Courtesy of KC Royals, MLB.com

KANSAS CITY — As the Royals drifted further away from the .500 mark this season, one of the main priorities for general manager Dayton Moore became getting some return for his players with expiring contracts or freeing up space on the 40-man roster for the next wave of prospects.

For the most part, Moore accomplished both, as nine players from the Royals’ Minor League system have made their MLB debuts so far this season. And Moore was able to trade catcher Martín Maldonado, right-hander Homer Bailey and left-hander Jake Diekman. Outfielder Billy Hamilton, also on an expiring contract, was not moved before Wednesday’s 3 p.m. CT deadline and could be a candidate to be designated for assignment.

Here’s a look at how the Royals fared:

Traded: Bailey, Maldonado, Diekman and Terrance Gore (to Yankees for cash considerations).

Received: Left-hander Mike Montgomery (from Cubs), infield prospect Kevin Merrell (from A’s), outfielder Dairon Blanco (from A’s) and right-hander Ismael Aquino (from A’s).

DFA’d: Gore, right-hander Wily Peralta, infielder Chris Owings and first baseman Lucas Duda .

When a player’s contract is designated for assignment — often abbreviated “DFA” — that player is immediately removed from his club’s 40-man roster, and 25-man roster if he was on that as well. Within seven days of the transaction (it was previously 10 days), the player must either be traded, released or placed on irrevocable outright waivers.

The return: Montgomery was originally drafted by the Royals in 2008 and was part of the James Shields-Wade Davis trade with Tampa Bay in 2012. Kansas City has put Montgomery in the rotation and have him for two more years of club control after this season. Merrell was the 2017 Draft’s 33rd overall pick and is the Royals’ No. 18 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. Some scouts believe Merrell could be an eventual super utility man. Blanco has plus speed, and the organization believes he still has untapped power. Blanco is at Double-A Northwest Arkansas. Aquino has a plus fastball and is in the Arizona Rookie league.

Who wasn’t traded: There were some national rumors that teams were interested in super utility man Whit Merrifield, closer Ian Kennedy, left-hander Danny Duffy, designated hitter Jorge Soler and left fielder Alex Gordon. To be clear, the Royals never shopped any of those players and never really had any intention of moving any of them unless they were blown away by offers. That wasn’t going to happen. The ballclub views Merrifield, 30, as a leader who can usher in the next wave of young players when the Royals believe they will be competitive again by 2021. Kennedy is owed over $20 million on his contract, and there was really no chance the organization was going to eat most of that just to get prospects, which it feels it can get in the Draft anyway for less money. Duffy and Soler are under club control through 2021. Gordon told MLB.com he had no interest in playing for anyone else, and as a player with 10-and-5 rights, he had the right to veto any deal.

What’s next?: A lot of evaluation. The Royals will view the next two months as auditions for who they believe is part of the core of the future. The organization knows it has part of the core for 2020 in place in shortstop Adalberto Mondesi, Merrifield, third baseman Hunter Dozier, second baseman Nicky Lopez, Soler, catcher Salvador Perez (back for 2020 after Tommy John surgery), possibly Gordon (contract expires after this season), center fielder Bubba Starling, right-handers Brad Keller and Jakob Junis, Duffy, and so on.

What manager Ned Yost and Moore will be evaluating mostly is the bullpen. The Royals have several young arms they want to identify as potential pieces moving forward, such as right-handers Josh Staumont, Kyle Zimmer, Jorge Lopez, Scott Barlow and Kevin McCarthy, and left-handers Richard Lovelady and Tim Hill.

The Royals also will like to see outfielders Brett Phillips, acquired in the Mike Moustakas trade in 2018, and Jorge Bonifacio before the season ends.

Jeffrey Flanagan has covered the Royals since 1991, and for MLB.com since 2015. Follow him on Twitter at @FlannyMLB.

