KC Royals Farm Futures: Affiliation and 40-man roster updates

A week that saw no news as far as official KC Royals’ affiliations go was made interesting by minor league players on the move with 40-man roster decisions.

We would love to report that there are agreements in place with the KC Royals and their minor league teams, but this news is trickling at a snail’s pace. In fact, despite all the rumors going around and expected ties to parents and affiliates, hardly anything is official.

This has to be extremely frustrating to the owners of the teams in limbo and the fans that support them. Baseball America has a chart out not behind a paywall that shows the official decisions that have been made and it is surprisingly bare.

Three franchises have all their teams announced while just two others have their Triple A affiliate locked down. While it is anticipated that Omaha and Northwest Arkansas are a certainty for the Royals, the single-A teams would seem most vulnerable.

40-man moves

We reported over the weekend that the Royals removed Glenn Sparkman, Gabe Speier, and Chance Adams from the 40-man roster. Adams accepted a move to Triple A but the other two were designated for assignment.

In their place are Daniel Tillo, Angel Zerpa, Sebastian Rivero, and Khalil Lee. Outside of Lee, who has a chance to make the big league roster as the team is short on outfielders, expect these players to be at a minor league park next spring.

Tillo may not pitch next year after Tommy John surgery late in the summer, so it could be 2022 before he is back in action. For those of you unfamiliar with Zerpa, we have an article that allows you to catch up on his credentials.

Omaha Storm Chasers

For those of you with a creative musical bone in your body (or not), the Storm Chasers are having a contest to write their jingle for next year. You can win over $2,000 in cash plus tickets and parking passes for 2021. They have all the details on their website, you should definitely let us know if you enter!

Northwest Arkansas Naturals

In what would appear to be further proof of a connection to the KC Royals despite no official word, the Naturals announced the Red Vines and Sour Punch will be the presenting sponsors of the Royals exhibition game on March 29, 2021. Tickets are still not on sale yet for this event but they should go quickly once available.

For the record, Red Vines are way better than Twizzlers. Hit me up on Twitter if you would like to tell me why you are wrong if you do not agree.