Royals Rumblings - News for July 17, 2025
One more day off before the “second half.”
Anne Rogers discussed the deal for Adam Frazier with J.J. Picollo:
“We’ve always had great admiration for Fraz,” general manager J.J. Picollo said Wednesday. “... He became kind of an easy target for us because of how much respect we have for him and where we are [with] our 13-man position player roster. We lack depth. We need to get better in all areas, but depth is important.”
The Royals are still working out how they will approach the trade deadline:
The Royals are in that undecided boat, but don’t expect them to tear it all down and be full sellers. Ownership and the front office still believe in the 2025 squad, and they fully intend to contend in ‘26. That means building around the core pieces they currently have, with hopes of finding pieces that can complement and help them this year and beyond.
Eric Longenhagen at FanGraphs approves of Kansas City’s day one draft haul:
This is a well-balanced group with a mix of ceiling and floor. Both Gamble and Hammond have some hit tool risk (Gamble due to chase, Hammond due to length), but they’re both exciting athletes with big bat speed. Hammond has a fallback on the mound if he doesn’t hit. Lombardi also has a two-way background and could be stretched out to start in pro ball, with a stable relief floor if that doesn’t work out. Lamkin is a pitchability college lefty and high-probability no. 5-8 starter type. Millar is a big-framed arm strength project with major league size and a late-moving changeup.
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel also likes what the Royals did at the top:
Sean Gamble and Hammond both have clear everyday upside, Lombardi and Justin Lamkin have clear starter potential, and Cameron Millar has impactful stuff that could fit in a couple of roles.
This draft relies on a couple of those players hitting their upside (I’ve been heavy on Hammond and Lombardi all spring, a little more mixed but not negative on the other three) because the rest of the draft is likely to have a couple of big league role players, likely righty relievers but maybe some position players as well.
The Royals have signed a few players as undrafted free agents:
- Hunter Ensley, an outfielder from Tennessee
- Cory Ronan, a left-handed pitcher from Hawaii
- Ryan Ure, a left-handed pitcher from Oklahoma State (I have not yet seen another source confirming this)
At just 22, James Wood has become a stabilizing force for the Nationals.
Former Dodgers lefty Julio Urías has completed his domestic violence suspension and will be reinstated today.
The MLB Players Association has advised international players to carry their immigration documents with them at all times. ($)
Cleveland right-handed pitcher Paul Sewald is headed to the IL with a shoulder injury.
The Florida High School Athletic Association is showing their ass with a suspension of Teddy Bridgewater, who has been coaching at Miami Northwestern.
WNBA players are bracing for a work stoppage after this season as CBA negotiations have stalled.
Ranking the field ahead of The Open Championship, which has teed off at Royal Portrush by the time you’re reading this.
46-year-old Manny Pacquiao is boxing again.
Young men are buying up Pokémon cards as an investment vehicle.
A staggering number of teenagers are regularly using AI companion platforms.
Taylor Sheridan’s numerous drama series are doing numbers but receiving scant attention for awards.
Your song of the day is Secrets by State Champs.