Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Royals Rumors

Brady Singer Loses Arbitration Hearing Against Royals

By | at

The Royals have defeated starter Brady Singer in arbitration, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (on Twitter). The right-hander will make $2.95MM this year rather than his group’s desired $3.325MM.

Singer, 26, qualified for early arbitration as a Super Two player. He’ll be eligible for the process thrice more over the coming winters, with the Royals keeping him under club control through 2026. The arbitration loss means he’ll start from a slightly lower platform salary than he’d hoped as he progresses through that process, with a $375K gap in the sides’ respective filing figures.

A former first-round draftee, Singer has started 63 of 66 games at the big league level. His performance over his first couple seasons was solid but the Royals nevertheless kept him in the bullpen to open last year. Within a few weeks, they’d optioned him out to build back up as a starter in Triple-A Omaha. That decision prevented Singer from gaining a full service year in 2022, extending the Royals’ window of club control by another season.

That extra year he’ll spend in Kansas City now looks quite valuable. Singer had a breakout showing, working to a 3.23 ERA across 153 1/3 innings. He struck out opponents at an above-average 24.2% rate, induced grounders at a quality 49% clip and limited walks to a meager 5.6% mark. Singer is arguably the best pitcher on the K.C. roster and certainly enters the upcoming season without a question about his role in the starting five.

The Royals have Zack Greinke and Jordan Lyles locked into spots behind Singer on the depth chart. Offseason signee Ryan Yarbrough, Daniel Lynch, Brad Keller and Kris Bubic are among those who could vie for starts at the back end. Singer was the lone arbitration-eligible player on the K.C. roster who didn’t agree to terms prior to the January 14 filing deadline; the team’s arbitration business for this winter is complete.

Royals Sign Franmil Reyes To Minor League Deal

By | at

The Royals have signed outfielder/designated hitter Franmil Reyes to a minor league deal, per a report from Anne Rogers and Juan Toribio of MLB.com. He has been invited to major league Spring Training.

One year ago, the idea of Reyes settling for a minors deal would have been quite surprising, as he had seemingly established himself as a reliable middle-of-the-order threat. From his 2018 debut through the end of the 2021 season, he had launched 92 home runs in 529 games. His 29.5% strikeout rate was certainly on the high side, but he paired that with a solid 9% walk rate. His 119 wRC+ in that stretch indicates that he was 19% better than the league average hitter.

Unfortunately, 2022 was easily the worst season of his career. His walk rate dropped to 6.3% while his strikeout problem got worse, as he was punched out in 33.2% of his trips to the plate. The Guardians designated him for assignment in August and he was claimed by the Cubs, but the latter team cut him from their roster at season’s end. He finished the campaign with 14 home runs and a batting line of .221/.273/.365, wRC+ of 80.

That drop was quite disastrous for a player like Reyes who doesn’t really bring anything else to the table. He’s not a burner on the basepaths and he’s not a strong defender either. He was given poor grades for his glovework at the start of his career and has been mostly a designated hitter of late. He played more than 500 innings in the outfield in each of 2018 and 2019 but hasn’t reached even 100 innings in any of the past three.

With that kind of profile, Reyes really needs to get back on track at the plate in order to have any value. There are reasons to think that his power is still in there, as he still made loud contact last year when he did connect. Statcast placed him in the 92nd percentile in terms of average exit velocity last year, in the 85th percentile in terms of maximum exit velocity, 79th in hard hit rate and 80th in terms of barrel rate.

The Royals are an interesting team to have brought Reyes aboard, since they seemingly already have a number of candidates for corner outfield work and the designated hitter slot. The trade of Michael A. Taylor opened up center field for someone like Drew Waters, but they still have Kyle Isbel and Edward Olivares as candidates for the corners. There are also players who could get bumped to the outfield from other areas, including MJ Melendez. With Salvador Perez taking the bulk of the work behind the plate, Melendez will end up in the outfield or serving in the DH often. Corner infielders like Hunter Dozier, Nick Pratto and Nate Eaton could also see some time on the grass, with Vinnie Pasquantino likely taking first base and Nicky Lopez perhaps getting some time at third since Bobby Witt Jr. and Michael Massey could be the primary middle infield combo.

