Royals should focus on offense, not pitching, for 2009

You may think I'm smoking crack when I say this, but the Royals shouldn't feel the urge to pursue a high priced starting pitcher this winter. Nah. If I'm Dayton Moore, I'm spending all of my allowance money on signing/trading for established big-league bats. Not that I'm saying I think the Royals pitching staff is without the need for improvement. But for the first time in a long time the staff isn't the most pressing need on this club right now.

You know what you are going to get from Gil Meche. Zack Greinke is only going to get better. Luke Hochevar is still young and learning how to pitch. When he gets it over his stuff can be filthy. He is only going to improve next year. Kyle Davies has been solid to end the year. He's had spurts of greatness and mediocrity so far. He's definitely in the rotation next year. Who knows about Brian Bannister, but I can't help but think he's closer to the 2007 version than 2008.

If the team can pick up a free agent (not named Brett Tomko or Kip Wells) that can win you 10 games (Tomko and Wells don't fit into that category anyways) then you have depth. This team can afford to wait a few months and avoid a bidding war to sign a pitcher.

The bullpen is going to be in good shape. Barring a trade, Ron Mahay will still be in the mix along with John Bale (who has been great since returning from the DL), Leo Nunez, Ramon Ramirez, Joakim Soria, etc. Here's hoping Jimmy Gobble* will revert back to his 2007 ways.

*I wasn't joking about the 'Gobbler'. I seriously think he was pitching injured longer than we all know. Injuries also exposed him to a larger work load - in a shorter time frame - than he had in '07. If guys can stay healthy and fill those roles he could go back to being a solid situational lefty in '09.

The bottom line is that we can't blame the pitching staff for the woes this season. Not when the offense is still statistically one of the worst in the league. They have been much, much, better than they have been in a long, long, time. They were still aweful in stretches, but, for the most part, they were the reason for what little success there was. Oh yeah, GREINKE SHOULD BE SIGNED NOW...

As the Royals edge their way out of last place I remain baffled by this team

So I was having a rather interesting conversation with a senior co-writer of mine yesterday and we each brought up several interesting points about this Royals team that neither of us could understand.

What is it about this team that makes them so inconsistent/hot/cold?

What are they going to do this offseason to improve this team and farm system?

Where does Mark Teahen fit into this equation?

First of all, we both agreed it is normal for any team to be somewhat inconsistent due to the influx of youth. They aren't consistently bad - which is good - but they aren't consistenly good - which isn't good - either.
More importantly, I feel the obvious missing cog to this team for years has been power. Usually, there is one player who breaks the 20 homer plateau and the rest struggle to come close to that mark. It's no different this season. If you look at the winning streaks they have been on this season, most of them came at a time when they were slugging the ball out of the park a little more. Obviously, the pitching staff has a lot to do with that as well. But a little slug doesn't hurt either.

I'll go over the other two questions at the same time. If the Royals sign another starting outfielder then Mark Teahen's status on the team goes WAAAAY up into the air. Do they trade him? Does he suddenly ride the bench as a fourth outfielder? Do they trade another player (DeJesus, Gordon, Guillen) to keep his spot open?

This is a question we both couldn't answer, simply because there is no way for any of us to know. It may seem like a waste of time to talk about, but baseball is my life so if you don't want to hear it you can go tune into ESPN's 24-hour New York/Boston coverage. Yeah, I thought so.

Look, this is an intriguing issue with the team. Who knows what free agents they will bring in this offseason? Just understand this ... if they do indeed sign a rumored target like Ibanez or Pat Burrell (who would be an expensive haul and isn't likely) Teahen isn't going to start in the outfield. The only way that happens is if they trade DeJesus and put Teahen in center. Jose Guillen likely won't get traded, although the Royals would love to dump him. His contract won't allow it.

Could Alex Gordon see a position change? If so, Teahen becomes the regular third baseman again - a position he is certainly more comfortable playing. I don't think that will happen. To do that would mean Gordon would likely play first base, therefore bucking Ryan Shealy or Kila Ka'aihue and entrenching Billy Butler at DH (which isn't so bad). Shealy looks to be the big bat this team needs and Ka'aihue looks to have a bright future. I don't think it would be wise at this point of the rebuilding mode to block either of them.

