Royals GM won’t say whether team has closed the possibility of signing Luke Heimlich

The most publicized move of the Royals’ season was one they never actually made.

In June, general manager Dayton Moore said he was exploring the possibility of signing former Oregon State pitcher Luke Heimlich, a top-round talent who went undrafted in 2018 after news surfaced that as a 15-year-old he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of molesting his 6-year-old niece.

The Royals never did sign Heimlich, who told Sports Illustrated last year he only pleaded guilty to avoid a trial and possible jail time, and neither has anyone else.

Which re-opened the line of questioning Thursday, as Moore met with the media for nearly an hour detailing the Royals’ winter plans.

Asked if the door was closed on the possibility of trying to sign Heimlich, Moore responded, “I’m not going to go there with that. That whole debate, which dominated the news cycle not only in Kansas City but throughout the country, was simply this, and I was very clear with that: We simply weren’t gonna let the world continue to kick that kid after everything we know about him and who he is. But I’m not going to get into any specifics about that at this point in time, only to say this: We’re always investigating; we’re always researching; we’re always analyzing players. Do we believe in him as a pitcher and as a person? Dayton Moore does.”

Sam McDowell

Sam McDowell covers Sporting Kansas City, the Royals, Chiefs and sports enterprise for The Star