Is there a world where the Royals move a pitcher for the recently optioned Jo Adell???? Singer for Adell? Otherwise, nice to see a well played game yesterday. Let’s get Vinnie up here move along with Santana and O Hearn and move on with this thing now that Witt and Melendez are up. I’ve resided to the fact the royals aren’t competing this year for the playoffs. But still excited for everyone to get up.
I’m a little more nervous about extending Keller. He’s pitching great don’t get me wrong but the first part of last year is still fresh. Which it shouldn’t be anymore but call me gun shy now. Anyway, they are getting to the point where you extend him or move him at maximum value. Knowing they won’t trade him…..Just don’t sign him to “ace” money please.
I'm not sure that I'd be all over Adell. As much as I've been frustrated and annoyed with Singer, he has 200ish innings of league average pitching. Adell has 338 plate appearances of a 67 OPS+ and a 32.8 percent strikeout rate. He's young and it's only 338 plate appearances over three years and he was once one of the top prospects in all of baseball, so there's some intrigue there, but I worry a bit about the contact. Still, another young outfield bat would be a good thing. And I'd love to see Vinnie up soon. I think he's earned it. Maybe if Santana goes on the IL with the ankle injury. But they should definitely dump O'Hearn. Of course, I've thought that forever.
With Keller, the price on the extension is the tricky part. It almost has to get done this year or else he's going to be a year away and likely won't want to skip free agency. He's making just under $5 million this year. A good year probably puts him at around $10 million next year, so you're looking at something on a four-year structure like 10-15-15-18 maybe. So that's four years and $58 million. If you're looking at him on a five-year deal, that's 10-14-16-16-18 maybe? So 5/$74 million? I'm not sure if I'd do that or not, but I'll go back to the point I made a bit ago. Keller was very good for 360.1 innings before 2021. Then he struggled for 81. And now he's been good again for 83.2. So the question is if you believe the 434 good innings or the 81 bad. And I think it's fair, given his lack of strikeouts, to be worries those 81 will pop up again too often.
The fact that he’s clearly moved down in the pecking order with the Angels probably speaks volumes. It appears Ward and Walsh have moved past him this year already. It wouldn’t have to be Singer…maybe Kowar? Anyway, its not so much about Singer its more about the not trusting the Royals to do the correct thing. But damn, I think Singer would be a lockdown reliever.
I guess the reality with Keller is this. They need good players. He’s an above average player most of the time. Probably just need to get something done so they know they have another good player around for the next 5 years or whatever.
I'm not opposed to taking a flyer on Adell, and maybe it's not fair to assume it's a flyer at this point even. Kowar might be the perfect fit actually.
That's where I land on Keller too. The money concerns me a bit if he keeps this up because he'll be in line for a big payday and I'm not sure it's wise to give him that much money. But also, can you really afford to lose a guy who has been solid for the majority of his career and is still young? It's a tough question.
Agreed on Kowar, if we were to go that route. Singer is going to be solid and he definitely has a track record of being serviceable. If Bubic struggles today I think he's right back up and then you've got Greinke, Keller, Lynch, Hernandez and Singer. Will we win it all with those 5? No, but that's the best top 5 we've had in years.
As for Keller - I believe in large sample sizes - I say sign him now. He's a professional, gets results and never seems to be an issue. I'm hoping the fact that he "pitches ugly" keeps him a little below what the market would be for his results.
The only issue with pitching ugly is that it probably keeps the price down if he's 2018/2019 Keller, but if he's 2020/2022 Keller and pitching ugly, the results are still so good that he's still pretty expensive.
Finally a game to enjoy. I think it might be a good time to sit Salvy for two or three games. Maybe he needs to just breathe a little. Melendez really looked good. Now I want to see Pratto and Vinny but where do you play them all. I have always loved Isbel but it looks EO hashed passed him for now. Another great article, David.
Personally, I'd play Isbel in center over Taylor. I know the defense is outstanding, but I don't think the offense is good enough right now to live with it. If Merrifield started hitting and Salvy got going, then yeah, I think you can afford that, but I'd go with an offense lineup personally.
