KC Royals Hot Stove News: Jordan Lyles, more of same

Welcome back to Kings of Kauffman’s offseason update series. Like many other FanSided baseball sites, we’ll be using this format regularly to keep fans up to date on what the KC Royals are, and aren’t, doing to improve the club. So, keep a close eye on this space. 

Little, if any, relief from the KC Royals’ mundane offseason appears to be in sight. Save for perhaps the recent signing of pitcher Ryan Yarbrough, the Royals have underwhelmed on the player personnel front and nothing, including late Tuesday morning reports that the club is signing Jordan Lyles, owner of a 12-season big league 5.10 ERA, suggests that will change anytime soon.

(Need more on Lyles? We’ll have it later, but for now you can read here what we recently wrote about the possibility of Kansas City pursuing him).

Last week continued to tell the tale. Kansas City re-signed long-time Royal minor leaguer Seuly Matias, inked minor league free agent pitchers Brooks Kriske and Darwin Rodriguez, and traded Wyatt Mills to Boston for Jacob Wallace. Matias is well-known around the franchise—he’s a six-year veteran of KC’s minor league system who once hit 31 homers but strikes out too much. Kriske has pitched 16 big league games but the 25 runs he’ surrendered in his 15 innings suggest he needs more seasoning. Wallace went 8-2 in Double-A last year but walked 49 in 56.2 innings.

An AL Central rival of the KC Royals has a distinct Kansas City angle.

Although Kansas City isn’t energizing its fanbase, American League Central Division rival Chicago is assuming a bit of a Royal flavor. The White Sox hired former KC bench coach Pedro Grifol to manage the club, then added former KC hitting assistant Mike Tosar to Grifol’s staff as major league field coordinator, signed former Royal big leaguers Andrew Benintendi, Sebastian Rivero and Billy Hamilton, and re-signed minor league pitcher Xavier Fernández, who spent from 2013-2019 in Kansas City’s farm system before joining the Sox.

KC Royals arbitration.

The Royals have yet to resolve the contract situations of eight arbitration-eligible players. All have been tendered contracts for the 2023 season. Plenty of time remains for their cases to settle before the Jan. 13 deadline for players and club to exchange salary proposals in advance of the Jan. 30 opening of arbitration hearings.

Major League Baseball Trade Rumors projects these potential awards for the tendered but unsigned Royals:

• Brad Keller, $7 million
• Scott Barlow, $4.9 million
• Nicky Lopez, $3.4 million
• Brady Singer, $2.9 million
• Amir Garrett, $2.6 million
• Kris Bubic, $1.8 million
• Taylor Clarke, $1.5 million
• Josh Staumont, $1 million

KC Royals transactions to date.

Here’s what Kansas City’s transactions look like so far:

• Jacob Wallace acquired from Boston. Trade for Wyatt Mills.
• Brooks Kriske. Signed free agent contract.
• Darwin Rodriguez. Signed free agent contract.
• Ryan Yarbrough. Signed free agent contract.
• Jakson Reetz. Signed free agent contract.
• Seuly Matias. Signed free agent contract.
• Brent Rooker.  Waiver claim to Oakland.
• Nate Webb. Signed with Pittsburgh.
• Sebastian Rivero. Released, later signed with White Sox.
• Gabe Speier. Waiver claim to Seattle.
• Tyler Zuber. Waiver claim to Arizona.
• Luke Weaver. Waiver claim to Seattle.

KC Royals rumors, speculation, projections.

• Will the Royals consider bringing back Eric Hosmer?
• Should the Royals pursue any Angel free agents?
• Three Tampa Bay free agent pitchers could interest KC. (One recently became a Royal).
• Can any Ranger free agents help the Royals?
• A former Royal might be a good reunion candidate

Keep watching this space for more KC Hot Stove developments.