six. Blows lead. Nice Q. Nice. Chapman was looking great. Wouldn't want to use strategy.

[Sparko]

Still epically well coached. Historically bad offense to boot.

[pdub]

29th:

Let's see ... let's give a Jordan Lyles update. He looked like he would improve to 2-11 after tossing six scoreless innings on Monday against the Tigers and leaving with a 2-0 lead. Except these are the Royals and the bullpen blew the lead, so Lyles got a no-decision. That leaves him with one victory in 18 starts. What kind of history is in the making here?

Seven pitchers have made at least 20 starts while winning exactly one game (not including Ryne Stanek, who made 27 starts as an opener for the Rays in 2019). Jordan Zimmermann started 23 games for the Tigers in 2019 and went 1-13. Homer Bailey made 20 starts for the Reds in 2018 and went 1-14. So this isn't unprecedented territory for Lyles. The all-time "record" here: Jack Nabors went 1-20 for the 1916 Philadelphia A's, making 30 starts. Oh, wait ... I've just been informed that Zack Greinke is 1-9 in 18 starts. Enjoy the final two months, Royals fans! -- Schoenfield

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/380 ... ys-orioles

[jfish26]

29th:

Let's see ... let's give a Jordan Lyles update. He looked like he would improve to 2-11 after tossing six scoreless innings on Monday against the Tigers and leaving with a 2-0 lead. Except these are the Royals and the bullpen blew the lead, so Lyles got a no-decision. That leaves him with one victory in 18 starts. What kind of history is in the making here?

Seven pitchers have made at least 20 starts while winning exactly one game (not including Ryne Stanek, who made 27 starts as an opener for the Rays in 2019). Jordan Zimmermann started 23 games for the Tigers in 2019 and went 1-13. Homer Bailey made 20 starts for the Reds in 2018 and went 1-14. So this isn't unprecedented territory for Lyles. The all-time "record" here: Jack Nabors went 1-20 for the 1916 Philadelphia A's, making 30 starts. Oh, wait ... I've just been informed that Zack Greinke is 1-9 in 18 starts. Enjoy the final two months, Royals fans! -- Schoenfield

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/380 ... ys-orioles

The Royals are in such a bad spot.

* The major league team is garbage.
* The minor league system is barren.
* There is very little objective reason to be hopeful in player development at any level.
* Ownership is out there asking for $1b in public money for a stadium, but I can't even see a path to .500 in the next 3-4 years.
* The Chiefs are awesome and, with KU basketball, hoover up all of the money and fan interest.

There's a nonzero chance this ends very badly. As in, "Nashville Stars" badly.

[ChicagoHawk]

The Royals are in such a bad spot.

* The major league team is garbage.
* The minor league system is barren.
* There is very little objective reason to be hopeful in player development at any level.
* Ownership is out there asking for $1b in public money for a stadium, but I can't even see a path to .500 in the next 3-4 years.
* The Chiefs are awesome and, with KU basketball, hoover up all of the money and fan interest.

There's a nonzero chance this ends very badly. As in, "Nashville Stars" badly.

This is an interesting perspective that I think people underrate. I still think it’s very unlikely that they move in the foreseeable future, but it’s not out of the question if stadium talks go south.

My prediction is that, if the stadium measure doesn’t pass, they’ll just grumble about it and fund it privately, or postpone those plans for a few years.

The organization itself is a much bigger question mark. If they weren’t cowards, they’d tear it all the way down and trade everyone with any value at all in the next week and a half. Including the young guys. This team is not even three years from contention, barring a long series of development miracles.

[jfish26]

The Royals are in such a bad spot.

* The major league team is garbage.
* The minor league system is barren.
* There is very little objective reason to be hopeful in player development at any level.
* Ownership is out there asking for $1b in public money for a stadium, but I can't even see a path to .500 in the next 3-4 years.
* The Chiefs are awesome and, with KU basketball, hoover up all of the money and fan interest.

There's a nonzero chance this ends very badly. As in, "Nashville Stars" badly.

This is an interesting perspective that I think people underrate. I still think it’s very unlikely that they move in the foreseeable future, but it’s not out of the question if stadium talks go south.

My prediction is that, if the stadium measure doesn’t pass, they’ll just grumble about it and fund it privately, or postpone those plans for a few years.

The organization itself is a much bigger question mark. If they weren’t cowards, they’d tear it all the way down and trade everyone with any value at all in the next week and a half. Including the young guys. This team is not even three years from contention, barring a long series of development miracles.