Totally agree, even with MAT having locked in the Play of the Year perhaps. And I say that after being a fan of his extension and hoping we'd still keep him b/c I think a strong D CF has big value when we're trying to hold leads, usually slim ones.
Taylor is heating up, but he started last year off hot before reverting to historical norms.
The smart money says he'll do the same this year. We know what we have with Taylor and he's still there for late innings defense - let's see if last year's Minor League pop translates to the bigs - we need some more pop in this lineup!
The only thing about Taylor that gives me some pause is he's walking WAY more than ever before and striking out considerably less. Plus, his swinging strike rate is the lowest of his career. Those things tend to stabilize early, so this might be a new step for him. And to be fair, he's sitting at a 95 wRC+, so he's about league average. With his defense, it's worth it, so maybe I was a little harsh on kicking him to the bench so quickly.
You know I would love to see Isbel in center, but you and both know that is probably not going to happen. Why we keep RO is beyond me. He taking up a roster spot with 000 production.
Yes and no - somewhat guilty as charged. I definitely had that 'here we go again' feeling, BUT with Olivares, Witt and MJ there was also a feeling of 'maybe, just maybe it won't be' anticipation. For my money, there just seems to be a different energy about the club.
With Offense, and yes, that's a big "with", but if we go with what works and stick with the youth movement maybe we will (if we sit Olivares anytime soon there should be a riot at the K), I wouldn't close the book on us potentially contending in our weak division. Between Greinke, Keller and Lynch (they have to be delivering results about as good as any top three in MLB) I think you could conservatively argue we've had the pitching to win one more vs. the Cards, Yankees and Tigers. You could probably say a few more, but being conservative, that's three wins we definitely left on the table. At that point 8-14 is 11-11 and we're in 2d place.
Snider - man this kid is nails - I've been searching DraftKings but can't seem to find any odds for him to win ROY - is he Pena and Witt's biggest competition thus far?
Good work as usual Lesky - I bet you were thinking, "how am I going to write something new if this is does turn out like it always does" lol.
I agree there's a different feel with the young guys in. And Witt starting to hit the ball hard helps quite a bit too. He has the talent to be a difference maker and I think he's starting to get to that. It wouldn't surprise me if he goes on a bit of a home run barrage over the next couple weeks. Or at least some doubles. And you're absolutely right that they've lost some games they shouldn't have. But they've also won some they shouldn't have, I think. Still, I'll say it again. If you think they're somewhere between below average and mediocre, those teams have 8-14 stretches. They'll have a 14-8 stretch somewhere along the way, or maybe 13-9 or whatever too.
Man, I wish Snider would get some ROY love, but without the saves, we know that's not happening. And yes, I was dreading writing today when they didn't score in that bases loaded situation. Honestly figured I may not given the early start time today.
And a little tongue-in-cheek on the Snider question, but that's one of those baseball things. For real, just look at the stats you mentioned. Different hands, but he really reminds me of Brentz, minus the never-ending walks.
I'd assume that's what'll happen. There's room on the roster if that's what they want to do, especially with the 13-pitcher maximum being in place by then.
Well, after the Royals just got shut out for the 3rd time in 5 games. I say let the young guys play already. Bring up Vinnie, move on from Santana and O’Hearn. What are we doing here with the offense fellas?
Have we really not made any moves since the trouncing on Wednesday? How about Bubic Optioned, Hearn cut and Vinnie called up for starters? Did I miss something Lesky?
You're not going to see a big move made and I doubt they make a move for the Bubic spot until they need to. I assume they aren't planning on calling someone up for three or four games just to send them back down and use one of their five options for the year before the Bubic spot comes around. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's my thought.
Is there a world where the Royals move a pitcher for the recently optioned Jo Adell???? Singer for Adell? Otherwise, nice to see a well played game yesterday. Let’s get Vinnie up here move along with Santana and O Hearn and move on with this thing now that Witt and Melendez are up. I’ve resided to the fact the royals aren’t competing this year for the playoffs. But still excited for everyone to get up.