Listen to updates from Kansas City Chiefs Training Camp in St. Joseph, Mo. with the “Voice of the Chiefs” Mitch Holthus. The reports originally air weeknights at 5:25 p.m. on KWBW Radio 1450 am/98.5 fm.  Brought to you locally by Egbert Liquor.

WICHITA, Kan. – The former Wichita State All-American and Scott City native reached a one-year agreement on Thursday to play for CSKA Moscow, which won the EuroLeague championship this past season and is dominant in Russia’s VTB United League.

Baker, 26, played the past three seasons in the NBA, splitting time between the New York Knicks and Washington Wizards. Baker played in 96 games, starting 14 with averages of 3.1 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists.

Guard Ron Baker (26 y.o., 193 cm) will become the first native American on our team. The player signed 1-year contract.

Courtesy of the CSKA Moscow Basketball website:

The Wichita State alumni played in the NBA for all three years of pro career. Baker played 92 games for the New York Knicks (he also participated in the games for the G-League team Winchester Knicks) before moving to the Washington Wizards where he played in 4 games. His NBA averages are 3.1 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 14.5 minutes.

Despite his modest numbers, Baker is considered one of the most well recognized players of his generation, defensive specialist with good long-distance shot. He helped his college to win three conference titles, to qualify for Sweet 16 twice and to surprisingly go to the 2013 Final Four. In 2015 Ron was included in two All-America teams, he also played for the Team USA at the Pan-American Games winning the bronze medal.

Dimitris Itoudis, CSKA head coach:

We signed a player who is a rookie in Europe, but he is determined and decisive to come to CSKA and grow up professionally. Ron is a tough kid, he is good defender. He played on highly competitive level in all situations – college basketball, NBA, G-League. I am looking forward to working together with Ron.

I would like to note also that our team is not full so far, we plan to sign one more player soon to close out our summer campaign.

Ron Baker, CSKA guard:

I’m excited for this new opportunity CSKA Basketball has given me. I’m very thankful! After speaking with head coach Dimitris and team captain Kyle Hines, I see myself fitting in with what CSKA is about. Their day-to-day culture and achievements on the court were what I was looking for in a franchise during this summer free agency. I’m extremely grateful and most of all ready to compete for the fans of CSKA!

Courtesy of fhsuathletics.com

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Following back-to-back MIAA Championships in 2017 and 2018, Fort Hays State Football will enter the 2019 as the favorite among MIAA coaches in the preseason polls released on Wednesday (July 31) at MIAA Football Media Day. The Tigers were slated No. 2 in the Media Poll behind Northwest Missouri State, the team they shared the MIAA Championship with last year.

This is the first time the Tigers have topped either poll since joining the MIAA in 2006. Last year FHSU was No. 2 in both polls and Northwest Missouri State was No. 1, but this snaps a six-year streak of Northwest Missouri State topping the preseason poll from head coaches around the conference.

The coaches poll was close once again this year with Fort Hays State coming out on top by two points. FHSU received six first-place votes and 114 total voting points, while Northwest Missouri State received five first-place votes and 112 total voting points. Fort Hays State and Northwest Missouri State were the only MIAA schools to play in the NCAA Playoffs last year. Pittsburg State received the one remaining first-place vote and ranked third with 97 points. Central Oklahoma, a bowl game participant for each of the last two years, ranked fourth with 90 points.

Northwest Missouri State received the majority of first-place votes in the media poll, picked No. 1 in 32 of the 40 polls submitted. Fort Hays State topped seven polls of media members. The Bearcats and Tigers were the only two programs to receive over 400 total voting points with 471 and 433 respectively. Pittsburg State ranked No. 3 with 378 points, Central Missouri ranked No. 4 with 336 points, and Central Oklahoma ranked No. 5 with 313 points.

