Royals Rumblings - News for October 16, 2024

Could Gold Glove finalist Freddy Fermin be traded?

Four Royals were named Gold Glove finalists - Freddy Fermin, Bobby Witt Jr., Cole Ragans, and Seth Lugo.

Rustin Dodd at The Athletic writes about the key questions facing the Royals this off-season.

Another player who will draw trade interest from other clubs: catcher Freddy Fermin, a 29-year-old who has grown into one of the best backup catchers in baseball across the past two seasons. Fermin batted .271 with a .695 OPS and terrific defense while appearing in 111 games. The package was worth 3.0 WAR, according to Baseball-Reference.

Fermin was a relatively late bloomer, not making the big leagues until he was 27. And with five years of club control remaining, he could be tantalizing to a team looking for a cost-effective fix behind the plate.

Craig Brown reacts to J.J. Picollo’s end-of-the-year press conference.

“Perplexing” is an interesting adjective to describe Melendez because we don’t usually hear that kind of candor coming from a general manager. Yet, it feels accurate. He’s a guy who has the tools but those have yet to translate to sustained success in the major leagues. Picollo noted his 2021 minor league season when he split his time between Double and Triple-A and hit 41 home runs and drove in 93 between those two stops. He hit .285/.372/.628 in Northwest Arkansas and .293/.413/.620 in Omaha...

Melendez is eligible for arbitration. MLB Trade Rumors has him estimated at a $2.5 million salary next year. I know there are some who would think about non-tendering him, but there’s no way that happens. Nor should it. But the Royals should continue to be serious about improving the outfield. I don’t think Melendez can be counted upon to provide the production they need.

Chris Towers at CBS Sports writes about some potential fantasy baseball breakout players for next year.

Lucas Erceg, RP, Royals – I’m a believer in Erceg’s. Despite a very small sample of success, I’m willing to buy him as a breakout reliever and the Royals closer to have for 2025. For a converted position player, he has a surprisingly deep arsenal – one that I’ll admit does make me wonder if he might not be capable of transitioning to the rotation eventually. I don’t think that’s likely, and he wouldn’t need it, given how good his fastball, slider, and changeup are. He has closer stuff and took a big step forward with his control in 2024 – just his fourth season as a starter, mind you. He’ll have some competition from Hunter Harvey to close games for the Royals, but I think Erceg has the lead heading into the offseason as sort of the last man standing in the Royals pen at the end of this season. With his stuff and the improvements he made in 2024, I’m betting on a big season for Erceg in 2025.

Jason Kander writes at Joe Posnanski’s blog about the new confidence of Kansas City.

Matt Chabot at Farm to Fountains profiles prospect Luinder Avila.

Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman has been playing through a painful ankle injury.

The Phillies extend manager Rob Thomson through 2026.

Did moving Francisco Lindor to the leadoff spot save the Mets season?

The Yankees’ remade bullpen has shined in the post-season.

Why has Mets closer Edwin Diaz been shaky in the ninth?

Giants coach Bryan Price steps down and is replaced by J.P. Martinez.

Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla’s contract is up.

After damage to Tropicana Field, fans suggest the Rays play in Oakland.

Why does TBS’ scorebug always have a runner on base?

NFL owners approve of Tom Brady’s bid to buy a minority stake of the Raiders.

The new Boston team in the NWSL has a name - BOS Nation.

The 85 best Quentin Tarantino characters, ranked.

Google wants mini-nuclear reactors to fuel AI.

Known for his comedy, Tim Heidecker is ready to get serious about music.

Alex Van Halen opens up about his legendary guitarist brother Eddie.

Your song of the day is The Killers with All These Things That I’ve Done.