I’m a little more nervous about extending Keller. He’s pitching great don’t get me wrong but the first part of last year is still fresh. Which it shouldn’t be anymore but call me gun shy now. Anyway, they are getting to the point where you extend him or move him at maximum value. Knowing they won’t trade him…..Just don’t sign him to “ace” money please.
I'm not sure that I'd be all over Adell. As much as I've been frustrated and annoyed with Singer, he has 200ish innings of league average pitching. Adell has 338 plate appearances of a 67 OPS+ and a 32.8 percent strikeout rate. He's young and it's only 338 plate appearances over three years and he was once one of the top prospects in all of baseball, so there's some intrigue there, but I worry a bit about the contact. Still, another young outfield bat would be a good thing. And I'd love to see Vinnie up soon. I think he's earned it. Maybe if Santana goes on the IL with the ankle injury. But they should definitely dump O'Hearn. Of course, I've thought that forever.
With Keller, the price on the extension is the tricky part. It almost has to get done this year or else he's going to be a year away and likely won't want to skip free agency. He's making just under $5 million this year. A good year probably puts him at around $10 million next year, so you're looking at something on a four-year structure like 10-15-15-18 maybe. So that's four years and $58 million. If you're looking at him on a five-year deal, that's 10-14-16-16-18 maybe? So 5/$74 million? I'm not sure if I'd do that or not, but I'll go back to the point I made a bit ago. Keller was very good for 360.1 innings before 2021. Then he struggled for 81. And now he's been good again for 83.2. So the question is if you believe the 434 good innings or the 81 bad. And I think it's fair, given his lack of strikeouts, to be worries those 81 will pop up again too often.
The fact that he’s clearly moved down in the pecking order with the Angels probably speaks volumes. It appears Ward and Walsh have moved past him this year already. It wouldn’t have to be Singer…maybe Kowar? Anyway, its not so much about Singer its more about the not trusting the Royals to do the correct thing. But damn, I think Singer would be a lockdown reliever.
I guess the reality with Keller is this. They need good players. He’s an above average player most of the time. Probably just need to get something done so they know they have another good player around for the next 5 years or whatever.
I'm not opposed to taking a flyer on Adell, and maybe it's not fair to assume it's a flyer at this point even. Kowar might be the perfect fit actually.
That's where I land on Keller too. The money concerns me a bit if he keeps this up because he'll be in line for a big payday and I'm not sure it's wise to give him that much money. But also, can you really afford to lose a guy who has been solid for the majority of his career and is still young? It's a tough question.
Agreed on Kowar, if we were to go that route. Singer is going to be solid and he definitely has a track record of being serviceable. If Bubic struggles today I think he's right back up and then you've got Greinke, Keller, Lynch, Hernandez and Singer. Will we win it all with those 5? No, but that's the best top 5 we've had in years.
As for Keller - I believe in large sample sizes - I say sign him now. He's a professional, gets results and never seems to be an issue. I'm hoping the fact that he "pitches ugly" keeps him a little below what the market would be for his results.
The only issue with pitching ugly is that it probably keeps the price down if he's 2018/2019 Keller, but if he's 2020/2022 Keller and pitching ugly, the results are still so good that he's still pretty expensive.
Finally a game to enjoy. I think it might be a good time to sit Salvy for two or three games. Maybe he needs to just breathe a little. Melendez really looked good. Now I want to see Pratto and Vinny but where do you play them all. I have always loved Isbel but it looks EO hashed passed him for now. Another great article, David.
Personally, I'd play Isbel in center over Taylor. I know the defense is outstanding, but I don't think the offense is good enough right now to live with it. If Merrifield started hitting and Salvy got going, then yeah, I think you can afford that, but I'd go with an offense lineup personally.
Totally agree, even with MAT having locked in the Play of the Year perhaps. And I say that after being a fan of his extension and hoping we'd still keep him b/c I think a strong D CF has big value when we're trying to hold leads, usually slim ones.
Taylor is heating up, but he started last year off hot before reverting to historical norms.
The smart money says he'll do the same this year. We know what we have with Taylor and he's still there for late innings defense - let's see if last year's Minor League pop translates to the bigs - we need some more pop in this lineup!