It will be a challenge for Reyes to force his way into that mix, but most of those other players are young and can be optioned to the minors. If he can make 2022 seem like a fluke and get back to being the 30-homer per year kind of guy that he was prior to that, the club would likely find a way to make it work. If Reyes can get his way back onto the roster, he still has a couple of option years and could also be retained for 2024 via arbitration since he has between four and five years of service time.

Each MLB Team’s Players On WBC Rosters

By | at

The World Baseball Classic is returning this year, the first time since 2017. The quadrennial event was supposed to take place in 2021 but was scuttled by the pandemic, now returning after a six-year absence. Rosters for the tournament were announced today and those can be found at this link. Here is a breakdown of which players from each MLB team are set to take participate. Quick caveat that this list is fluid and might be changed as more information becomes available.

Without further ado…

Angels

Astros

Athletics

Blue Jays

Braves

Brewers

Cardinals

Cubs

Diamondbacks

Dodgers

Giants

Guardians

Marlins

Mariners

Mets

Nationals

Orioles

Padres

Phillies

Pirates

Rangers

Rays

Red Sox

Reds

Rockies

Royals

Tigers

Twins

White Sox

Yankees

Read The Transcript Of Our Chat Hosted By MLB Outfielder Brent Rooker

By | at

After being drafted by the Twins in the 38th round out of Mississippi State, Brent Rooker went back to college for another year.  That move paid off, as the Twins took him again in the first round in 2017.  At the time, Baseball America ranked the outfielder/first baseman as a top 100 prospect in the game, writing, “He projects as a middle-of-the-order weapon with power as a strong carrying tool.”

Rooker reached Triple-A in 2019.  The minor league season was cancelled in 2020, but Rooker was able to make his MLB debut in September of that year.  In his sixth game in the Majors, he went deep off the Cardinals’ Daniel Ponce de Leon.  Unfortunately, Rooker’s forearm was fractured on a hit-by-pitch not long after that.

The surgery for that injury went well, and Rooker was back in the bigs in April of ’21.  The left fielder showed promise that year, popping nine home runs in 213 plate appearances for the Twins.  One highlight: a four-hit effort against the Rays, including a home run off Evan Phillips.

The Padres were drawn to Rooker, as they acquired him along with Taylor Rogers in the April 2022 trade that sent Chris Paddack and Emilio Pagan to Minnesota.  After a few brief big league looks for San Diego, the Padres traded Rooker to the Royals in August of ’22 for Cam Gallagher.  Finally, in November of last year, the A’s claimed Rooker off waivers from the Royals.

A whirlwind 2022 season saw Rooker as a member of four different organizations.  He still managed to hit 28 home runs in 365 plate appearances at Triple-A.  Rooker joins an A’s team that currently projects to have Ramon Laureano and Seth Brown at the outfield corners and Aledmys Diaz at DH.  The 28-year-old Rooker appears to have little left to prove at Triple-A and is in a good place to compete for playing time as a right-handed power bat.

As Brent notes, he’s at least above replacement level at Twitter, and you should follow him @Brent_Rooker12.  Brent volunteered to chat with MLBTR readers today, and we’re happy to have him!  Click here to read the transcript of the chat, where Brent talks about everything from the mental weight of a serious injury, the biggest gaps between Triple-A and the Majors, his favorite teammates/toughest opponents, clubhouse food spreads and more!

Cardinals Acquire Anthony Misiewicz, Designate James Naile

By | at

The Cardinals announced that they have acquired left-hander Anthony Misiewicz from the Royals in exchange for cash considerations. The Royals had designated him for assignment recently when Zack Greinke’s signing was made official. The create room on their 40-man roster, the Cardinals designated right-hander James Naile for assignment.

Misiewicz, 28, was drafted by the Mariners and broke into the majors with them in 2020. He struck out 30.1% of batters faced in that debut but an elevated .367 batting average on balls in play nudged his ERA up to 4.05. That strikeout rate was higher than anything he had done in the minors and now seems to have been a small sample blip. In the past two seasons, which included getting dealt to the Royals at last year’s deadline, he’s struck out 22.4% of batters faced but walked just 7%, as he posted a 4.52 ERA over 98 appearances.

