ItC Mailbag: Lots of Salvy, Lots of Cameron and Lots of Great Royals Questions

You asked, I answered. No, I don't know when the Royals are calling up Jac Caglianone.

Here we are after an off day and another disappointing series for the Royals (though they did avoid the sweep) who are, checks notes, still over .500. I mentioned this on social media the other day, but it’s kind of amazing to me how frustrated we are (and correctly, I’ll say) about this team and only two Royals teams since the turn of the century have more wins than them through 57 games. Is that an indictment on so much of this century’s Royals? Sure, but they’re still a team right in the thick of the playoff race and we’re frustrated, angry, annoyed, mad, or whatever word you want to use. And I think it’s correct. This offense is mostly atrocious, at least when it comes to scoring runs.

The pitching staff is excellent, but at some point, the offense is going to need to do a better job of doing its part because these close games are going to take a toll on everyone sooner than later. It’s not that I don’t think the pitching can hold up because the staff is legitimately good, but it would be nice to give some guys a little bit of a breather here and there. I’ll get to it in the questions, but there are some guys who will heat up and some guys who will cool down, but hopefully they can sync up on the hot stretches a little better and unsync on the cold stretches.

Before we get to the questions, make sure you’re catching Kauffman Corner every week. On Sundays, it’s Soren Petro and Rany Jazayerli. On Thursdays, it’s Soren, Les Norman and me. Here’s yesterday’s podcast where we talked a lot of Jac Caglianone, a lot of Noah Cameron and more.

Let’s get to the questions.

The Red Sox actually do make for a pretty good trading partner with the Royals because they need pitching and the Royals have it and they could use some catching depth in their system and the Royals have it. On the flip side, the Red Sox have what appears to be four big league starting caliber outfielders and no DH spot to rotate them because of Rafael Devers. It’s the rare potential trade where two contenders could match up. Of course, both the Red Sox or Royals could also slip from buyers to sellers given that they’re both just sort of hanging around .500, so that would change the potential return on any of their players.

To address your specific question, yes, I’d absolutely love to get Duran. He hasn’t had a great season so far and last year’s home run power is looking like the aberration, but he’d be the third or fourth best hitter in the Royals lineup. I have some questions about his defense, like why did he have 17 DRS and 6 OAA last year, but he’s only been roughly average this season? He’s still one of the fastest players in baseball. Is it just that left field in Fenway is kind of finicky, or is there a real issue there? I haven’t watched enough of him to know the answer.

There’s also some stuff off the field with Duran. He’s made some comments that aren’t exactly endearing to the general public in the past. He has gotten into it with fans before. I’m not even saying he was wrong in one or all of the interactions, but that’s generally not how you’re “supposed” to act, so I wonder if that plays a role as well. The big concern I’d have here is if you’re paying for the 6-7 win player he was in 2024 or if you’re paying for the above average player he’s been otherwise throughout his career.

As for return, I think Blake Mitchell or Carter Jensen would be a part of the deal. If the Royals are out of the race, Seth Lugo makes a ton of sense. If the Royals aren’t in the race, maybe they include a pitching prospect or two. It all kind of depends on where each team is at that moment. If the Red Sox are out of the race, maybe they include a bullpen arm too and it changes the tenor of the deal. But the point is that, yes, I think there’s a fit here whether neither team is contending, both teams are contending or one team is contending when we get to the deadline.

I’m going to make this one THE Zumwalt question. If you asked one about him, just know I saw it and the answer is here. The hitting coach is such an interesting figure in a big league dugout because most big leaguers have their own support, often utilizing their own instruction, particularly in the offseason. Every organization is different, but I think the Royals structure their hitting program and pitching program similarly. Brian Sweeney is the big league pitching coach and he and his team determine organizational philosophy. Zumwalt and his team do the same.