Daily Clips
February 13, 2018
LOCAL
Royals 'energized' to build another title team
Kansas City to begin laying foundation for next championship contender as Spring Training arrives
February 12, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Royals retired numbers on display in Surprise
February 12, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Royals’ Kelvin Herrera not worried about trade speculation as camp starts
February 12, 2018By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
Three pieces of Royals history were found in a closet. Now they’re at spring training
February 12, 2018By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
NATIONAL
Padres, Royals still top contenders for Hosmer
February 12, 2018MLB.com
All eyes on jobless camp as MLB spring training opens: 'Not one player wants to be there'
February 12, 2018By Bob Nightengale/USA Today Sports
MLBPA bars media from covering free-agent training camp
February 12, 2018ESPN.com (via AP)
Bombshell lawsuit filed against Levinson brothers
February 12, 2018By Jon Heyman/Fanragsports.com
MLB TRANSACTIONS
February 13, 2018 •.CBSSports.com
LOCAL
Royals 'energized' to build another title team
Kansas City to begin laying foundation for next championship contender as Spring Training arrives
February 12, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Embrace the rebuild. It could be a lot of fun.
That will be the message from the Royals, general manager Dayton Moore and manager Ned Yost as the club embarks on Spring Training. Pitchers and catchers report on Tuesday.
After advancing to the World Series in 2014 and winning it all in '15, the Royals now must retool for their next run at a possible championship. And it all starts here, as the club will have numerous camp battles for positions that should provide for an intriguing six weeks.
"I think we're all energized for this," Moore said. "We've been through this before and we're here again, but I think this time around will be different. We're more experienced at this and quite possibly the rebuild will take less time."
The Royals last engaged in a serious rebuild not long after Moore arrived in 2006. By 2011, many of his top picks, including Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas, and several other core players acquired through trades or signed as non-drafted free-agents like Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar and Salvador Perez, began to get a taste of the big leagues.
By 2013, that core put together the club's first winning season since 2003.
"We've got several players who are young but who have had a taste of success at the big league level," Yost said. "Guys like [Jorge Bonifacio] and [Jorge Soler] and [Paulo Orlando] and [Whit Merrifield] and [Cheslor Cuthbert]. We didn't have that advantage last time around."
The Royals' rotation also seems advanced from the last rebuild with veterans like Danny Duffy, Ian Kennedy, Jason Hammel and Nate Karns, along with sophomore Jakob Junis, who went 9-3 with a 4.30 ERA in his rookie season.
The biggest question likely is in the bullpen. Moore has taken great pride throughout his tenure with the Royals in building a shutdown 'pen, even before the team began competing for the playoffs. But gone are late-inning stalwarts such as Greg Holland, Wade Davis, Luke Hochevar, Ryan Madson and others.
The Royals still have Kelvin Herrera, who lost his closer's job to Mike Minor last September. But while Herrera might start the spring as the closer, he also is a potential trade chip. The closer's role eventually could be a battle among Herrera, Wily Peralta -- a free-agent signee from the Brewers who throws in the high 90s, but who has been primarily a starter in his career -- and Brandon Maurer, who also throws in the upper 90s. The Royals also are intrigued by right-hander Burch Smith, acquired in a Rule 5 Draft trade.
"We're going into camp with a lot of competition at a lot of positions," Yost said.
The first full-squad workout is scheduled for Feb. 19. The first Spring Training game is slated for Feb. 24 against the National League champion Dodgers at Surprise Stadium.
Royals retired numbers on display in Surprise
February 12, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
One of the first things you'll notice this year as you approach the Royals' Spring Training facilities are three large gold-painted metallic numbers displayed in a rock garden.
Those metallic numbers -- 5 (George Brett), 10 (Dick Howser), 20 (Frank White) -- represent the three retired jerseys in club history and are displayed smartly outside the main clubhouse building.
And here's the really cool part: Those metallic numbers were saved off the old Crown Scoreboard at Kauffman Stadium, a scoreboard that was torn down during renovations at The K in 2008.
The operation was the brainchild of Royals vice president/assistant general manager Scott Sharp and Royals Hall of Fame director Curt Nelson. The numbers had been stored back at Kauffman Stadium, then transported in 2016 on the team bus prior to Spring Training.
Nick Leto, manager of Arizona operations for the Royals, said the team contemplated the perfect presentation of the numbers and consulted several firms before settling on bluemedia to handle the project.
"I thought it came out pretty well," Leto said. "It was a long process, but we wanted it done right."
Royals’ Kelvin Herrera not worried about trade speculation as camp starts
February 12, 2018By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
On the official calendar, Royals pitchers and catchers are slated to report to spring training before the end of the day Tuesday. In reality, many of the club’s pitchers and catchers have already been on site for nearly a week, throwing bullpens and working out here at the club facility on the outskirts of Phoenix.
