Jaylon Thompson wrote about the first full-squad workout on Monday.
The Royals expect most of the spring competition to be reserve roles. The starting lineup is pretty much set with Bobby Witt Jr., Maikel Garcia, Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez leading the way.
“I mean, without naming names, it’s very obvious who some of the everyday guys are,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said. “The competition is going to be how we fill out the last, you know, I’ll say 10 through 13. You know, we have some guys that have more experience than others, but it’ll play out in spring training. And I think our guys are hungry. I think they understand what the competition is like. They want to go out and win.”
Anne Rogers writes about the team testing out the new ABS challenge system.
“We are going to talk about that a little bit to see who’s going to challenge,” catcher Salvador Perez said Saturday. “Early in the game, if we lose a challenge, we may need it later in the game. It’s like, ‘Should we wait?’ Even if the umpire makes a little mistake, you have to be 100% right to challenge in the first three innings. That’s kind of what I think. But I have to wait for Skip [manager Matt Quatraro] and see what Bobby [Witt Jr.], Vinnie and Maikel [Garcia] think about that.”
Stephen Kolek will start the Cactus League opener on Friday against the Rangers.
Union reps came to Royals camp following the resignation of head Tony Clark.
“It was a good meeting,” said John Schreiber, who is the Royals’ player representative. “A lot of questions from guys and a lot of positive feedback. So feeling good about where we are right now. Obviously, it’s a little bit of a disappointment. A little bit of a challenge with what came out yesterday and all that stuff. But, you know, the unity and strength we have from this union from the players is what it’s about.”
David Schoenfield at ESPN gives the Royals a “C” for their offseason.
Kansas City outfielders hit a miserable .225/.285/.348 last season, which isn’t going to work if the Royals want to return to the postseason. They acquired Collins from the Brewers after he hit .263/.368/.411 and finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year voting, but he was a 27-year-old rookie, so there isn’t any growth potential there — more likely some regression. Still, if he can get on base at a reasonable clip, he’ll give the Royals the leadoff hitter they lacked a season ago. Thomas hasn’t been good since 2023, so it’s unclear why the Royals would give him $5.25 million coming off a season in which he hit .160. Call it a ho-hum offseason that gets a boost with the underrated Maikel Garcia signing an extension that runs through 2031.
Philip Ruo at Royals Keep wonders who will lead off for the Royals in 2026.
Dan Szymborski has Carter Jensen at #15 and Blake Mitchell at #96 in his ZIPS top prospects.
The Astros sign former Royals infielder CJ Alexander to a minor league deal.
The Braves will be without pitchers Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep for the first two months.
The Mariners sign catcher Mitch Garver to a minor league deal.
Ten positional battles in MLB camps to be decided in spring training.
The Astros have interest in free agent outfielder Michael Conforto.
The key player for each World Baseball Classic team.
Bruce Meyer is named Executive Director of the MLBPA.
Aaron Judge wants to improve his baserunning.
Why the Orioles may not want to trade Coby Mayo or Ryan Mountcastle.
The Mets will never have a team captain under owner Steve Cohen.
How ten teams can overcome their playoff odds.
The Chiefs restructure Patrick Mahomes’ contract to free up more cap space.
The winners and losers from the first week of the Winter Olympics.
Antarctica has a gravity hole.
Cocaine is having a comeback.
The first worldwide Tic Tac Toe championship will be at SXSW.
Your song of the day is Built to Spill with The Plan.