Weekend Rumblings - News for December 16, 2023

Let’s get transactional!

Anne Rogers writes about what lured Seth Lugo to Kansas City.

One of the main factors was opportunity. The 34-year-old proved he could be a starter this past season with the Padres, and he wanted another chance to be in a rotation. With the Royals, he not only gets a chance, but he’ll be considered one of their top starters. Another factor was location, with Kansas City being in the middle of the country and easier travel to his family in Louisiana....

“You look at some of the young guys on this club, they’re future superstars,” Lugo said. “You’ve got Salvador [Perez] back there behind the dish. The experience he’s got — right before I got to the big leagues, it was Royals-Mets in the World Series. So seeing what the organization has, it seemed like a great fit for us.”

David Laurila at Fangraphs talked to J.J. Picollo at the GM Meetings about improving on the field.

Picollo: “Last year, we were still very committed to the young core that we had on the field. Our expectation was to compete and to get better through the second half of the year, and I think the way we set up the team hurt us early on. We didn’t have a fallback as far as having more veteran players around our young guys. So it fell on all of our young guys, and that made it difficult for them.

“Looking at how we can improve next year, having guys with experience around them will help the infrastructure of the team. That’s what I think we miss right now. We obviously still need things like player improvement. Guys going from their second to their third year… Bobby [Witt Jr.] did a great job separating himself. He is a player who has a chance to be a superstar in this game, and that’s exciting, but we need others to take those steps forward as well.”

David Lesky at Inside the Crown reacts to a flurry of moves.

Where does this leave the roster now? I mentioned above that there has to be a trade in the works somewhere. They just have too many outfielders. I’ve thought Melendez is a trade candidate for some time now and that thought continues, but I also wonder if they dangle Velazquez looking to cash in on his insane last two months with the Royals power-wise. That may not be the worst idea, though I do love the insane power he provides.

Jackson County executive Frank White explains his stance in stadium negotiations.

“This current lease is not really conducive to the county and the county’s needs,” he said. “It is probably the best taxpayer-funded agreement, maybe in all the sports.”

Best for the teams, he means, not for the taxpayers. The current sales tax does more than pay off the debt for the stadium renovations that were finished a dozen years ago. The teams also split more than $20 million a year from the tax to pay for maintenance and operations at the stadiums. They also get to keep all the parking revenue and other perks.

Kevin O’Brien at Royals Reporter wonders what these signings mean for Zack Greinke.

Patrick Mahomes is pumped.

Tyler Glasnow signs a five-year, $135 million extension with the Dodgers.

Max Scherzer is out til mid-season after back surgery.

The Rangers added Tyler Mahle on a two-year, $22 million deal.

Marlins pitcher Jesús Luzardo is drawing trade interest.

The Mariners may be reluctant to trade their young starters because of their RSN.

What are the most likely landing spots for Josh Hader?

Why should teams tank anymore?

Why a Shohei Ohtani deal won’t push MLB closer to a salary cap.

The Chargers clean house after an embarrassing loss to the Raiders.

The MLS will not send teams to the 2024 U.S. Open Cup.

The earliest version of Mickey Mouse is set to go into the public domain next year.

Is social media killing stand up comedy?

The is a trailer for the newest Beverly Hills Cop movie.

Your song of the day is The Rolling Stones with Honky Tonk Women.