The Kansas City Royals reportedly miss out on a key deadline to make their own move to Kansas.
The Royals did “not have a deal on the table for consideration” at yesterday’s meeting of the Legislative Coordinating Council for a new ballpark in Kansas, according to Alatidd, Harvel & Keating of the TOPEKA CAPITAL-JOURNAL. It was the last scheduled LCC meeting for the year, meaning the baseball team will “not meet the Dec. 31 deadline” for a ballpark deal imposed by the lawmakers. However, the deadline under the law “is June 30, so legally a deal could still be made if lawmakers are willing to consider one after their self-imposed deadline”
David Lesky looks at the Royals and chase rate this past season at Inside the Crown.
Offensively, the Royals overall chase rate was actually better than you might realize at 28.8 percent with league average at 28.1 percent. But it was still 11th-highest in baseball. I feel like I’ve written more about the fact that Royals pitching doesn’t get chase, so this is one I’ve probably written before, but they had the seventh-lowest chase rate among pitching staffs. I’m using the Statcast O-swing% numbers that can be found on Fangraphs, if you’re following along at home. It’s simply the percentage of pitches outside the zone that a hitter swings at, for those who aren’t aware.
Obviously, chase rate isn’t everything. The Royals still had the sixth-best ERA in all of baseball. But they also had the eighth-lowest strikeout rate. And the reality is that a ball in play can be a hit. A strikeout is never a hit. It’s still important to throw strikes, but one thing the Royals say a lot that resonates with me is that the pitcher needs to force the hitter into a decision. Sometimes that means getting them to swing at a pitch they shouldn’t. But even though the Royals threw the eighth-most pitches in the strike zone by percentage, they still threw it out of the zone 48.5 percent of the time. There are opportunities to get the opponent to chase.
Craig Brown talks the Matt Strahm reunion at Into the Fountains. Hey, chase rate again!
The Royals, after shipping Angel Zerpa to Milwaukee earlier this month, were in need of a lefty in the bullpen. Strahm fills this need and should create a nifty trio along with Lucas Erceg and Carlos Estévez in the back of the bullpen.
Plus, the Royals desperately needed to add chase to their bullpen. Last year, Royals relievers got a swing on a pitch outside of the strike zone on 29.7 percent of those pitches. That was third-lowest in baseball. By adding Strahm, and before him, Nick Mears and Alex Lange, the Royals and JJ Picollo have addressed a massive need this winter.
The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma is not sold on Kris Bubic being a headline acquisition for the Chicago Cubs.
He’s also one year away from free agency, so prospect cost is a big factor here. The Cubs aren’t keen on giving up a ton of value for only one year of control of a player. They did it for Kyle Tucker and have been clear that it’s not something they want to make a habit out of.
Bubic is a perfectly fine pitcher and would upgrade the rotation. But it comes down to the price tag and whether there is a better fit available for this team. But as options dwindle, maybe the Cubs can’t be too picky, and it’s not like this would be a bad addition.
Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper thinks Royals fans should be very hopeful about the team’s 2026 season.
The Royals are an example of how a team can energize its fan base even on a relatively modest budget. Fan-favorite Salvador Perez is still around as a reminder of the 2015 champs, but the Royals have also extended Bobby Witt Jr. and Maikel Garcia for the long term, giving the team an extremely solid base to build from and realistic hope for another playoff appearance in 2026.
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Holy light bill, Batman!
Hate to be a downer, but one of my favorite Christmas songs is Hard Candy Christmas by Dolly Parton. I know times can be tough and the presents under the tree can be lean. But, I hope that you and yours make the best of the holidays, how you can. Remember, that song was written for Broadway’s The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Here is the song from the musical’s movie adaptation.