Chris Higgins of the Star dug into the biggest open questions around the downtown ballpark presentation, and one of the biggest centers on what happens beyond the stadium itself. Brooks Sherman, the Royals’ president of real estate and development, said Thursday that master planning for the ballpark district is only now getting underway as the club prepares to hire a master planner. “Right now our focus is on the stadium,” he said.
Sherman also made clear that nothing has been decided about demolitions in Crown Center. He said there are plenty of strong tenants already in place and that team officials want to keep them and add more.
“That’s when we begin to look at the entirety of the rest of the district to understand what kind of buildings we would have, an entertainment venue, the retail, the food and beverage and so forth, so there have been no decisions about any destruction on any building.”
One of the businesses in that area is Sea Life Aquarium, just north of 25th Street and the Hallmark-owned Kaleidoscope. The aquarium told reporters to contact Hallmark about any demolition plans.
Hallmark, through a spokesperson, said: “The development will reimagine Crown Center and revitalize the city’s original live-work-play neighborhood while strengthening our business community and creating new opportunities,” one of the spokespeople for Hallmark said. “We remain in the early phases of planning the district beyond the ballpark.
We are committed to maintaining open communication with our tenants and business partners as plans progress.”
Elsewhere, Philip Ruo at Royals Keep examined Randy Dobnak, noting the right-hander’s ability to suppress damage. Dobnak posted a 3.7% barrel rate and a 51.2% ground-ball rate, a combination that helps keep the ball in the yard.
But the profile came with a catch: he didn’t miss enough bats. Hitters put the ball in play far too often, and his 91% contact rate on swings at strikes was the worst in the league.
That leaves him leaning heavily on the defense behind him, and his 4.22 FIP, which sits more than a run above his ERA, suggests the results may be hard to maintain.
David Laurila at Fangraphs spoke with Tyler Tolbert about the progress he’s made at the plate. Tolbert said, “I’m just continuing to get better,” and added, “Each season you just try to find what works for you, and try to get into a groove.
I’ve had good hitting years and I’ve had average hitting years. I don’t really chase numbers, though.
I just trust my routine and my process. If you’re focusing on the process, the numbers are going to be the numbers.”
In other Royals-related notes, Carter Jensen was at the Chiefs game Sunday, and former Royals outfielder MJ Melendez elected free agency.
In Other News...
Royals Fans Cant Ignore What Picollos Offseason Gamble Cost Them
The Royals spent the 2025-26 offseason trying to patch several obvious holes, leaning hard into outfield help and bullpen arms while keeping a core of Maikel Garcia, Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez intact. Lane Thomas, Starling Marte and Matt Strahm were among the biggest additions, the sort of moves that were supposed to add stability and push the club forward after a frustrating year.
Instead, the results have only sharpened the criticism around the front offices approach. Several of those new pieces underperformed badly enough to be moved or let go during the season, and the bullpen additions as a group have delivered negative value. With rotation depth left largely unaddressed, Kansas City has paid for it in the standings, leaving the offseason gamble looking less like a bold reset and more like a costly missed opportunity. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Still Have A Kauffman Problem They Didn't Expect
The Royals went into 2026 hoping the new Kauffman Stadium dimensions would help create a more even offensive environment, one that would translate better from home to road and make hitting less of a guessing game. Instead, the first season with the changes produced a striking split, with Kansas City turning in a much stronger offensive profile in its own park than away from it, a result that stood out across baseball and gave the club another Kauffman-related issue to sort through.
What makes the gap so awkward is that no one around the team has pinned down a clean explanation yet. It could be tied to the altered dimensions, simple year-to-year variance, or something else entirely, but whatever the cause, the Royals now have a home-road offensive divide that runs counter to what they were trying to accomplish and leaves a fresh question hanging over how well the new setup is actually working. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Suddenly Face A Tough Seth Lugo Decision
Seth Lugos third season in Kansas City has put the Royals in an increasingly familiar spot for a contender trying to balance present value with future flexibility. After a strong 2024, his performance has dipped over the past two years, with his ERA climbing and his pitch effectiveness slipping as he wrapped up his 11th major league season. Even so, he has remained one of the more recognizable veterans in the clubhouse and a pitcher the organization has leaned on as part of the rotation mix.
The trade deadline brought the possibility of a move, but the Royals are now weighing something more complicated than simple value on the market. Rotation depth is a real concern, and Lugos presence carries weight beyond the numbers because of what he means to the staff day to day. Whether Kansas City chooses to keep him or eventually explore a different direction, the decision says a lot about how aggressively the club wants to chase wins versus protecting itself for the long haul. [Read more 🡒]