2019 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Fort Hays State (6) – 114 points
2. Northwest Missouri (5) – 112 points
3. Pittsburg State (1) – 97 points
4. Central Oklahoma – 90 points
5. Central Missouri – 80 points
6. Emporia State – 73 points
7. Missouri Western – 57 points
8. Washburn – 54 points
9. Nebraska Kearney – 46 points
10. Missouri Southern – 34 points
11. Northeastern State – 23 points
12. Lincoln – 12 points
Coaches are not allowed to vote for their own team

2019 MIAA Preseason Media Poll
1. Northwest Missouri (32) – 471 points
2. Fort Hays State (7) – 433 points
3. Pittsburg State – 378 points
4. Central Missouri – 336 points
5. Central Oklahoma – 313 points
6. Emporia State – 264 points
7. Missouri Western – 245 points
8. Washburn – 234 points
9. Nebraska Kearney – 194 points
10. Missouri Southern (1) – 120 points
11. Northeastern State – 79 points
12. Lincoln – 52 points

Fort Hays State returns nine of its 11 starters on offense from the 2018 season, including five that received All-MIAA honors. Junior offensive lineman Amari Angram-Boldin was a second-team selection, while third team selections went to seniors Layne Bieberle(wide receiver), Matt Wendelberger (tight end), and Charles Tigner (running back). Senior Harley Hazlett (wide receiver) garnered an honorable mention selection, but could be one of the top all-around offensive threats in the conference this year after an FHSU-record 91 receptions in 2018 to go with 904 receiving yards, 60 rushing yards, and 132 kick return yards. Bieberle was close behind Hazlett in receiving yards with 894 on 57 catches, and he earned two all-conference honors for the year after getting an honorable mention nod as a punt returner (304 return yards). Wendelberger had a big year of 502 yards on 33 catches and Tigner continued to be a threat in both the run and pass game with 778 yards rushing and 217 yards receiving. Sophomore quarterback Chance Fulleralso returns after receiving starts late in the 2018 season and finishing with 1,185 passing yards.

On defense, the Tigers return four starters led by All-MIAA Third-Team pick Sterling Swopes on the defensive line. Honorable mention status went to linebacker Kolt Trachsel and defensive back Tanner Hoekman, while Sheldon Schmidt also returns on the defensive line. Trachsel, Hoekman, and Schmidt enter their senior year, while Swopes is a junior.  Hoekman is the top returning tackler, posting 75 stops last year, while Trachsel finished with 59. Schmidt finished the year with 45 tackles, while Swopes added 41. Swopes is the top returning pass-rush threat after five sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss last year.

The biggest question on defense is how the Tigers fill the shoes of six All-MIAA selections, which included three All-America honorees. The six starters lost to exhaustion of eligibility were MIAA Defensive Player of the Year Jose Delgado (linebacker), Doyin Jibowu (safety), Wyatt Parker (defensive line), Connor Shedeed (safety), Malik Young (defensive line), and Aquil Knowles(cornerback). Jibowu went on to sign as an undrafted free agent with the Chicago Bears, joining Delgado and Parker as All-America selections. Delgado pushed Fort Hays State’s streak of producing the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year to three-straight years, finishing with 117 tackles. The six starters lost from last year’s team combined for a total of 422 tackles and eight interceptions.

Kicker/punter Dante Brown looks to give the Tigers a boost on special teams once again in 2019. Brown was the NCAA Division II Special Teams Player of the Year by the Don Hansen Football Committee in 2018, while also earning MIAA Special Teams Player of the Year as an all-conference first team selection at both kicker and punter. Brown led Division II in field goals last year with 28, averaging an all-NCAA levels best 2.33 field goals per game. He scored 123 points for the season, but also punted the ball 67 times and averaged 41.4 yards per attempt.

Head coach Chris Brown enters his ninth year guiding the Tigers in 2019. He led the Tigers to postseason game appearances in each of the last four years, twice in bowl games (2015 and 2016) and most recently twice in the NCAA Playoffs (2017 and 2018). Brown was the MIAA Coach of the Year in each of the last two years.