The only thing about Taylor that gives me some pause is he's walking WAY more than ever before and striking out considerably less. Plus, his swinging strike rate is the lowest of his career. Those things tend to stabilize early, so this might be a new step for him. And to be fair, he's sitting at a 95 wRC+, so he's about league average. With his defense, it's worth it, so maybe I was a little harsh on kicking him to the bench so quickly.
You know I would love to see Isbel in center, but you and both know that is probably not going to happen. Why we keep RO is beyond me. He taking up a roster spot with 000 production.
Preach!
Can I get a witness?
Yes and no - somewhat guilty as charged. I definitely had that 'here we go again' feeling, BUT with Olivares, Witt and MJ there was also a feeling of 'maybe, just maybe it won't be' anticipation. For my money, there just seems to be a different energy about the club.
With Offense, and yes, that's a big "with", but if we go with what works and stick with the youth movement maybe we will (if we sit Olivares anytime soon there should be a riot at the K), I wouldn't close the book on us potentially contending in our weak division. Between Greinke, Keller and Lynch (they have to be delivering results about as good as any top three in MLB) I think you could conservatively argue we've had the pitching to win one more vs. the Cards, Yankees and Tigers. You could probably say a few more, but being conservative, that's three wins we definitely left on the table. At that point 8-14 is 11-11 and we're in 2d place.
Snider - man this kid is nails - I've been searching DraftKings but can't seem to find any odds for him to win ROY - is he Pena and Witt's biggest competition thus far?
Good work as usual Lesky - I bet you were thinking, "how am I going to write something new if this is does turn out like it always does" lol.
I agree there's a different feel with the young guys in. And Witt starting to hit the ball hard helps quite a bit too. He has the talent to be a difference maker and I think he's starting to get to that. It wouldn't surprise me if he goes on a bit of a home run barrage over the next couple weeks. Or at least some doubles. And you're absolutely right that they've lost some games they shouldn't have. But they've also won some they shouldn't have, I think. Still, I'll say it again. If you think they're somewhere between below average and mediocre, those teams have 8-14 stretches. They'll have a 14-8 stretch somewhere along the way, or maybe 13-9 or whatever too.
Man, I wish Snider would get some ROY love, but without the saves, we know that's not happening. And yes, I was dreading writing today when they didn't score in that bases loaded situation. Honestly figured I may not given the early start time today.
Haha - I love the honest admission!
And a little tongue-in-cheek on the Snider question, but that's one of those baseball things. For real, just look at the stats you mentioned. Different hands, but he really reminds me of Brentz, minus the never-ending walks.
Me sitting down to watch the game: "Dozier is in there because Santana was a late scratch."
"SO YOU'RE SAYING THERE'S A CHANCE!"
Ahh, but it's a mere ankle injury. Rivera is up though!
Hopefully he rests it a long time to get healthy. The offense actually getting clutch hits was amazing.
Santana went on the 10 day IL and they called up Rivera instead of Pasquantino. Grrrrr....
Lol - of course he didn't get called up... Such a Royalish move...
What can we expect to happen with Melendez when Cam comes back? Do they keep 3 catchers if Melendez is producing?
I'd assume that's what'll happen. There's room on the roster if that's what they want to do, especially with the 13-pitcher maximum being in place by then.
Well, after the Royals just got shut out for the 3rd time in 5 games. I say let the young guys play already. Bring up Vinnie, move on from Santana and O’Hearn. What are we doing here with the offense fellas?
Have we really not made any moves since the trouncing on Wednesday? How about Bubic Optioned, Hearn cut and Vinnie called up for starters? Did I miss something Lesky?
You're not going to see a big move made and I doubt they make a move for the Bubic spot until they need to. I assume they aren't planning on calling someone up for three or four games just to send them back down and use one of their five options for the year before the Bubic spot comes around. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's my thought.
ah ha - good point on the options. With Olivares last year I guess I was thinking they were limitless lol.
Yep, that's new in the new CBA. The bullpen is pretty rested too, so no need to bring someone up just to send them down.