At The Athletic ($), Will Sammon writes that Kris Bubic is popular in trade talks<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Darragh McDonald also talks about this article<\/a> at MLB Trade Rumors:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n As Sammon points out, another thing working in the club\u2019s favor is that a lot of other pitchers with upside are seemingly unavailable. Recent reports have downplayed the trade possibilities on guys like Tarik Skubal, Paul Skenes, Hunter Greene, Freddy Peralta, Joe Ryan and Pablo L\u00f3pez. It\u2019s probably still fair to expect guys like MacKenzie Gore, Sonny Gray and others to be out there but every name that comes off the board gives the Royals a bit more leverage.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n While I was over there, I also noticed the Royals were mentioned as a potential destination<\/a> for St. Louis Cardinal Brendan Donovan:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Cardinals infielder\/outfielder Brendan Donovan figures to be one of the most sought after trade candidates this offseason. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the Royals and Guardians are two of the clubs interested in acquiring him. Goold also mentions that the Yankees and Dodgers had interest prior to the deadline, which perhaps indicates they would be interested again.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n Bobby Witt Jr had such an off year that he only finished 4th<\/a> in AL MVP voting. Slacker!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The finish marked Witt\u2019s second consecutive top-five finish in AL MVP voting following his runner-up finish in 2024. While the narrative surrounding this year\u2019s MVP campaign rightfully zeroed in on Judge and Raleigh, Witt was still lurking, mainly because of his all-around talent. Witt\u2019s 8.0 fWAR was third-best in the AL behind Judge (10.1) and Raleigh (9.1). Witt\u2019s 7.1 bWAR also finished behind Judge (9.7) and Raleigh (7.4) as the top three in the AL.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n Maikel Garcia also picked up a few votes for 9th and 10th place.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n I feel like I\u2019m stepping on Greg\u2019s toes here. But how about a Blake Mitchell Arizona Fall League highlight?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory gave George Brett their \u201cLiving Legend Award<\/a>\u201d:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Brett now joins other Living Legends like Jim Thome, Derek Jeter, Frank Thomas, Dave Winfield, Andre Dawson, Tony Gwynn, Ozzie Smith and more.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n This was from yesterday, but I don\u2019t think it\u2019s been linked to yet. David Lesky ($) put out his \u201c2025\/2026 Royals Free Agent Target Guide<\/a>\u201d:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Again, I do think this list shows why they\u2019ll be in the trade market for the big bat they need and can shop in this free agent market for the secondary bat. It\u2019s a market filled with guys who could sign pillow deals. I remain consistent in saying that if someone lingers on the market for long enough, the Royals will start to sniff around them. And if they like the smell, maybe they do something like they did last year with Carlos Estevez. So while I do think the heavy lifting will be done with a trade, this free agent class is interesting.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n At Royals Keep, former \u201cRoyals Reporter<\/a>\u201d Kevin O\u2019Brien asks \u201cCan Mason Black Be a Royals Success Story?<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The one thing that sticks out about Black\u2019s history is that he is not just a student of the game, but an intelligent individual in general. Not only did he attend college at Lehigh, a pretty intense academic university, but he was also on the verge of entering medical school before getting drafted.<\/p>\n Black\u2019s story and scientific approach to pitching were profiled in a short video segment from the San Francisco Giants back in 2023, when he was still a prospect in the Giants\u2019 farm system. The Royals have seemed to thrive with pitchers who not only study their craft but are willing to make the necessary adjustments to their pitch grips and repertoires.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n Caleb Moody at KOK: Royals News: KC hires new strength and conditioning coach, old friends in new places<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Last week, we began our<\/a> Asian baseball recap with the Rakuten Monkeys winning the CPBL. This week, it\u2019s KBO time. Here\u2019s a link to the season preview<\/a> and our midseason notes<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Home runs took headlines this season in the KBO. While the total in the league was \u201conly\u201d 1191 (by comparison, there were 1438 in 2024), there were a couple of big home run related stories.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n First off, former Marlin and current Samsung Lion Lewin Diaz<\/a> had himself a year! Last year, he hit a modest 26 home runs between two Mexican League teams and the Lions. But this season, he became the first 50\/150 player<\/a> in KBO history with 50 HR and 150 RBI. The 50 HR was also a new record for a foreign-born player in KBO. The KBO single-season record is held by another Lion<\/a>, Lee Seung-yuop, who hit 56 in 2003.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Then we have Choi Jeong<\/a>. Last April, he hit his 468th career home run to become the KBO\u2019s Home Run King. This season, the 38-year-old, who has spent his entire career with the SSG Landers (formerly SK Wyverns), became the inaugural member of the KBO\u2019s 500 Home Run Club<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Closer Seung-hwan Oh<\/a>, who had (has?) the awesome nickname \u201cFinal Boss\u201d, announced his retirement<\/a> during the season. He won KBO Rookie of the Year in 2005 and pitched 9 years with the Lions. Then he plied his trade abroad with the NPB\u2019s Hanshin Tigers for 2 years and 4 years in MLB, split between the Cardinals, Blue Jays, and Rockies. He returned to the Lions in 2020 and finished his career with the franchise. He retires as the KBO career saves king, with 427. He also added 80 in Japan and 42 in the USA.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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