It’s possible that Misiewicz deserved better than that ERA would indicate. His .321 batting average on balls in play and 70% strand rate over the past couple of years are each a bit on the unfortunate side of average. ERA estimators like his 3.88 FIP and 3.77 SIERA paint a bit of a nicer picture. Like most southpaws, he’s better against left-handed hitters. For his career, he’s held them to a .250/.288/.361 line while righties have hit .283/.348/.480 against him.

The Cardinals figure to have Génesis Cabrera as their primary left-handed option out of their bullpen, with other options on the 40-man roster including Packy Naughton, JoJo Romero and Zack Thompson. All of those players, including Misiewicz, have options and may end up shuttling between Triple-A and the majors as the season progresses unless one of them can separate themselves from the rest of the pack.

As for Naile, this is a very ill-timed transaction for him as today is his 30th birthday. After spending many years in Oakland’s farm system, he reached free agency and signed a minor league deal with the Cards last year. He pitched well enough to crack the club’s roster in June, eventually posting an ERA of 5.00 over nine MLB innings. In 73 1/3 frames at Triple-A, he had a 3.31 ERA, 20.2% strikeout rate, 6.6% walk rate and 53.4% ground ball rate. That latter number is his best selling point as he’s run kept the ball on the ground all throughout his minor league career.

The Cards will now have one week to trade Naile or pass him through waivers. He still has a couple of option years and hardly any service time, which could intrigue clubs looking for some extra pitching depth. Roster spots are at a premium at this time of year but flexibility is about to go up with the return of the 60-day injured list next week.

Royals Re-Sign Zack Greinke

By | at

FEBRUARY 6: Heyman today provided more specifics of the incentives on Twitter. Greinke will get that $8.5MM guarantee, then $450K for getting to 90 innings pitched and every five innings thereafter up until 135. At 140 innings pitched, he gets a further $300K and keeps adding that amount at each five-inning interval until 185.

FEBRUARY 3: The Royals officially announced Greinke’s new deal.  According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post (Twitter link), Greinke will earn $8.5MM in guaranteed money, with up to $7.5MM more available in incentives.

JANUARY 30: The Royals have reached agreement on a one-year contract to bring back veteran starter Zack Greinke, according to Bob Fescoe of 610 Sports Radio in Kansas City. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand hears that the deal will be worth $8-10MM in base salary, plus performance-based bonuses. Greinke is a client of Excel Sports Management.

Greinke began his professional career with the Royals way back in 2002 as the No. 6 overall pick in that year’s MLB Draft. He made his big league debut in KC in 2004 and spent his first seven seasons there, highlighted by an AL Cy Young Award win in 2009. Following successful stints with the Brewers, Angels, Dodgers, Diamondbacks and Astros between 2011-2021, the eccentric right-hander returned to his old stomping grounds in 2022 and worked to a 3.68 ERA in 26 starts covering 137 innings.

His paltry 4.8 K/9 last year was a career-low and ranked as the worst K/9 of all 90 major league pitchers who logged at least 130 innings over the course of the 2022 regular season. But the 39-year-old showed terrific control (1.8 BB/9) and was generally able to induce more soft contact than hard contact to help pave over his diminished swing-and-miss stuff. Among the 585 total batters he faced during the 2022 campaign, Greinke surrendered only 14 home runs. That worked out to a 0.92 HR/9, putting him right around rising studs like Nestor Cortes, Logan Gilbert, Ranger Suarez and George Kirby.

Greinke can hopefully again serve as an innings-eater and clubhouse mentor for a Royals rotation that has undergone a few offseason changes but will still be relying on a lot of youth pushing forward. Brady Singer, 26, stands out as somebody who made significant gains in 2022, perhaps thanks in part to Greinke’s tutelage. Brad Keller, 27, and Daniel Lynch, 27, could use a similar type of molding.

Greinke figures to be named the Opening Day starter for the Royals in 2023, as he was last year. Singer and Keller project to fall in somewhere behind him, along with newcomers Jordan Lyles and Ryan Yarbrough. Kansas City finished 27th among all 30 teams in combined starter ERA (4.76) in 2022, despite Greinke’s contributions and Singer’s mini-breakout. KC’s combined starter K/9 of 6.9 ranked 28th.