Thursday Morning Sports with KWBW’s Rob Dreher.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Kyle Hendricks struck out seven in seven innings and Ian Happ hit an RBI single in the sixth inning to break a scoreless tie as Chicago Cubs beat St. Louis 2-0 and moved into a tie with the Cardinals atop the NL Central. The teams have identical 57-50 records. The Cardinal have lost three of their last four.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Freddy Galvis and rookie Bo Bichette hit solo home runs to lead the Toronto Blue Jays over the Kansas City Royals 4-1 Wednesday for a three-game sweep. Bichette hit his first career homer to open the eighth inning against Royals starter Jakob Junis, a drive to left field.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — No team in the NFL last season made more big plays on offense than the Kansas City Chiefs. And while matching their incredible total of 52 passes of at least 25 yards seems like a longshot, there are quite a few reasons to believe the Chiefs could be even more explosive this season. It starts with quarterback Patrick Mahomes and goes from there.

National Headlines

UNDATED (AP) _ The Philadelphia Phillies bolstered their outfield by getting veteran Corey Dickerson from the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash and a player to be named. The Oakland Athletics have snared starter Tanner Roark from the Cincinnati Reds for outfield prospect Jameson Hannah. The Reds also shipped second baseman Scooter Gennett to San Francisco for a player to be named.

UNDATED (AP) _ The Astros have added a catcher at Major League Baseball’s trade deadline. Houston picks up veteran catcher Martin Maldonado from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for Tony Kemp. The Cubs got Maldonado from the Kansas City Royals earlier in July. The 32-year-old Maldonado has started 74 games behind the plate this year. He also spent time in Houston last year, playing 41 games for the Astros.

CINCINNATI (AP) — The playoff-contending Oakland Athletics have acquired starter Tanner Roark from the Cincinnati Reds, filling out a rotation that also could have left-hander Sean Manaea back soon. Oakland dealt outfield prospect Jameson Hannah to Cincinnati. The Reds are also sending Oakland $2.1 million to offset much of the more than $3 million remaining in Roark’s $10 million salary. Roark can become a free agent after the season.

UNDATED (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks have acquired rookie right-hander Zac Gallen from the Miami Marlins for minor league shortstop Jazz Chisholm. Gallen is 1-3 with a 2.72 ERA in seven starts since making his major league debut June 20. Chisholm, 21, was rated the Diamondbacks’ No. 1 prospect by MLB.com.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The agent for New Orleans Saints leading receiver Michael Thomas says Thomas and the Saints have agreed on a new five-year, $100 million contract. The agreement brings to an end Thomas’ training camp holdout that spanned five practices. Thomas has established himself as an elite receiver with 321 catches for 3,787 yards and 23 touchdowns in his first three NFL seasons. Last season, Thomas ranked first in the NFL in catches with 125.

MIAMI (AP) — Pro Football Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti has died at the age of 78. At 5-11, 220 pounds, he was undersized as a linebacker and bypassed in the NFL draft. But he went on to a 15-year NFL career and served as captain of the Miami Dolphins’ back-to-back Super Bowl champions, including the 1972 team that completed the NFL’s only perfect season. In recent years, Buoniconti struggled with symptoms of CTE, a degenerative brain disease associated with repeated blows to the head. A family spokesman says Buoniconti died yesterday in Bridgehampton, New York.

Wednesday Scores

INTERLEAGUE
Final N-Y Yankees 7 Arizona 5
Final Minnesota 7 Miami 4
Final N-Y Mets 4 Chi White Sox 2
Final Milwaukee 4 Oakland 2

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Toronto 4 Kansas City 1
Final Detroit 9 L-A Angels 1
Final Cleveland 10 Houston 4
Final Tampa Bay 8 Boston 5
Final Texas 9 Seattle 7

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Atlanta 5 Washington 4, 10 Innings
Final Cincinnati 4 Pittsburgh 1
Final L-A Dodgers 5 Colorado 1
Final San Francisco 5 Philadelphia 1
Final Chi Cubs 2 St. Louis 0

MIAMI (AP) — Pro Football Hall of Fame middle linebacker Nick Buoniconti, an undersized overachiever who helped lead the Miami Dolphins to the NFL’s only perfect season and became a leader in the effort to cure paralysis, has died. He was 78.

