Royals Rumblings - News for November 6, 2024

We’re all united as Royals fans here.

Jaylon Thompson writes about why Michael Wacha stayed in Kansas City.

He had five days after the World Series to decide on a $16 million player option that could’ve allowed him to test free agency. There likely would’ve been suitors, but Wacha wanted to return. “It was a great season for not only myself, but for the team,” Wacha said.

“And just the way the season went throughout the summer, me and my wife fell in love with the city. We fell in love with the team, the staff here and everyone involved in the stadium. It was something where we didn’t want to go (anywhere) else.”

Anne Rogers has more from J.J. Picollo.

“It is validating,” Picollo said. “Last year, we had a lot of moves to make. We were not only trying to identify talent, but we also wanted the right culture in our clubhouse. And what we learned last year was, culture is going to trump talent in a lot of instances. You can will yourself to win with a great culture. Michael, certainly, is a big part of that.

“... But it is validating, because whether it’s decisions we made on who to target [or] processes that were in place with our pitching department, it’s good to see those things come through. It’s a team effort. Ultimately, these are the guys out there on the field that have to perform. But if we can surround them with a good staff, with good teammates, great things can happen. And we feel like that’s the trajectory we’re on right now.”

Craig Brown writes that Wacha signals Kansas City as an attractive place to play.

“I’m always part of that winning culture – it’s what I’m accustomed to, and it was one of the reasons I signed here last year. I believed in these guys here. I believe in the organization, the front office, the coaching staff, the guys on the team. I believe in them. That belief only grew throughout the course of the season. I saw firsthand what a full season with this team will do, that another year of experience will do to some of these guys. I’m excited to be here for the next three years, of Kansas City baseball trending up.”

Isn’t it nice to see a quote like that and not have it be lip service from a player whose only option was Kansas City? Yes, Kansas City baseball is trending up. And players want to be a part of that action.

David Lesky looks at next steps.

And what his signing does is it allows the Royals to proceed with their offseason accordingly. The only way they could trade Singer is if they had Wacha (or someone like him). I’m not saying they have to, as you know, but I’m saying they now can. And by making this deal so quickly, they can move in a number of different ways on that front. They can either talk Singer at the GM meetings this week and try to get ahead of some free agency in the hopes that a team just doesn’t want to get involved. Or they can wait and see if a team like the Orioles wasn’t able to sign who they wanted, so now they’re willing to trade a bat for him. That’s huge.

Shohei Ohtani has shoulder surgery.

At ESPN Insider, Kiley McDaniel projects free agent contracts.

The Braves don’t expect Ronald Acuna Jr. or Spencer Strider to be ready by Opening Day and Joe Jimenez will be out 8-12 months with a knee injury.

The Blue Jays don’t plan to trade Bo Bichette.

The A’s plan to keep Brent Rooker.

Giants All-Star reliever Camilo Doval is drawing trade interest.

Brian Cashman comments on the future of manager Aaron Boone.

The Padres are finalizing a contract extension for manager Mike Shildt.

The Rangers hire former Marlins manager Skip Schumaker for their front office.

Grading all the NFL trades at the deadline.

Joel Embiid gets a three-game suspension for shoving a reporter.

When did Republicans become “red” and Democrats “blue”?

The history of the “jump scare” in movies.

The 20 best movies about American presidents.

Your song of the day is The Beatles with Come Together.