Royals Looking Into Extensions For Young Players

By | at

At the Royals’ fanfest event today, general manager J.J. Picollo told reporters (including MLB.com’s Anne Rogers) that the team is considering extensions for its core of young players.  Any deals may not be particularly close and it isn’t known how far any talks have progressed, but Picollo didn’t put a specific timeline on negotiations, saying the Royals would explore the topic throughout the year.

“It is something that we’ve discussed,” Picollo said.  “We’ve studied other extensions signed, and when they get to certain years of service, now you get better comps of, this is what it should look like.  Hopefully, the partner on the other end feels the same way.”

As Rogers notes, such players as Bobby Witt, Brady Singer, and Vinnie Pasquantino fit the model of young extension candidates the Royals would certainly have interest in locking in as key parts of their future.  MJ Melendez, Drew Waters, or Michael Massey could conceivably also be on the radar for long-term deals, and it’s safe to assume that pitchers like Daniel Lynch, Kris Bubic, or Jackson Kowar won’t be considered until they show more at the Major League level.

Naturally, it isn’t any surprise that Kansas City (or any team) has interest in extending promising youngsters.  Once offseason business is complete, most clubs turn their attention to discussing longer-term contracts with in-house players, which is why so many extensions are commonly announced in the period from roughly mid-March to mid-April.

For a lower-payroll team like the Royals, there is both added value and added risk in extending their stars of the future.  If these youngsters do end up living up to their potential, early-career extensions can end up being huge bargains for the team, saving the Royals millions in arbitration costs and free agent dollars.  On the flip side, if the players don’t deliver at the MLB level, then an extension can become an albatross on the somewhat limited Kansas City payroll.

Owner John Sherman also addressed reporters on the topic of extensions, saying that he’ll be at the Royals’ Spring Training camp to talk extensions with the team’s front office (and, presumably, any agents should negotiations develop at a serious pace).  “I’d love to know we’ll have some of these guys beyond their arbitration years.  It becomes very valuable, because you have cost certainty,” Sherman said.  “Plus, if you’re going to lose them in five years, you’ve got to think about, how do you get a return on a really talented guy in their fourth or fifth year?”

There hasn’t been any real spending increase since Sherman officially took ownership of the Royals in late 2019, though naturally both the pandemic and the Royals’ ongoing rebuild impacted the club’s investment in its Major League roster.  This has also been an offseason of change for the franchise, with Picollo taking over baseball operations from Dayton Moore in September and Matt Quatraro hired as the Royals’ new manager.

With all this in mind, Kansas City’s past history of extensions may not be fully instructive in trying to predict how the Royals may head into this next wave of contract talks, as Picollo and Sherman could have a different approach than Moore and previous owner David Glass.  Since Witt, Pasquantino, Melendez, and Massey all just made their big league debuts in 2022, it represents some difference just in exploring extensions with such inexperienced players, though Moore was no stranger to this tactic — such players as Joakim Soria, Yordano Ventura, and Salvador Perez all had less than two seasons of MLB service time when they signed extensions during Moore’s tenure.

Singer has the most experience of the Royals’ younger core, and since he and the Royals are currently scheduled for an arbitration hearing, it stands to reason that the club might have already floated the idea of an extension to Singer and his reps at Excel Sports Management.  With the exception of a minor sophomore slump in 2021, Singer has been solid to excellent throughout his three Major League seasons, highlighted by a 3.23 ERA over 153 1/3 innings last season.

Singer is aiming for a $3.325MM salary for 2023, while K.C. countered with a $2.95MM figure.  Since Singer gained Super Two qualification, this will be the first of four trips through the arbitration process for the right-hander, so this upcoming hearing has added importance in establishing the starting point for Singer’s future salaries.  The Super Two status also adds even more incentive for the Royals to work out an extension with Singer, in order to gain some cost certainty over what could quickly become a large price tag if Singer keeps producing front-of-the-rotation numbers.

