The Royals finally land their free agent.
Craig Brown evaluates the Carlos Estévez signing.
The question that must be asked is, was the 2024 season an outlier for Estévez? Can he, at 32 years old, replicate the successes of last year?
Some of it looks sustainable to me. In the last two seasons, Estévez has been generally working ahead in the count, offering a first-pitch strike roughly 65 percent of the time. That’s the highest rate of his career. Likewise, he’s also improved his swinging strike rate to above 12 percent. That’s served to help him slice his walk rate.
The flip side is his Statcast numbers like Barrel Rate and Hard-Hit Rate. Those two metrics, along with his average exit velocity, are all in the bottom 20th percentile among pitchers. So he allows some loud contact but danced around damage last year with a 6.8 percent HR/FB rate and a .229 BABIP. Yes, pitching half his games at Kauffman will help keep that HR/FB rate low, but the corner outfield defense as currently constructed isn’t so hot. Kyle Isbel can’t cover everything hit out there.
Anne Rogers writes about how the bullpen is shaping up heading into spring training.
The Royals will need lefties, and Zerpa and Long seem like the frontrunners in this group. Zerpa, who is out of options, was solid last season with a 3.86 ERA, helping the Royals out of a lot of jams, and he has power stuff. Long posted a 3.16 ERA and saw leverage innings, too.
Hernández is also out of options but hasn’t been as consistent, only throwing 30 innings last year. But the righty is also another high-powered arm who could find a role in the sixth or seventh inning if he can keep the walks down. McArthur had his ups and downs last year and ended the year on the injured list. There’s still confidence that he can be effective in the right role, but there might not be room.
David Lesky writes about the Royals’ pursuit of free agents.
I pinch hit for Rany Jazayerli on Kauffman Corner this week, and Soren Petro mentioned that the Royals were interested in Santander and tried to get something done. But, if my logical skills are correct, it sounds like they just didn’t want to pay him what he wanted. And from conversations I’ve had, that’s not because they were being cheap. They were being smart. The Royals could have signed any of them but Soto realistically. But they stuck to their guns. And now we’re sitting here hoping that another iteration of MJ Melendez’s swing can allow him to put up 80 percent of the numbers he did in the minors in 2021. There’s still time to go get someone, of course, but the Royals have been very responsible in their evaluations.
My question is if that’s the wise play.
Kiley McDaniel of ESPN ranks the Royals’ farm system #22. [$]
Kansas City has transitioned quickly from the difficult final stages of a rebuild to competing, thanks in large part to a superstar turn from shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (which was somewhat expected) but also left-hander Cole Ragans going from low-profile trade return to ace in less than a year. The Royals’ past two first-round picks — catcher Blake Mitchell and first baseman Jac Caglianone — are in the top half of the top 100, and left-hander David Shields is already arrow-up due to a velocity spike before even throwing in a regular-season big league game. Beyond that, it’s mostly role players and high-variance types in this system.
To make room for Estévez, the Royals designated Braden Shewmake for assignment.
Former Royals infielder Garrett Hampson signed a minor league deal with Arizona.
Former Royals pitcher Brad Keller signs a minor league deal with the Cubs.
The Orioles designate former Royals third baseman Emmanuel Rivera for assignment.
Alex Bregman is said to be mulling a lucrative non-Astros offer.
Mickey Moniak wins his arbitration hearing against the Angels.
The Mets sign infielder Nick Madrigal on a split deal.
Hal Steinbrenner says its hard to match the Dodgers’ spending.
The most notable players that could be on the move before Opening Day.
Should the Phillies extend J.T. Realmuto?
Pitcher Lance Lynn is drawing interest as a reliever.
A look at each team’s local TV deal.
Who was snubbed for the NBA All-Star Game?
John Calipari returns to Rupp Arena this weekend.
How DeepSeek’s censorship works and how to get around it.
A painting bought at a garage sale turns out to be a $15 million Van Gogh.
The estate of Superman’s co-creator is trying to block the international release of the latest movie.
Your song of the day is Billy Preston with Will It Go Round in Circles.