Buoniconti, who died Tuesday in Bridgehampton, New York, struggled in recent years with symptoms of CTE, a degenerative brain disease associated with repeated blows to the head. He had recently battled pneumonia, Dolphins senior vice president Nat Moore said.

The 5-foot-11, 220-pound Buoniconti was bypassed in the NFL draft but went on to a 15-year career. He was captain of the Dolphins’ back-to-back Super Bowl champions, including the 1972 team that finished 17-0.

Following retirement, Buoniconti and his son, Marc, worked to raise more than a half-billion dollars for paralysis research. The younger Buoniconti was paralyzed from the shoulders down making a tackle for The Citadel in 1985.

Marc Buoniconti said his father was his biggest hero.

“He could have been sitting on the beach sipping champagne for the rest of his life,” the younger Buoniconti said in 2017. “But what did he do? He went around and gave the rest of his life to help his son.”

Following retirement, Buoniconti worked as an attorney, a broadcaster, as president of U.S. Tobacco and as an agent to such athletes as Bucky Dent and Andre Dawson. For 23 seasons he was co-host of the weekly sports show “Inside the NFL” on the HBO cable network.

“He lived a life of honor and nobility, and his legacy will live forever through his Bronzed Bust in Canton, Ohio,” said Pro Football Hall of Fame President and CEO David Baker.

Buoniconti was chosen for the all-time AFL team in 1970, and for the NFL Pro Bowl in 1972 and 1973. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Buoniconti was a champion on and off the field.

“He was the leader of one of the most dominant NFL teams in history, and earned his place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame with his grit, fearlessness and skill while playing with the Patriots and Dolphins,” Goodell said.

A native of Springfield, Massachusetts, Buoniconti played guard on offense and linebacker on defense for Notre Dame. He was small for a pro linebacker, but after being taken in the 13th round by the Boston Patriots of the upstart AFL, he played for them from 1962 to 1968.

He made the AFL All-Star Game six times and had 24 career interceptions for the Patriots, including three in a single game in 1968.

Buoniconti played for the Dolphins from 1969 to 1974 and in 1976. He was the leader of Miami’s famed “No-Name Defense” and in 1973 he set a team record with 162 tackles. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001.

“He was the consummate team captain, the heartbeat of our team,” Hall of Fame fullback Larry Csonka said. “I’ll miss Nick, his wisdom and class.”

“Nick was special to me in every way,” said his former coach, Hall of Famer Don Shula. “He was someone I greatly admired.”

In 1985, he and Marc Buoniconti helped to found the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, which has become the world’s largest spinal cord injury research center.

“Marc, the Miami Project Team and I are committed to carry Nick’s banner and legacy forward to the goal line,” project chairman Dr. Barth Green said.

WICHITA, Kan. – The Hutchinson Monarchs finally faced a wall that they could not climb as the Great Bend Bat Cats took advantage of a 14 run 4th inning to beat the Monarchs 24-10 Wednesday night at Eck Stadium in Wichita.

With the win, Great Bend advances into the Championship week pool play bracket along with the Derby Twins who rallied to win over the Hays Larks 9-7 in the earlier game Wednesday evening.

Hutchinson had just scored 6 runs of their own in the top of the 4th to lead 7-4 when the Bat Cats bats came alive. Zack Philbin came on in relief of Noah Kelly and just couldn’t find the strike zone as he only lasted a third of an inning walking 5 batters giving up 6 runs.  Dawson Linder came in and also had problems as he walked 5 and gave up 7 runs along with several Monarch errors.  Hutchinson pitchers really struggled walking 10 batters in the bottom of the 4th.  Dawson Dreher came on in relief of Linder with 2 out and the bases loaded. The Bat Cats Brady Michel promptly doubled to clear the bases.  When all was said and done, the Bat Cats hung 14 on the board in the inning and led 18-7.