Between Singer’s performance, arbitration status, and the rising cost of pitching, Kansas City will have to pay handsomely in any extension.  However, the price tag will still likely be lower than the cost of extending Witt, even though has only completed one Major League season.  The 22-year-old hit .254/.294/.428 with 20 homers and 30 steals (in 37 chances) over 632 plate appearances, amassing 2.3 fWAR and finishing fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting.  While the defensive metrics didn’t like Witt’s performance at either shortstop or third base last season, the Royals will deploy Witt as their regular shortstop in 2023, and Picollo feels settling in at a single position will improve Witt’s glovework.

Witt entered his rookie season as one of baseball’s top prospects, and has been projected for superstar potential even before the Royals selected him second overall in the 2019 draft.  Perez’s four-year, $81MM extension from the 2020-21 offseason is the priciest contract in Royals club history, but it isn’t a reach to say that a Witt extension would far surpass that deal, and possibly resemble Wander Franco’s 11-year, $182MM extension with the Rays.

Royals Designate Anthony Misiewicz For Assignment

By | at

The Royals announced that left-hander Anthony Misiewicz has been designated for assignment.  The move creates roster space for Zack Greinke, whose one-year deal with Kansas City was officially announced today.

A veteran of three MLB seasons, Misiewicz was acquired from the Mariners in a pre-deadline trade last August, after Seattle had also DFA’ed the southpaw.  Misiewicz posted a 4.61 ERA and only a 14% strikeout rate over 13 2/3 frames with the Mariners last year, but at least got on track on the strikeout front by delivering a 4.11 ERA and 29.7 K% in his first 15 1/3 innings in Kansas City.

It was a promising return to form for Misiewicz, who had a 4.05 ERA and 30.1% strikeout rate over 20 innings in his 2020 rookie season with the Mariners, but both his ERA (4.61) and his ability to miss bats both declined during 54 2/3 frames of work in 2021.  Misiewicz posted respectable but not eye-opening strikeout totals during his minor league career, though naturally some uptick in K’s was to be expected after he moved to relief pitching.  The left-hander was almost exclusively a starter from 2015-19, but shifted into a full-time bullpen role upon making his debut in the big leagues.

Misiewicz isn’t a particularly hard thrower for a relief pitcher, though he does have some good spin on his pitches, particularly his curveball.  Between this skillset, his decent numbers at the MLB level, and the general need for left-handed pitching around the sport, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see another club pluck Misiewicz off the DFA wire.  Misiewicz is also controllable through the 2026 season, providing another benefit for any interested teams.  The Royals have Amir Garrett and new acquisitions Aroldis Chapman and Josh Taylor all lined up as the top left-handed options in their bullpen, so while Misiewicz became expendable from the team’s perspective, K.C. would probably prefer that he sneaks through the waiver wire so he can be retained as minor league depth.

Royals, Ryan Goins Agree To Minor League Deal

By | at

The Royals are bringing veteran infielder Ryan Goins back to the organization on a minor league contract, per the transaction log at MLB.com. Goins, an Octagon client, spent the 2018 season with Kansas City as well.

Goins hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since the truncated 2020 season, when he logged 14 games with the White Sox. He tallied only 10 plate appearances in that time, however, and went hitless in that small sample. He’s spent the past two seasons with the Braves organization, playing a combined 181 games for their Triple-A affiliate. Atlanta actually selected him to the Major League roster this past August but designated him for assignment and sent him outright back to Gwinnett before he ever got into a big league game.

The 34-year-old Goins didn’t hit much during his time with the Braves’ top affiliate, but that’s par for the course in his case. He’s long been a glove-first player, offering above-average defense all around the infield — but particularly at second base. In parts of eight Triple-A seasons, Goins is a .261/.319/.363 hitter, but he carries a lifetime .229/.278/.333 batting line in 1690 plate appearances as a big leaguer. The bulk of that experience came with the Blue Jays from 2013-17, but Goins has also spent time with the Royals (2018) and White Sox (2019-20).

Kansas City’s infield mix figures to give plenty of opportunity to younger players in 2023. Vinnie Pasquantino and Nick Pratto are expected to share time at first base and designated hitter, while young Michael Massey has an inside track on the primary job at second base. Bobby Witt Jr. should slot in as the team’s shortstop, though he spent plenty of time at third base in his rookie season in deference to defensive standout Nicky Lopez. The 27-year-old Lopez could log regular reps at shortstop or bounce around in utility fashion. He’s also drawn trade interest from the White Sox (and presumably other clubs). Hunter Dozier remains on hand as an option at either corner infield or corner outfield spot, while utilityman Nate Eaton could see action all over the infield and outfield.

