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MLB needs to revise their draft lottery and it needs to be TELEVISED with a big barrel and pulling out ping pong balls or something similar!!!

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Should do it right during the draft. You're on the clock as soon as your number comes out. I know teams would hate that, but it would make for good TV

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Oh man, this Garcia talk to the Marlins is gonna be a bummer if it doesn’t pan out. I would love Garrett and take him in a heartbeat. You get me Ragans, Giolitto, and Garrett, Singer, (take pick) and it is at least a big league rotation. Yes, that’s a lot of dreaming but have to start with one of them…..but I kinda think I’d like Garrett more than Alcantara. Maybe you take the high upside guy as you already did with Wright and just double down. I guess if any of those are on the table please take it. Probably a little early for that kind of trade though as we probably have to get more FA off the board.

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For what it's worth, there isn't even a rumor about Garcia and the Marlins. It just makes some sense. And I don't think the Royals would choose Alcantara over Garrett in a deal. That's just me talking. But man, there's something attractive to using a buy low strategy and putting together a rotation in 2025 and beyond.

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I am 100% convinced this is happening David. Rumor or no rumor. They signed Hampson because they are moving Garcia (probably to the Marlins lol) with Loftin going to third, Massey at second and Hamspon as the utility infielder. I have no knowledge…but it makes a lot of sense. Pitching back…not sure if Garrett would even be available or Alcantara….but with how they operate it makes sense. I take Alcantara….i think it would just be a bit of a hard sell to get another guy that isn’t pitching this year. I’d do it…cause I do like that buy low strategy…but IDK if JJ would.

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We are going to talk this into existence. Just don’t complicate things by trying to shove Perez to them as well. Lol.

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Dec 8, 2023·edited Dec 8, 2023Author

I just don't think that's necessarily the plan. I think it's a possibility and makes a whole lot of sense, but they've got options.

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founding

I looooove Marcus Stroman, and I agree he'd be a good fit. Could be a good mentor for the younger guys too. Interesting note about the Royals having a "type".

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Good pitcher, shorter term deal, could be a mentor. Such a good fit. That works for just about every team but the infield defense gives the Royals some advantage at least.

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Max, saw your article on RR about Ken Rosenthal saying Royals were talking to Mariners and Marlins about pitching. The thing that caught my attention was Ken saying he thought Witt, Vinny, and Garcia were off the table. I just don’t see how Garcia could be off the table especially knowing Marlins are looking for a SS. You actually have to trade some value to get value…so not real sure what he is talking about there.

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Here’s a question. Let’s say Garrett is the level of talent you are trying to get back in a trade. Who are the realistic guys you can trade to help get that level back? To me Witt, Vinny, Garcia, MJ…is that about it? Massey, Salvy i guess as part of a package but I can’t see just for them. The question becomes is anyone besides Witt enough straight up?

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If you're asking for a full answer, Ragans needs to be there too but that's counterproductive. I think you're probably right on those names though. Vinnie would be enough straight up. Garcia might be, though I don't know how they view him. MJ isn't, but he's the best player in a multi-player deal there.

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I just read this in Anne Rogers post: regarding the Dylan Coleman trade:

“We appreciate what Dylan did, and there is upside there,” general manager J.J. Picollo said. “It’s a big, power fastball. When we look at our roster, we have a lot of guys who have good stuff, and a lot of guys who are still trying to learn how to command the strike zone. How many of those guys do you carry on the 40-man roster is the question we asked ourselves.

Thank goodness they finally asked that exact question. It seems like the Royals have recently had way too many of these guys at the MLB level. Having a few projects is one thing, but a roster full is potentially crippling. I am looking forward to seeing signings that are more proven commodities.

Also, I have long believed the two players we have that have the highest value to another team is MJ Melendez as a catcher and Maikel Garcia as a SS. And we know MJ doesn't rate well defensively but he hits better than catchers on other teams that can't hit their weight and get 100 starts a season. Now that there is a DH for every team, he is the perfect DH/C that gets 2 days a week behind the plate and the other 5 at DH. And for the record , I love Garcia but he just has more value as a starting SS to another team than as a glove first 3B for the Royals. Lastly, you have to give something to get something. To me, these are our best trade chips.

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Yeah, I appreciate them realizing they need more consistency on the roster. I think you'll continue to see guys get moved off there as the offseason progresses.

Garcia absolutely fits better as a shortstop and that gives him more value in a trade than on the field for the Royals. But I don't know how many teams see Melendez as a catcher, at least not enough to base the trade on it. They might acquire him and think they can get him back there but I don't believe there's any team that will stake a trade on it.

