Kansas City Royals news: Sherman says the Royals aren’t moving out of town

Anne Rogers writes that the fastball could be key for Seth Lugo in 2026.

“I think over the past couple of years, all the breaking balls that I like to throw, it kind of gave me a reality check — we’ve got to use your fastball,” Lugo said. “We’ve got to command the fastball. Get up when I need to. So that’s been my focus.”

John Sherman says the team isn’t looking to move out of the area.

CEO and chairman John Sherman reiterated at Saturday’s Royals Rally that he has no intention of moving the Royals.

“Look, we’re not going anywhere, and that’s what we’ve said all along,” Sherman said. “Someone else will have to do that. But I think related to the other comment about wealth and those types of things, I think that’s part of what we’re dealing with in our society. And in our case, we’re looking for a public partner, right, as I said before. We’re working day and night right now to find a way to make sure this team stays here for as long as any of us are going to be around.

“And the public partner is what ties you to a community, right? That’s really why that’s important.”

Jaylon Thompson writes about why Cole Ragans turned down an invite to pitch in the World Baseball Classic.

“He was asked by Team USA to pitch for them,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said. “And very mature decision by him to decide not to — as tempting as it was. But in his mind, he wanted to be healthy. He wanted to ramp up into the season and not be ramped up going into spring training. And I thought it was a real mature decision on his end.”

Eno Sarris at The Athletic ranks pitchers for fantasy baseball, with Ragans ranked #12.

Last year, though, it was a new affliction: a rotator cuff strain, on the heels of a groin strain. The bad news was that it limited him to just over 60 innings and kept him out of the top 100 starting pitchers on the year. The good news was that he came back and showed the same stuff that launched his career just a year before. With that wide arsenal of high-stuff pitches and good command, he’s on a short list of pitchers who could win hardware this year. Which is why you take on the injury risk.

David Lesky writes that it is harder than it seems to find an upgrade in the outfield.

I think it would be difficult for the Royals to give Hays the opportunity to play every day. He hasn’t played center field since 2023, so I don’t think that’s an option. And even when it was sort of an option, it wasn’t even then. He played 36.2 innings that year, but the last time he played more than that was 2020. We can continue to discuss where that 105 wRC+ would rank on the 2025 Royals, but it’s also 17 points lower than what Collins produced in 2025. Sure, Hays has more of a track record, but other than a 75-plate appearance sample in 2019 at 23, he hasn’t ever even come within 10 points of what Collins did last year. And he isn’t even especially good defensively anymore, at least not by the numbers.

The Data Dugout lists Jac Caglianone as a player due for a breakout season.

No player in MLB — rookie or not — posted larger gaps between actual and expected batting average, slugging percentage, and on-base average than Caglianone. It’s incredible he led the league in every one of the three. Most notably, his expected slugging ranked 10th among rookies, while his actual slugging finished fourth-worst.

Aside from his slash line, Caglianone tops all rookies in EV90, meaning the top 10% of his batted balls were hit harder than any other players. He also ranked 6th among rookies in barrel rate (12%).

Players with those numbers normally produce at a much higher rate. Caglianone has jaw dropping power in his bat, which should be on full display next year.

Jon Heyman has the breakdown on Vinnie Pasquantino’s salary and escalators.

R.J. Anderson at CBS Sports ranks the Royals’ farm system among the three worst in baseball.

Michael Coyle at Royals Keep looks at how the offense stacks up.

Caleb Moody at Kings of Kauffman looks at the promotional schedule for Omaha.

Carlos Beltrán will wear a Mets cap in the Hall of Fame.

Arizona signs Carlos Santana to a one-year, $2 million contract.

The Twins claim former Royals pitcher Jackson Kowar off waivers.

The Angels sign Jeimer Candelario to a minor league deal.

ESPN has bold predictions on MLB rookies this year.

Will Max Scherzer or Justin Verlander pitch this year?

How the Cardinals tore it down and what’s next for them.

An explanation of the insurance issue with the World Baseball Classic.