I'm not sure they've got the capital to do it themselves.

It's also more likely than not that at some point the players' union will successfully get ancillary development revenue figured into revenue sharing payment/entitlement calculations, and SOMEONE will lose the musical chairs game (having popped up a development on economic assumptions that get mooted right away).

[DCHawk1]

Happy 40th Birthday to Pine Tar Day.

[pdub]

Against the Yankees, who just swept us in the Bronx.

[jfish26]

This is my annual reminder that one thing a serious (but rebuilding) franchise would do, would be to use the trade deadline as a sink for dead money, in exchange for prospects.

[ChicagoHawk]

This is my annual reminder that one thing a serious (but rebuilding) franchise would do, would be to use the trade deadline as a sink for dead money, in exchange for prospects.

Yep. Their unwillingness to trade Salvy and retain the majority of his salary is insane. Same goes for the SPs with real salaries, though I don’t think anyone really wants them.

[jfish26]

This is my annual reminder that one thing a serious (but rebuilding) franchise would do, would be to use the trade deadline as a sink for dead money, in exchange for prospects.

Yep. Their unwillingness to trade Salvy and retain the majority of his salary is insane. Same goes for the SPs with real salaries, though I don’t think anyone really wants them.

I'm suggesting something the other way around. The Dodgers just traded the ghost of Noah Syndergaard for the near-ghost of Amed Rosario, because the Dodgers needed a middle infielder. Why didn't the Royals do that deal, sending Nicky Lopez, and getting prospects in the exchange?

That's what I'm saying - a smart thing to do would be to take on salaries to make other teams' deals work, and collect pieces in the process.

[ChicagoHawk]

I'm suggesting something the other way around. The Dodgers just traded the ghost of Noah Syndergaard for the near-ghost of Amed Rosario, because the Dodgers needed a middle infielder. Why didn't the Royals do that deal, sending Nicky Lopez, and getting prospects in the exchange?

That's what I'm saying - a smart thing to do would be to take on salaries to make other teams' deals work, and collect pieces in the process.

I’m with you there too. Makes no sense not to. Underlying principle that they never employ is turning money into prospects, whether via retaining bad money or taking on more.

[jfish26]

I'm suggesting something the other way around. The Dodgers just traded the ghost of Noah Syndergaard for the near-ghost of Amed Rosario, because the Dodgers needed a middle infielder. Why didn't the Royals do that deal, sending Nicky Lopez, and getting prospects in the exchange?

That's what I'm saying - a smart thing to do would be to take on salaries to make other teams' deals work, and collect pieces in the process.

I’m with you there too. Makes no sense not to. Underlying principle that they never employ is turning money into prospects, whether via retaining bad money or taking on more.

The problem is that they're not sitting on a billion dollars in equity, like the Glass family was. I'm not sure they have the financial flexibility to take on commitments in this way...even where doing so has obvious strategic benefits.

[Sparko]

Two in a row. Pitching scary still. But hitting

[ChicagoHawk]

Bowden reported that they’re shopping Singer today. Still don’t believe they’ll do it, but good to hear.

[ChicagoHawk]

Nicky Lopez to ATL for Taylor Hearn

Hideous, awful trade. JJ didn’t hide that he was stupidly going to look for major-league ready players, but Hearn is bad and has nearly as much service time as Lopez. Daily reminder that every leader in the front office needs to go ASAP.

[Sparko]

Hearn was a DFA. This is like "The Natural" without good guys.

[jfish26]

Nicky Lopez to ATL for Taylor Hearn

Hideous, awful trade. JJ didn’t hide that he was stupidly going to look for major-league ready players, but Hearn is bad and has nearly as much service time as Lopez. Daily reminder that every leader in the front office needs to go ASAP.

If they liked Hearn so much, they could have had him for the price of cash a week ago. Just horrendous process.

I would say, for someone who could lose an incredibly rare, top-of-field job just one year into it, in part because of his predecessor's stink...maybe doing dumb, sweetheart deals with the Braves isn't it.

[ChicagoHawk]

If they liked Hearn so much, they could have had him for the price of cash a week ago. Just horrendous process.

I would say, for someone who could lose an incredibly rare, top-of-field job just one year into it, in part because of his predecessor's stink...maybe doing dumb, sweetheart deals with the Braves isn't it.

The Lopez-for-Hearn trade is one of the worst I can remember. Just baffling, no matter how you look at it.