Royals Rumblings - News for December 9, 2022

MJ Melendez will be slated for double duty again next year.

Lynn Worthy talks to J.J. Picollo about having a quiet off-season so far.

Picollo isn’t buying into the idea that the Royals have to overhaul their roster drastically further this winter in order to compete.

“I think if we could reshape it a little bit, that would be great,” Picollo said. “But when I look around our field, I mean (Salvador Perez) is catching, Bobby (Witt Jr.) should be our shortstop, you’ve got Nicky (Lopez) and (Michael) Massey in the middle as well, Michael Taylor in center and then we’ve got the options in the outfield.

“We don’t look at that team and say that’s not a team that could be competitive. But they do have to improve in some areas.”

Lynn also writes that the Royals are planning on having MJ Melendez play both catcher and left field again next year.

“He’s too young to give up on a premium position,” Picollo said. “It’s just a unique situation where you’ve got a guy that’s as decorated as Salvy that’s ahead of him. But we want MJ to catch.”

The Royals didn’t lose anyone in the MLB portion of the Rule 5 draft, and picked up infielder Shervyen Newton in the minor league portion of the draft.

David Lesky at Inside the Crown makes the case for and against the Royals standing pat.

Could they have given out $140 million in contracts to Walker and Taillon to fill out the rotation? Without a doubt. But they also need to determine what they have in Daniel Lynch, Kris Bubic, Jonathan Heasley, Carlos Hernandez, Jackson Kowar, Max Castillo, Angel Zerpa and others. And if it is correct that the big leagues were where the development stalled and the organization believes in Brian Sweeney and Co. (and they should if they hired them), then it does make some sense to let it ride with who they have.

I still say they’ll sign a starter or two or maybe a starter and a swingman, but the fact that they haven’t made a move at this point isn’t the worst thing in the world. I think this is the side I land on, but there is an alternate side.

Craig Brown at Into the Fountains wants to see more action.

I’m looking forward to the end of “Will the Royals become transactional?” It’s a thing because in Kansas City, it hasn’t happened enough. And that falls on the old general manager. I’ve said in this space plenty of times over the last couple of months that I understand the skepticism that surrounds Picollo due to his relationship with Dayton Moore, but I’m willing to give him some time to prove himself in the arena. One, it’s not like we have a choice…And two, he’s his own guy who will ultimately forge his own path. I’m willing to take the time to see how that plays out.

Kevin O’Brien at Royals Reporter is willing to be patient.

Royals fans constantly chirped about wanting John Sherman to build the team more like the Guardians, Rays, and A’s (i.e. small-market teams who won despite their circumstances) this offseason. Welp, now we got that, first with the coaching staff, and then with the limited spending.

That being said, the offseason isn’t done just yet.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see Picollo and the Royals be patient on the market, and pounce on the right opportunity when it comes up. A flaw of Dayton Moore was that he probably made big offseason splashes too early, and missed out on deals that may have been better fits (and less expensive to boot).

Jerry Edwards at Inside the Royals looks at who might be available for the Royals with the 8th pick in next year’s draft.

Alec Marsh talks about pitching development on the Royals Weekly podcast.

Michael Massey was on The Whole Story Podcast with Alex Feuz.

Brandon Nimmo signs an 8-year, $162 million deal with the Mets.

The winners and losers from the Winter Meetings.

Executives are stunned by some of the deals for older free agents.

What’s next for the Yankees after signing Aaron Judge?

What will the Giants do after missing out on Judge?

The Rangers are looking for starting pitching and a left fielder.

Red Sox fans are bummed the team frittered away a trio of homegrown stars.

Jason Heyward signs a minor league deal with the Dodgers.

Scouting reports for the players selected in the Rule 5 draft.

Minor league ballparks will need to extend netting to protect fans by 2025.

Why Barclays Center is the worst arena in America.

A Congressional investigation finds Commanders owner Dan Snyder led a toxic work environment.

Four states have banned the use of TikTok on state-issued devices.

How hospices became a for-profit hustle.

How a Bootsy Collins imposter pulled off a music scam.

Your song of the day is James Brown with Super Bad.