The future of the Royals will be disproportionately shaped by what happens this season, in private settings and phone calls between executives, and for once this is not about the potential for trades of Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain and other stars.
It’s about negotiating the financial ability to support the next generation of ballplayers, to best position the franchise to more freely spend on talent than its been able to do with one of the worst television contracts in major American professional sports.
That deal runs through the 2019 season. Officials from the Royals and Fox Sports have had preliminary discussions about the next deal, each expressing a desire to continue their partnership.