And then there is reliever Kelvin Herrera, who took the idea of a prompt arrival to the extreme. He landed in Arizona on Jan. 13 and has been a fixture here for the last month.
“It’s the right place to be right now,” he said.
Herrera’s choice was mostly pragmatic. Tired of the rainy winter in his native Dominican Republic, Herrera sacrificed a few extra weeks with his family back home and headed for the dry environs of Arizona. Yet the early start also provided an outlet to move on after a frustrating season in 2017.
In his first season as the Royals’ primary closer, Herrera posted a career-high 4.25 ERA and required a safety net in multiple high-leverage situations. The official diagnosis was forearm tightness as he battled erratic command and composure. He eventually relinquished the closer role in September. But on the eve of a new season, Herrera offered a more blunt description for his problems.
“I was a mess,” Herrera said. “I was completely a mess — the first half and the second half, pretty much the whole year.”
Herrera, 28, is now seeking a fresh start as he enters a pivotal season of his career. It is one that could feature persistent trade rumors. A two-time All-Star, Herrera is entering his final season before he reaches free agency. After avoiding an arbitration hearing this winter, he will make $7,937,500 in 2018.
The salary obligation could turn Herrera into a possible trade chip as the Royals seek to curb spending and gain future assets at the start of a rebuilding process. For Herrera, this reality came into focus in January when he watched the team trade relievers Scott Alexander, Joakim Soria and Ryan Buchter in two separate deals.
“I knew the Royals were rebuilding, or they are rebuilding,” Herrera said. “I wasn’t worried at all. I tell you: I’ll do my job wherever.”
As he stood near the Royals’ clubhouse on Monday morning, Herrera mostly brushed off the trade speculation. The Royals have been the only organization he has known. He has been a member of all-time great bullpens in Kansas City and appeared in two World Series. He has dominated in the postseason and struggled as a closer. He is a veteran now, ready and willing to take on any role, he said.
“I’ll pitch wherever they want me to pitch,” Herrera said. “And (I’ll) just focus and do my job the best that I can.”
For now, that could mean a return to the closer role as the Royals seek to rebuild their bullpen following the departure of Mike Minor in free agency and Alexander, Soria and Buchter in trades. At the moment, there are few candidates to supplant Herrera. But the answers will come later. One month after arriving in Arizona, Herrera is ready for camp to start.
“I’m well rested,” he said. “I was with my family pretty much the whole offseason.”
Regulars already in camp
One day before the official report date, Royals starter Danny Duffy threw his second bullpen here in Arizona. He was joined by newly acquired right-hander Trevor Oaks, reliever Brandon Maurer and a host of other pitchers. Projected starters Jason Hammel and Nate Karns also worked out on Monday. So did a slew of young prospects, including Kyle Zimmer, Richard Lovelady and Scott Blewett. Catchers Salvador Perez, Drew Butera and Cam Gallagher are also here.
A collection of position players are also here a full week before full-squad workouts begin on Feb. 19. Second baseman Whit Merrifield joined center fielder Paulo Orlando and third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert in the batting cages on Monday morning.
Arbitration hearing set for Thursday
Reliever Brandon Maurer is set to attend a salary arbitration hearing on Thursday in Arizona. Maurer, 27, filed at $3.5 million, while the Royals countered at $2.95 million. If the two sides fail to come to a settlement before Thursday, a third-party arbitrator will listen to both sides and rule in favor of one.
Maurer, acquired last summer from the San Diego Padres, posted a 6.52 ERA in 68 appearances last season, including an 8.10 ERA in 26 outings with the Royals. He made $1.9 million last season.
Three pieces of Royals history were found in a closet. Now they’re at spring training
February 12, 2018By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
If you walk up the front sidewalk at the Royals’ spring training camp, you will see some familiar sights. On the right are a series of outdoor batting cages, where the crack-crack-crack of ball hitting bat provides a morning soundtrack. On the left is a long, rectangular conditioning field where pitchers run and players stretch. But there in the middle, in front of the Royals’ clubhouse, is something new: Three large, metallic numbers that used to be a prominent feature at Kauffman Stadium.
“They were in a closet,” said assistant general manager Scott Sharp.
The numbers are 10, 5 and 20 — belonging to Dick Howser, George Brett and Frank White, respectively — the only retired numbers in Royals history. You probably have them memorized.
From April 7, 1997 to the end of the 2008 season, they were on the old crown scoreboard at Kauffman Stadium. But the renovation of the ballpark brought a modernized Crown Vision board and a new set of numbers to fit into the new aesthetic. The old ones were nearly tossed in the trash, Sharp said, but Curt Nelson, the director of the Royals Hall of Fame, saved them and stashed them in a storage closet at the stadium.
