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KANSAS CITY -- The Royals made their biggest move of the winter over the weekend when they signed lefty reliever Will Smith to a one-year deal worth $5 million.
And while that might not seem like it moves the needle considerably, it’s become very clear that the Royals aren’t planning on this signing being the biggest move of their offseason.
“We’re going to keep pushing,” general manager J.J. Picollo said Monday. “The deeper we can get, the better.”
As has been reported here all offseason, the Royals remain interested in bringing in one or two starters who can slot in at the top of their rotation with lefty Cole Ragans and righty Brady Singer. Free agents who have reportedly been linked to Kansas City include Seth Lugo, Lucas Giolito, Marcus Stroman, Jack Flaherty and Michael Wacha.
The market has started to move a little more now that the biggest free agent this offseason in Shohei Ohtani agreed to a massive, unprecedented contract with the Dodgers. Even though only a few teams were in on Ohtani, it seemed like the market was waiting for his decision.
“Now that domino has fallen, I do think it’s going to speed up, and we’re going to see a lot of action this week and next week,” Picollo said. “I think a lot of things will be settled before Christmas. That’s what we’re anticipating.”
The Winter Meetings were slow for a lot of teams, but even Picollo mentioned in Nashville, Tenn., that baseball’s annual gathering seems to lay the groundwork for deals done shortly after everyone goes home. Teams meet with agents and talk with other clubs there, then follow up in the days and weeks after.
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While the focus remains on starting pitching, Kansas City’s bullpen work is not done, either. Even after signing Smith, acquiring Nick Anderson from the Braves and selecting Matt Sauer in the Rule 5 Draft, the Royals want to add more relievers to help their young core. A veteran arm is preferred as Kansas City searches for stability in its bullpen. Strike-throwing is key.
If the Royals can take pressure off young arms like James McArthur, Carlos Hernández, Steven Cruz and others whom they see potential in, they believe those relievers will develop quicker and more efficiently than in last season. Night after night, young relievers were thrown into situations they had never experienced, and while some of that needs to happen for development, Kansas City wants to put pieces in the bullpen who can take the ball in those moments.
“We’re going to keep looking,” Picollo said. “I don’t know how it’s going to resolve itself or where we’ll be in a couple of weeks, but we’re going to keep looking. There’s a lot of quality pitchers out there on the market right now. We’ve talked before, it’s not necessarily just through the free-agent market, but any potential trades, if we see a fit, we’re going to pursue it.”
The Royals have a lot of work to do to turn a 106-loss team around -- not into division winners, but into a more competitive group throughout the season. The Smith signing is one piece of that, but he can’t and won’t be the only addition.
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LOFTIN’S ROLE WITH HAMPSON ON THE ROSTER |
When the Royals signed utility man Garrett Hampson to a one-year deal late last month, several people reached out to me to ask what that meant for Nick Loftin, the Royals’ No. 5 prospect per MLB Pipeline, who can play all around the field.
If the Royals have Hampson as their utility man, what does that mean for Loftin’s playing time in 2024? They are both right-handed bats who play several positions, but Hampson and Loftin are viewed as different players in the organization.
For starters, Hampson is seen more as a shortstop/center fielder. Loftin can play those positions, but the Royals would rather him be playing second, third and the corner outfield. Hampson’s speed is a bigger part of his game, while the Royals hope Loftin becomes more of an impact bat.
“I think it’s safe to say we feel really good about Nick’s upside long-term being an impact bat, regardless of where he plays,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “As far as I understand, even when we drafted him, he’s a real bat prospect. I think we’re just seeing the start; we’re just scratching the surface of that.”
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Picollo echoed the sentiment while also touching on Loftin’s ability to control the zone well.
“From an offensive standpoint, they represent something different,” Picollo said. “Hampson can impact the game a little more on the bases and stealing a base. Not that Nick’s not a good baserunner, Hampson’s just a tick faster. It’s part of his game. I think Garrett’s going to play a little bit more the short game, where Nick’s got the ability to drive the ball on a more consistent basis. They sort of complement one another. The good thing with Nick is he typically does not chase, and that’s really important. The similarities lie in the versatility more than anything else.”
Loftin will have a chance to make the 2024 Opening Day roster. The Royals like having more competition for starting and bench roles this spring, too.
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SMITH’S SLIDER HAS KC ORIGINS |
Smith’s best pitch is an excellent slider, and hitters quite simply don’t hit it. In 2023, Smith threw it 50.1 percent of the time, and batters hit .120 against it while slugging just .213. They also whiffed on it 39.6 percent of the time.
The pitch has improved over time, but Smith picked up the slider when he was with Kansas City in the Minors. In 2011, before he was called up for his debut, the Royals told him he should develop another pitch to help him get lefties out.
“I walked around the clubhouse that day, and Kevin Chapman was one of my teammates at the time, and another lefty, and he showed me his grip,” Smith said. “I started playing catch with it one day, and it’s kind of morphed into what it is now. I’m very thankful for that pitch, that’s for sure.”
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• Quatraro and pitching coach Brian Sweeney were able to catch up in person with a few of their players while in Nashville last week. They visited Vinnie Pasquantino’s facility and saw him swing, and they also saw Daniel Lynch IV and others who live in the area.
• The Royals see an increased role for catcher Freddy Fermin in 2024, mainly to help Salvador Perez’s health and have him rotate through catching, DH-ing and playing first base. Quatraro said Fermin still has to “prove he can produce,” but the team is extremely comfortable with the 28-year-old behind the plate.
“I told Salvy the other day, ‘I’m not going to say that you’re going to catch three games, Freddy’s going to catch four or vice versa,’” Quatraro said. “Every week is different. Off-days, day-night, travel. We’re going to take it as it comes and try to manage it that way.”
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