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December 15-31, 2024 — Closing the Books on 2024
(OOTP25 Royals Journey – Manager’s Log)
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December 15 — A pause before the final push

I gave myself the rare luxury of sleeping in. Ten days from Christmas, a Sunday morning, and the final stretch of the off-season ahead — my best excuse in months to simply… breathe. No laptop. No phone. No scouting notes. No trade proposals. Just time with family before the calendar turns and the grind resets.

Tomorrow, I will return to the office. I knew there would be follow-ups from the Winter Meetings, documents to sign, and questions to answer — but for one more day, I stayed blissfully disconnected.
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December 16 — A’s on Line One

Barely an hour into my return to Kauffman Stadium, the phone rang.

Oakland.

Ikeda Takumi opened with a trade offer — and not the Singer deal I braced for.

The Athletics offered:
• 1B Brent Rooker (30)

They wanted:
• 1B Nick Pratto (26)
• 1B José Cerice (19)

J.J. Picollo liked it more than I expected. “This trade would make our team better for sure.” he said.

But I wasn’t ready. Not after Chicago’s proposal two days ago — not without letting that one fully marinate. Rooker wasn’t what we needed, and I wasn’t going to make a reactive move.

I declined, respectfully.

Later that afternoon, the three prospects we acquired from San Francisco made their way to their new homes:

• C Axiel Plaz & LHP Jack Choate → A+ Quad Cities
• RHP Manuel Mercedes → A Columbia

The Rule 5 Draft passed quietly. No picks, no losses — precisely the kind of stability I prefer this time of year.
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December 17 — Déjà vu in Oakland

Ikeda called again.

Same player. Bigger ask.

Oakland offered:
• 1B Brent Rooker

They wanted:
• RF MJ Melendez
• 1B Carter Jensen
• CF Carson Roccaforte

J.J. stayed neutral this time. “It’s your call.”

Still a pass.

If anything, it confirmed my suspicion — several GMs were circling, hoping to catch me in indecision. Rooker was a target, not a fit.
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December 18 — And the revolving door spins

San Francisco wasted no time flipping Tony Ruiz — a player we had traded them barely two weeks earlier. Ruiz was packaged with prospects for Cleveland reliever Nick Sandlin.

It shouldn’t matter. But it did.

It reminded me that value is in the eye of the beholder — and that some GMs treat their prospects like currency. Others, like me, are trying to build something more deliberate.

With three outstanding free-agent offers still pending, I decided that I was done entertaining trades until January. The system needed stability more than impulsive churn.
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December 19–25 — Christmas comes early

Silence — the productive kind.

Then the notifications arrived:

Signed:
• RHP Spencer Turnbull
• RHP Riley Thompson
• LHP Jalen Beeks

Three arms. Three roster stabilizers. Three decisions that made Christmas morning feel a little sweeter.

Next week, the staff and I will meet to restructure our minor league alignments and prepare for the influx of young talent entering Columbia and our Rookie League.
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December 26 — Watching from afar

The Cardinals introduced Sergio Nunez as their newest starter — 3 years, $25.8 million. A good pitcher, a risky contract, and well outside our post-Montgomery budget.

I’m glad we scouted him early, but St. Louis can afford high-variance arms. They’re loading up for a title defense, and Nunez fits their gamble.

We’ll compete differently.
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December 31 — One last find before the year closes

Jason McLeod wrapped his year in the Dominican Republic with an intriguing discovery:

RHP Rubén Garcia, age 16 —

• Slow fastball, barely brushing 88 MPH
• Above-average control
• Average stuff and movement
• Projects as a potential back-end starter

Figure 1. Rubén Garcia — Scouting Discovery Report



He’s now assigned to our international complex. Another lottery ticket for a future we’re trying to build deliberately.

I sat alone in my office as the daylight faded, reflecting on the past year — the trades we made, the ones we didn’t, the budgets we balanced, the signings we chased, and the culture we’re trying to reestablish.

For the first time in a long time, it felt like the plan was working. Like the blueprint was holding. Like 2025 could be different.

I poured a generous glass of Macallan 30-year — a fitting farewell to a turbulent but transformative 2024 — and allowed myself a rare, hopeful thought:

Maybe this is the year we step into the race.
Maybe this is the year everything starts to click.

Tomorrow begins the new calendar. Spring training is coming.

And the Royals are finally starting to look like a team built for the crown.

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Built for the Crown — OOTP25 Royals Journey (December 15-31)

Foundation Established • Sustained Discipline • Transformed Landscape • Stabilization
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