*****Official 2024 Royals Season Repository Thread*****

[ChiefsCountry]

Year Two of the Matt Quatraro tenure. Time to take a step up this year. Active in free agency and trades this offseason. A new look pitching rotation and bullpen. Will the young players take the leap up offensively? Bobby Witt extension? New stadium? Will Vinny recover from injury? Salvy taking aim at the Royals record book? Will Cole Ragans turn into the best Royals starting pitcher since Greinke 1.0?

Free Agents/Trades Acquisitions
Seth Lugo, SP
Michael Wacha, SP
Kyle Wright, SP
Hunter Renfroe, OF/DH
Will Smith, RP
Chris Stratton, RP
Nick Anderson, RP
Adam Frazier, 2B
Garrett Hampson, INF/OF
Matt Sauer, RP

[WilliamTheIrish]

I hear ya, friend. All good.

[dlphg9]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

He would bring back the best return of anything the Royals could trade beyond Bobby Witt, but it wouldn't be a crazy type of haul like what the White Sox got for Sale or anything. I don't think it would be as much as the Rays got for Snell, either.

Can you promptly delete this since it doesn't align with my beliefs?

[WilliamTheIrish]

A little St.Louis WTI history. Some of this I may have told previously, so forgive me for the repetition.

My mom as teenager, worked at Sportsman’s Park, where the Cardinals and the STL Browns played. This was in the early to mid 30’s. She grew up in some difficult circumstances (but who didn’t after crash in 29?), and managed to work her summers at the park.

In those days it was not uncommon to play doubleheaders. In the afternoon. In the heat. The team used giant round horse/livestock troughs full of ice to keep beer cold. They sold Budweiser, Schlitz PBR and some “other shit beers”.

Bud was 10c, all the others were a nickel. So, as the sun would beat down on the trough and turn the ice into water, my mom, a young girl of minimal means, would reach into the trough and carefully slide the label off a bottle of Bud. Then, she would slip the label off the the “off brand” and switch the labels. Then she would sell the off brand as Budweiser, charge a dime and get to pocket a whole nickel. On good days it was worth 35/40c. But that helped give her a little spending money.

She was casual acquaintances with legendary Cardinals of the Gas House Gang. The Dean brothers, or Pepper Martin would amble by to purchase a soft drink on occasion.

It seemed glorious, but on the way home she would walk the railroad tracks and pick up any coal that might fallen from a coal car to use in the winter to fire the furnace. Anything to help the family.

There’s a great deal more to her life story than that, but today, being able to reflect on it in a baseball related way helps me understand why I love this game so much.

[WilliamTheIrish]

A good days work in STL.

[Ocotillo]

Baseball America looks back on the Royals' 2022 draft, labeling in the "Drafts With Some Concerns" category.

Kansas City Royals

The Royals pick of outfielder Gavin Cross ninth overall looks better now than it did a year ago, as he’s shown last year he was affected by an illness. Third baseman Cayden Wallace (2nd round) and righthander Mason Barnett (3rd round) are Royals Top 10 prospects. The pick of 20th-round shortstop Austin Charles could pay off as he has a high ceiling if it all clicks. Righthander Steven Zobac (fourth round), lefthander Hunter Patteson (fifth round) and outfielder Javier Vaz (15th round) are all in the Royals Top 30. But for a team picking ninth overall, it’s hard to point to a prospect who’s broken through, at least yet. This could be a draft that moves back into the average category if Charles, Cross or Wallace take further steps.

[Fansy the Famous Bard]

Originally Posted by WilliamTheIrish

A little St.Louis WTI history. Some of this I may have told previously, so forgive me for the repetition.

My mom as teenager, worked at Sportsman’s Park, where the Cardinals and the STL Browns played. This was in the early to mid 30’s. She grew up in some difficult circumstances (but who didn’t after crash in 29?), and managed to work her summers at the park.

In those days it was not uncommon to play doubleheaders. In the afternoon. In the heat. The team used giant round horse/livestock troughs full of ice to keep beer cold. They sold Budweiser, Schlitz PBR and some “other shit beers”.

Bud was 10c, all the others were a nickel. So, as the sun would beat down on the trough and turn the ice into water, my mom, a young girl of minimal means, would reach into the trough and carefully slide the label off a bottle of Bud. Then, she would slip the label off the the “off brand” and switch the labels. Then she would sell the off brand as Budweiser, charge a dime and get to pocket a whole nickel. On good days it was worth 35/40c. But that helped give her a little spending money.

She was casual acquaintances with legendary Cardinals of the Gas House Gang. The Dean brothers, or Pepper Martin would amble by to purchase a soft drink on occasion.

It seemed glorious, but on the way home she would walk the railroad tracks and pick up any coal that might fallen from a coal car to use in the winter to fire the furnace. Anything to help the family.

There’s a great deal more to her life story than that, but today, being able to reflect on it in a baseball related way helps me understand why I love this game so much.

[Ocotillo]

Baseball America's pick for the sixth overall selection.

6. Royals — Bryce Rainer, SS, Harvard-Westlake HS, Studio City, Calif.

I’m making my first change from last week’s mock with the Royals going with Rainer instead of Hagen Smith (who I still think the Royals like quite a bit). The trio of Rainer, Smith and Griffin feel like the current favorites at this spot given how the board has panned out. I think the team could be intrigued with Caglianone if he were available, and I’ve heard Montgomery linked to the Royals recently, though he seems a lot less likely to me than all of the other names I’ve mentioned.

[Ocotillo]

Eric Longenhagen's Royals pick.

6. Kansas City Royals
Pick: Hagen Smith, LHP, Arkansas
Perhaps the most consistent rumor I’ve heard is that Kansas City likes Smith and high school shortstop Bryce Rainer.

[WhawhaWhat]

Three days off this week and then the All Star break next week hopefully let's a bunch of guys heal up from any lingering issues.

[BWillie]

Originally Posted by WhawhaWhat

Three days off this week and then the All Star break next week hopefully let's a bunch of guys heal up from any lingering issues.

Hopefully Massey can rub icy hot on his back

[BWillie]

MJ Melendez has been a passable defender this year. Now is the time his bat gets alive.

[cmh6476]

Did we trade a pitcher to the orioles?

[dlphg9]

Originally Posted by cmh6476

Did we trade a pitcher to the orioles?

Collin Selby for cash

[Al Bundy]

Originally Posted by Ocotillo

Eric Longenhagen's Royals pick.

6. Kansas City Royals
Pick: Hagen Smith, LHP, Arkansas
Perhaps the most consistent rumor I’ve heard is that Kansas City likes Smith and high school shortstop Bryce Rainer.

I don't want Smith.

[cmh6476]

Originally Posted by dlphg9

Collin Selby for cash

What can we buy with that cash?