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I think that quote signifies the shift from "evaluation mode" to "let's start trying to win games" mode, which as a fan is great. That said, I respect that they took that approach instead of the "sign Lucas Duda and hope he can help us avoid 90 losses" plan.

I hope that means they learned enough in their evaluation to know which guys have what it takes to succeed.

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By the way, totally agree with you regarding Melendez at C and Garcia at SS.

As an outfielder, MJ is a project both in the field and at the plate. He's already a good enough bat to catch and in a different world, Salvy would be dealt and we'd live with MJ's defensive issues behind the plate.

Garcia just isn't a good fit for the Royals because of Bobby and the fact that his (Garcia's) bat isn't 3B caliber, so the best way to extract maximum value from him is to find a team that needs a great glove at SS and can live with his offensive output.

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I actually think sending MJ to the OF was the best thing the Royals could have done for him. He just isn't quite there as a catcher, and I really think he will get significantly better this offseason now that he can focus on just playing outfield. I hope they keep him another year at least for that reason, bc his trade value will increase significantly as a hitting solid outfielder, who can be a backup catcher if you get desperate

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First off David, thank you for recommending the Brett documentary last night. I thourally enjoyed watching it this morning!! Now I have a question for you, I saw something this morning talking about Mad Bum as as econically priced option to take on as flyer. He's only 34. What do you think?

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He looked like burnt toast last year before he got cut. If they want to bring him in on a minor league deal, fine, but I wouldn't expect much.

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I definitely agree with the sentiment that Garcia has more value as a SS, but assuming they don't move him, I don't mind him at 3rd for a full year (and occasionally giving BWJ a half-day off at short). He did not hit for power in his rookie year. But he did hit the ball hard. He just doesn't elevate. I'm sure they are aware of that and if there's a tweak to be made, it's not hard for me to see him becoming a 15 HR guy with a bunch of doubles, some speed, and shortstop caliber defense at 3rd while also being controllable for quite a while. He passes the eyeball test to me, he just need get more of those hard hit balls into the air. Hearing so many that have already determined he's destined to be a "glove first" guy that doesn't hit for any power based on less than a full season reminds me a bit of everyone that had decided BWJ needed to be moved to third and didn't have the glove for short. And we saw how that played out. All that to say, I'd like to see how he fares and develops in year two...again, assuming there isn't some great deal to be made. I just don't think Garcia at 3rd is a problem at this point. At least much less so than figuring out the OF and what (if anything) MJ is.

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There are far worse things than having an elite defender at third. And as long as you have the bat elsewhere, I'm definitely one who doesn't care if the third baseman hits like one "should." If you're hoping to get 45 homers out of short and third with great defense at both spots and you get that, who cares where it comes from, you know?

All that to say, he's definitely not a problem, but if they can get 90% of his overall value at third and flip him to a team that can use him in a spot that makes more sense in exchange for something that fits better with this team, I think that's where it comes into play.

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Dec 8, 2023Liked by David Lesky

Nice piece today. ... wish I had time to comment!

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You (and RR) got me excited about Stroman. But now I am wondering if he might expect as much as Gray's $10/25/35 thanks to bad team tax? Also read that Gray really wanted to go to St Louis. Has me thinking $25-27 for 3 years might be Stromans minimum for Royals?

I was actually more excited about the third straight day of ITC than the three days of winter meetings

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Good write up David. I would like to see the Royals sign kirby Yates and Ryne Stanek. They should be able to be had for reasonable prices and maybe even 2 year contracts which would help. Both could fill in as closers if they were needed. Then go after a starter or two. Royals are a few years out of being competitive unfortunately. They must do it through the draft with a couple FA's bought when the time is right. What are your thoughts?

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The Rangers signed Yates, but I think Stanek makes plenty of sense.

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We are so ready for some news..It was great to hear from Rosenthal (the phrasing made him sound surprised to me) that the Royals are being aggressive. So glad to hear they at least tried with Sonny and Fedde. Based on what Fedde got and where he went, kind of a bummer we couldn't get him here.. Do you think guys not wanting to come to the Royals has a bigger impact than we'd like to admit at times? I would love to see Stroman AND a Garrett trade. But that may be wishful thinking. Hopefully they can find a way to get something done soon!

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Dec 10, 2023Liked by David Lesky

One drum I’ve been beating is Maikel Garcia is perfect for this team and has more value for the aroyals than others. He hits the ball hard (and low). Understands strike zone. And is amazing at third. So lock him up with Witt and thinks that’s a championship left side of the INF.

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