“When they took them off the scoreboard, they were going to throw them away,” Sharp said. “Curt was like: ‘Over my dead body. There’s no possible way you’re throwing these things away.’”
For nearly eight years, the numbers stayed in the closet. But two years ago, Sharp was digging around the Hall of Fame in left field, looking for ideas for an upcoming renovation to the spring training facility in Surprise. The numbers were found, tossed on a truck to spring training. And two years later, as the team prepared for its 50th spring training, club officials found a suitable use.
From now on, the numbers of Howser, Brett and White will greet Royals players as they arrive each day.
Better, perhaps, than a closet.
NATIONAL
Padres, Royals still top contenders for Hosmer
February 12, 2018MLB.com
For the time being, Eric Hosmer is among the high-profile free agents still seeking a contract for 2018 and beyond. The 28-year-old first baseman is testing free agency for the first time in his career, and while a reunion in Kansas City is still in play, he's entertaining offers from other clubs.
Padres, Royals remain favorites to land Hosmer
Yu Darvish might have temporarily commanded the free-agent spotlight by agreeing to a $126 million deal with the Cubs, but the competition to land Hosmer continues.
According to The Athletic's Dennis Lin, the Padres and Royals are still chief contenders for the first baseman, who is one of the top two hitters on the market along with J.D. Martinez. Both teams are making Hosmer their top priority.
Hosmer, like Darvish, is expected to command a long-term, nine-figure deal -- especially since he's a young free agent at age 28 -- and was previously reported to have received seven-year offers in the $140 million range from both San Diego and Kansas City. But neither has been enough so far, with Hosmer reportedly seeking an eight- or nine-year deal.
However, in recent discussions with Hosmer, both teams have suggested that they might be willing to go beyond their initial offers, per Lin's report.
The Padres are attempting to lure the longtime Royal to San Diego, and have reportedly hosted Hosmer for multiple visits this offseason. Hosmer has never played for another team and led Kansas City to a World Series title in 2015. -- This report was first posted on Feb. 12.
Hosmer seeking deal of 8-plus years
Hosmer has reportedly received seven-year offers from the Padres ($140 million) and the Royals ($147 million), but he's seeking an eight- or nine-year contract, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.
Hosmer, 28, would prefer to sign a nine-year deal similar to the contract Prince Fielder signed with the Tigers in 2012, or at least a contract similar to the eight-year, $184 million contract Jason Heyward signed with the Cubs two years ago, Nightengale reported.
The Royals were able to bolster their offer after trading Brandon Moss to the A's on Jan. 29. However, Hosmer is hoping that any potential suitor will reach deeper into its pockets.
The left-handed-hitting first baseman recorded a career-best batting line of .318/.385/.498 and tied a career high with 25 homers in 2017 with Kansas City. He also played in all 162 games last season and has appeared in at least 128 games in every season of his career.
Hosmer, taken with the No. 3 overall pick by the Royals in the 2008 Draft, is a .284/.342/.439 career hitter with 127 home runs and 566 RBIs in seven big league seasons, all of which have come with Kansas City. -- This report was first posted on Feb. 7.
All eyes on jobless camp as MLB spring training opens: 'Not one player wants to be there'
February 12, 2018By Bob Nightengale/USA Today Sports
They start arriving this week in the desert and Florida, with more than a thousand players getting ready for six weeks of spring training in 30 major-league camps, but this spring could be the oddest in two decades.
The attention won’t necessarily be on teams trying to unseat the World Series champion Houston Astros, Japanese sensation Shohei Ohtani, or even Yankee teammates Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge, but rather the unemployment line in major-league baseball.
Baseball’s most intriguing camp will be its 31st - the one in Bradenton, Fla., where former Astros manager Bo Porter will conduct workouts for the unemployed masses - open to more than 80 unemployed ballplayers, keeping them in shape if someone does call.
“I can’t believe this is happening,’’ says veteran agent Joshua Kusnick. “This is not like anything we’ve gone through in our lives, at least since the [1994-1995] labor stoppage. I haven’t had a single conversation with a front office this entire winter about player skills or stats or ability. Only money.
“I’m supposed to believe that every single team in the same offseason organically all decide that the money should be the same for every player for the same amount of years. How did everyone come to the same decision on their own?
“Players that should be getting major-league deals are getting minor-league deals. Guys that should be getting minor-league deals aren’t getting any calls. I’m not talking about life-changing contracts.
"Just a job."
And now Kusnick will find himself traveling to Bradenton on Wednesday where he’ll have two players, reliever Donovan Hand and infielder Nolan Reimold, in the union camp. Another client, reliever Jeremy Jeffress, signed before he could be non-tendered in December, mortified to enter this free agent market.