Great Bend had 15 hits to generate the 24 runs, 17 earned for the game.  Philbin took the loss, Young was the winning pitcher for the Bat Cats.

Batting Stats

Pitching Stats

Monarchs
#	Pitcher	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA
11	Kelly, N	3.0	5	4	2	1	3	3.86
34	Philbin, Z	0.1	1	6	6	5	0	16.20
28	Linder, D	0.1	0	7	0	5	1	0.00
29	Dreher, D	2.1	5	1	1	0	1	3.86
35	Kudelka, P	1.0	3	6	6	5	0	54.00
15	Clark, T	1.0	1	0	0	1	1	0.00
		8	15	24	15	17	6

Bat Cats
#	Pitcher	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA
24	Brimacombe, J	3.2	3	5	5	2	2	12.27
16	Young, E	3.1	4	4	3	2	3	8.10
25	Fyffe, A	2.0	3	1	1	0	0	4.50
		9	10	10	9	4	5

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Freddy Galvis and rookie Bo Bichette hit solo home runs to lead the Toronto Blue Jays over the Kansas City Royals 4-1 Wednesday for a three-game sweep.

Bichette hit his first career homer to open the eighth inning against Royals starter Jakob Junis, a drive to left field. Galvis cleared the center field wall with his 16th to open the seventh.

Cavan Biggio followed Bichette’s homer with a double, ending Junis’ outing. Reliever Kevin McCarthy surrendered a run-scoring double to Teoscar Hernandez.

Rookie Jacob Waguespack (2-1) went six innings for his second win in his fourth big-league start. He held the Royals to three hits and one run. Cam Gallagher barely cleared the left-field bullpen fence for his second homer, drilling a 2-2 pitch from Waguespack to open the third inning.

Junis (6-10) was cruising for much of the game, retiring the side on eight pitches each in the second, third and fourth innings. But the Jays got even 1-1 in the sixth as Biggio walked, stole second and scored on Justin Smoak’s single.

Waguespack got exceptional defensive help early. Deep outfield catches by Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in left and Randal Grichuk in center prevented extra-base hits by Jorge Soler in the first inning and Hunter Dozier in the third. Smoak speared Ryan O’Hearn’s hot shot to start a double play in the fourth and Gurriel charged in for a shoetop grab of Nicky Lopez’s weak liner to end the inning.

Right after that play, however, Gurriel left the game with a sore right knee.

Rookie right-hander Justin Shafer worked a perfect ninth for his first career save.

JAYS ROOKIES CAN LEAD

With the Blue Jays shedding veterans, they have the second youngest team in the majors and manager Charlie Montoyo is encouraging the kids, including Biggio and Bichette, to take leadership roles.

“What I’ve been telling Biggio and Bo when they got here: ‘This is your clubhouse, here we go. You guys were leaders in the minor leagues, it’s the same thing here. Just because you’re a rookie, don’t (avoid being) a leader in the big leagues. Go ahead and start now,”‘ Montoyo said. “And they have been doing that.”

BORUCKI GOES ON IL

Toronto placed LHP Ryan Borucki (0-1, 10.80 ERA) on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday with inflammation of the left elbow. His roster spot was filled by LHP Buddy Boshers, called up from Triple-A Buffalo (0-2, five saves, 2.78 ERA). Boshers has big league experience with the Angels and Twins.

UP NEXT

Blue Jays: Toronto travels to Baltimore where RHP Trent Thornton (3-7, 5.45 ERA) will come off the injured list to start Thursday night. The Orioles will start RHP Asher Wojciechowski (2-3, 3.60 ERA).

Royals: After an open date Thursday, Kansas City will open a 10-game trip at Minnesota on Friday night. RHP Glenn Sparkman (3-7, 5.25 ERA) will be opposed by Twins LHP Martin Perez (8-4, 4.38 ERA).