Gordon looks like a potential Gold Glover in the infield, but could he make a switch to left field? it's intriguing, but I don't think we need him making one-handed drops out there. Teahen is stuck in a strange position right now. He doesn't have the 'pop' to be an every day right fielder. Yet I don't think a player like him needs to be rotting away on your bench. He is the biggest question mark on the team right now.

List of potential ouffield targets for free agency

Left fielders
Moises Alou (42)
Garret Anderson (37)
Milton Bradley (31)
Emil Brown (34)
Pat Burrell (32)
Carl Crawford (27)
Adam Dunn (29)
Cliff Floyd (36)
Luis Gonzalez (41)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (33)
Raul Ibanez (37)
Gabe Kapler (33)
Kevin Mench (31)
Jason Michaels (33)
Craig Monroe (32)
Greg Norton (36)
Jay Payton (36)
Wily Mo Pena (27)
Manny Ramirez (37)
Juan Rivera (30)
Fernando Tatis (34)

Center fielders
Rocco Baldelli (27)
Willie Bloomquist (31)
Mike Cameron (36)
Jim Edmonds (39)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (33)
Gabe Kapler (33)
Mark Kotsay (33)
Corey Patterson (29)
Scott Podsednik (33)

Right fielders
Bobby Abreu (35)
Casey Blake (35)
Cliff Floyd (36)
Brian Giles (38)
Ken Griffey Jr. (39)
Vladimir Guerrero (33)
Gabe Kapler (33)
Jason Michaels (33)
Fernando Tatis (34)
Brad Wilkerson (32)

My take

Juan Rivera, Pat Burrell and Casey Blake obviously make some sense. Granted, Blake is 35. I do not see the Royals receiving serious consideration from Adam Dunn. He has already stated he wants to play for a winner. The Royals obviously aren't in the upper tier of the league right now.
Burrell is going to command a lot of money as well. It appears the Royals will have to either make a trade or settle for a stopgap veteran on a 1-to-2 year contract.

Hosmer expected back SOON!

Word from MLB sources is that Pedro Alvarez and the Pittsburgh Pirates have agreed on a new $6.335MM deal before Tuesday's arbitration hearing regarding issues between he, the Pirates and agent Scott Boras.

This agreement should put Hosmer, who GM Dayton Moore said he "didn't think" the team would lose, back in uniform in time for the Arizona Fall League season which kicked off today and runs through mid-November.

Teahen makes my head hurt

Boy, oh boy, has Mark Teahen got us all scratching our heads. After a horrible start to the season appeared to stamp him a ticket straight out of town this winter, he has heated up enough to make us think otherwise. He is now hitting .256 with 14 homers and looks to finally have a clue at the dish.

I still see the massive potential in Teahen. Obviously, the club sees the same thing. It's been frustrating watching him struggle throughout most of the year, then he gets hot at all the wrong times and *BAM* the curiosity just kills us. I still believe the club will keep him on for next year, but, even with his fine ending to the season, his role on the team could greatly diminish.

The Royals are VERY LIKELY to sign a corner outfielder this winter. The free agent market is rather deep with talent and Moore is licking his chops to sign someone.

Let's just make believe the team signs, say, oh, Raul Ibanez. Also, let's see what happens if they keep/trade DeJesus:

Outfield with DeJesus:
LF -- Ibanez
CF -- DeJesus
RF -- Guillen

Outfield without DeJesus:
LF -- Ibanez
CF -- Teahen
RF -- Guillen

Obviously, if DeJesus is on the team next year I believe Teahen is your fourth outfielder/3B/1B fill-in off the bench. Otherwise, he still has a spot. I really do think he is worth keeping.

Is it a coincidence the Royals are playing better the past two weeks?

Watching Tuesday night's win - the fifth in the past six games - I couldn't help but think about how funny it is all these players are all of a sudden hitting the cover off the ball.

The thing about all of this is ... it makes me wonder if Dayton Moore's decisions to "make changes" this offseason will be influenced by the final 20 games of the 2008 year. I mean, put yourself in his shoes. I know that you can't judge a player by a short hot streak in mop up time against other September callups. Or can you?