Goins joins fellow veterans Johan Camargo and Matt Duffy as experienced infielders who Kansas City has signed to non-guaranteed deals in an effort to bolster the organizational infield depth. The Royals will surely want to get their young players as many looks as possible, but injuries are inevitable and Goins gives them a strong defensive veteran who can cover multiple spots should the need arise.

Royals Sign Aroldis Chapman To One-Year Deal

By | at

The Royals announced Friday they’ve signed left-hander Aroldis Chapman to a one-year deal. The lefty will reportedly make a base salary of $3.75MM but could earn an extra $4MM in performance bonuses. Chapman is a Wasserman client.

Chapman, 35 in February, spent over a decade as one of the most feared closers in baseball but has slipped from those heights in the past couple of years. From 2010 to 2020, he made 563 appearances with the Reds, Cubs and Yankees, posting a 2.25 ERA while racking up 276 saves. His 11.5% walk rate in that time was certainly on the high side, but he paired that with an incredible 41.2% strikeout rate. Only Craig Kimbrel and Kenley Jansen had more saves in that time and only Josh Hader bested him in terms of strikeout rate, minimum 100 innings pitched, though Hader didn’t debut until 2017 and did that over a much smaller sample.

In 2021, however, Chapman’s already shaky command seemed to get even worse, as he walked 15.6% of batters who came to the plate. He still posted a huge 39.9% strikeout rate but his 3.36 ERA was his highest in a season since 2011. Things got even worse last year as his walk rate jumped to 17.5% and he only struck out 26.9% of batters faced. That latter number was still above average but a huge drop from his previous form. When combined with the control issues, his ERA jumped to 4.46. His fastball, which used to average in the triple digits, dropped to an average of “just” 97.5 mph.

The issues with Chapman weren’t limited to his on-field performance either. He had already drawn the disapproval of many people in the baseball world years ago when a domestic violence allegation led to a 30-game suspension. More recently, he also drew the ire of many Yankee fans by missing time due to an infection from a tattoo. He then skipped a team workout between the regular season and postseason, leading the club to leave him off their playoff roster.

Despite the off-field issues and diminished performance, Chapman still drew interest from a few clubs around the league, including the Padres and Marlins. The Fish even held a private workout with him, with video shared by Alvarez on Twitter. However, they apparently didn’t make him an offer, per Craig Mish of the Miami Herald and Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase.

Instead, it will be the Royals who take a chance on Chapman and hope for a return to form. This fits in with similar moves the club has made in recent years, giving deals to veteran hurlers in an attempt to catch lightning in a bottle. They signed Trevor Rosenthal and Greg Holland going into 2020 and then Wade Davis the year after.

The Royals have a young roster overall and the bullpen is no exception. Chapman is now the only player with more than six years of MLB service time, while Amir Garrett and Scott Barlow are the only others with more than four. The new addition gives them a veteran but, perhaps more importantly, a midseason trade candidate. The Royals won just 65 games last year and finished in the bottom of the American League Central. If they endure a similarly frustrating campaign this year but Chapman is in good form, he’ll like be flipped this summer for prospects. Chapman and Garrett give the club at least a pair of lefties in the bullpen, with Richard Lovelady and Anthony Misiewicz also on hand to further stretch the club’s southpaw contingent.

Financially, this deal brings the club’s expenditures to $89MM, per the calculations of Roster Resource. That’s still shy of the $95MM figure the club had an Opening Day last year, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts, and well shy of their $143MM record high. They could use some upgrades elsewhere on the roster but might not spend much more, with general manager J.J. Picollo explaining in November that the budget might be tight this winter.

Alfre Alvarez of Con Las Bases Llenas first reported that a deal was close and also added the $4MM value for the bonuses (Twitter links). Mark Feinsand of MLB.com first reported that an agreement was in place and also first had the $3.75MM base salary (Twitter links).

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top