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Royals Review

\"A dim view of humanity\" -Lee Judge

Latest Entries

Kansas City Royals news: Are the Chiefs heading to Kansas?

The Kansas Legislative Coordinating Council will meet Monday to consider a deal to lure the Chiefs to Kansas. Top Kansas lawmakers have previously said they would not entertain a stadium deal after the end of the year, despite the fact that the STAR bonds program was renewed until June 2026. The Royals will not be […]

2025 Season in Review: Mike Yastrzemski, Randal Grichuk, Adam Frazier

Seeking a solution to the lack of outfield offense, the Royals went out and acquired a trio of players in advance of the 2025 trade deadline. The results varied, but I admired the attempt to do … something. Those guys, the subjects of this article, are Mike Yastrzemski, Randal Grichuk, and Adam Frazier. Yaz was […]

How did Royals pitchers fare in the Arizona Fall League?

Welcome back reader! If you are reading this, you’ve probably already read the earlier entry breaking down Royals hitter performances in the Arizona Fall League. If you haven’t, go back and read it! We’re back today to do the same for pitchers. Five pitchers from the Royals organization (as of the beginning of AFL play) took the […]

Kansas City Royals News: Picollo and Garcia talk extension

Hear from J.J. Picollo and Maikel Garcia on the latter’s recent contract extension: Craig Brown at Into the Fountains analyzes the adjustments that fueled Maikel Garcia’s breakout season: Honestly, there’s not much of a difference between the two seasons other than the space between his feet and straightening of his front foot. Everything else is […]

The Royals finally value hitters who do not chase pitches

I think about the Kansas City Royals’ ALDS series versus the New York Yankees quite frequently, about as much as I think about the Roman Empire. When I think about the Royals dropping that series, I often think about the Yankees hitters compared to the Royals hitters and how many more pitches the Bronx hitters […]

MLB

Can the Royals capitalize on a down Chiefs year? 

Kansas City sports fans are psychopaths, but, like, the “Midwest Nice” kind of psychopath. Plenty of places have affinity for a certain team–like St. Louis and the Cardinals, Chicago and the Cubs, Dallas and the Cowboys–but Kansas City is unique in that the city will support well-run teams with their whole chest no matter the […]

Kansas City Royals news: No aspirations at Aspira?

Leawood Mayor Marc Elkins is the latest in a long line of stakeholders opposing a possible Kansas City Royals move to the Aspira campus. “Based on media reports and direct feedback from our residents, we share serious concerns about the potential impacts on Leawood and its citizens should a stadium be built on this property,” […]

MLB

Relievers are avocados, or why trading Angel Zerpa was smart

Avocados are a neat little fruit. They’re creamy, high in important nutrients like fiber and potassium, and their mild yet delightful flavor is a great addition to all sorts of dishes.  Unfortunately, avocados also have an extremely limited shelf life. If you’ve bought an avocado, you know that once you cut it you have an […]

Kansas City Royals news: Opening Day is pushed back one day

Ken Rosenthal at The Athletic writes the Royals are still pursuing an outfielder. [$] Even after signing free agent Lane Thomas and trading for Isaac Collins, the Kansas City Royals are open to adding another outfielder – most notably Jarren Duran, if the Boston Red Sox lower their asking price. The Royals are under the […]

Why the Royals’ Latest Moves Actually Make Sense (with TJStats)

The Royals are making moves, and this episode breaks down what they really mean. Jacob Milham and Jeremy Greco are joined by Thomas Nestico (TJ Stats) to analyze one of the most surprising trades of the offseason, as the Kansas City Royals strike a deal with the Milwaukee Brewers that could quietly pay dividends. The […]

My 2025 Royals Hall of Fame Ballot

The Royals had nine potential honorees on last year’s ballot. I made a case that at least eight of them could deserve to be elected, even though we were restricted to only voting for five. Because of that restriction, I chose to intentionally leave off Wade Davis and Alex Gordon because I felt it was […]

Kansas City Royals news: Maikel Garcia gets his deal

Anne Rogers has more on the Maikel Garcia signing. According to a source, Garcia will make $4 million in 2026 (what would have been his first arbitration year), $7 million in ‘27, $10 million in ‘28, $13 million in ‘29 and $19 million in ‘30. The club option is for $21 million. There are other […]

MLB

Royals bring back reliever José Cuas on a minor league deal

The Royals announced they have brought back reliever José Cuas on a minor league deal. Cuas previously pitched for the team in 2022-23. He did not pitch in the big leagues last year, spending the season in the Braves organization. In 132 career MLB games, he has an ERA of 4.37 with 122 strikeouts in […]

Royals inquired about MacKenzie Gore and CJ Abrams, per report

The Royals had a quiet Winter Meetings, but have been pretty active in the days since, signing outfielder Lane Thomas to a one-year deal, and inking All-Star third baseman Maikel Garcia to a long-term deal. In his write-up of the Garcia deal, ESPN reporter Jeff Passan notes the Royals continue to be active on the […]

Royals sign Maikel Garcia to five-year contract extension

The Royals have locked down the left side of their infield. Having already signed shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. to a long-term deal, they have now signed third baseman Maikel Garcia to a five-year contract with a club option on a sixth year, according to ESPN reporter Jeff Passan. Update at 1:54 p.m.: The deal is […]

The pros and cons of signing Lane Thomas

This week, the Kansas City Royals signed outfielder Lane Thomas to a one-year, $5.25 million contract. Thomas joins the Royals after spending the last year and a half with the Cleveland Guardians. The Royals are hoping the right-handed hitting outfielder who hit 28 home runs in a season as recently as 2023, can bounce back […]

Royals sign infielder Kevin Newman to a minor league deal

The Royals announced they have signed utility infielder Kevin Newman to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. Newman is a 32-year-old right-handed hitter, and an eight-year MLB veteran, mostly with the Pirates. He played in 56 games with the Angels last year, hitting .202/.209/.272. Newman was originally a first-round pick by […]

MLB

No Rule 5? No Problem! Royals’ Winter Meetings Recap

In this episode of the Royals Rundown Podcast, hosts Jacob Milham and Jeremy “Hokius” Greco dig into a pivotal week for the Kansas City Royals and Major League Baseball. First up: No Rule 5 Draft pick. Was this a missed opportunity or a calculated decision? The hosts explain the logic behind passing and how it […]

What’s your favorite vintage Royals gear?

I didn’t realize until I went to a Nippon Professional League game in Japan just how much sports fashion is a thing here in the United States. Walking the streets there, you don’t see a whole lot of NPB merch being worn. Sure, you see some ball caps, some stickers, that sort of thing. It […]

Kansas City Royals news: The Royals add an outfielder

Anne Rogers writes about the Royals landing Lane Thomas. After that uneven 2024, Thomas was limited to 39 games and 125 at-bats for the Guardians in 2025, mostly due to a lingering case of plantar fasciitis in his right foot, which required surgery in September. And before that, Thomas missed a month with a right […]

Royals sign free agent OF Lane Thomas to 1/$5.25M deal

The Royals are signing former Cleveland Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas to a 1-year, $5.25M deal according to Will Sammon and Mark Feinsand. The deal includes $1M in incentives as well. Thomas is a 30-year-old, right-handed outfielder who has spent most of his defensive innings in center field and right field. He has bounced around during […]

Lords of the Realm

I recently read John Helyar’s 1994 baseball classic Lords of the Realm. Somehow, I had never heard of it until I spotted it on a baseball top-ten list. If you haven’t read it and want to avoid spoilers, stop here, go buy the book, and return after you’ve finished. That might sound dramatic, but after […]