Missouri officials said that K.C. could offer the Royals a new ballpark commitment “without a public vote,” as the state looks to keep the team following the Chiefs’ plans to move to Kansas, according to Kacen Bayless of the K.C. STAR. That suggests to critics that officials are “considering a stadium-funding plan that would avoid a defeat at the ballot box,” while local and state leaders “reject that framing.” The suggestion has “drawn fresh scrutiny” in the wake of Kansas luring the Chiefs. After a “key Kansas deadline lapsed last week,” Missouri officials have “expressed renewed confidence…..