I did't even have to see Ryan Shealy hit his first homer of the year before I knew he would fall into favor with Trey Hillman. You know what convinced me of this? It was Shealy's first game with the team when he saved two throwing errors (almost back-to-back) by coming off the bag, making a nice grab, and applying the tag while twirling through the air doing his Jason Taylor on 'Dancing With the Stars' immitation.

At that point I remember telling the fellow sitting right beside me, "Hillman just sprung a man crush right there." Wouldn't you know it, Shealy nearly banged a homer in his first at-bat, he did homer later in the game, and has now hit four in his past five games.

The dude is white-hot right now. He's looking like the power slugging first baseman Dayton Moore thought he was trading Jeremy Affeldt and Denny Bautista to get. I hope to God he is evolving into that guy. This lineup needs it.

This organization needs his attitude in that clubouse. Shealy is one of the good guys in baseball - a perfect contrast to Jose Guillen and his wonderous attitude.

More interestingly, Mark Teahen has began to hit. His average is UP to .253 before Tuesday's game and he now has hit 14 homers. His fate with the organization is going to come down to a matter of how long the Royals are willing to wait on the mold to finish taking shape.

It's going to be interesting to see whether Moore sticks to his guns and cleans house, or if he will be willing to potentially throw away another season trying to figure out who the players on this roster really are.

These little hot streaks are enough to drive a GM and skipper crazy. One second they look like world beaters, the next it appears they couldn't win a game with a genie and 1,000 wishes.

I don't think the bulk of the moves will happen until spring training in March. Shealy has earned a chance to make the 2009 club. Ka'aihue too. Davies, Hochevar, Aviles, Butler, Gordon, Callaspo, Guillen's membrane ...

... ahh ... so many questions left unanswered.

Here's a story you may want to read to believe

http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/story/10977610

Tell me what you think of this one...

Four Royals make BA's AZL top 20

Baseball America has a great roundup of their top 20 minor league prospects from the Arizona League this season. At the very top of the heap is Royals 2007 pick Mike Montgomery.

A supplemental pick, Monty has immediately jumped into the Royals prospect list and ranks real close in the organizations "top lefthander" list with Danny Duffy.

Other prospects who made the BA list are:
8.) Tyler Sample (RHP)
10.) Yowill Espinal (SS)
13.) Jose Bonilla (C)

Garland, Lohse, Oliver Perez should all be on Royals' radar this offseason

Here's what these three starting pitchers have done so far in 2008:

* Jon Garland (Angels) 183.1 IP, 13-8 overall, 4.52 ERA, 83 K's, 55 BB. (29 years old)

* Oliver Perez (Mets) 171.1 IP, 10-7, 4.15 ERA, 154 K's, 91 BB. (27 years old)

* Kyle Lohse (Cardinals) 187.1 IP, 13-6, 3.80 ERA, 111 K's, 46 BB. (30 years old)

My take:

Garland is making $12MM this year while Perez is earning $6.5MM and Lohse $4.5MM. Garland is the weakest of the three hurlers and his service charge should come down this offseason - though maybe not by much. He probably makes the least sense for the team (economically anyways). Granted, at the same time Perez and Lohse are both expected to get raises when they hit the market.

Still, just nabbing one of these three pitchers would be a very good haul for the Royals. Lohse turned out to be a steal for the Cardinals this season, but some teams may be reluctant to spend too much on him this year in fear his 2008 numbers were a fluke. I think the guy can repeat what he has done this year in 2009. He is durable (187.1 IP) and has a fantastic strikeout-to-walk ratio. Perez would add a desperately needed lefty to the rotation without having to ask John Bale back into that role or get forced to try anything more catastrophic than that would be.

I still believe in Hochevar turning into a solid major league pitcher with some nasty stuff. You know what your getting in Meche and I believe Greinke began turning a major corner this season. Who knows about Bannister, but if he returns to 2007 form the rotation could be very good with one of these additions next season.

Here's my (VERY WRONG) Royals 2009 opening day lineup

C - Taylor Teagarden
1B - Billy Butler
2B - Mike Aviles
SS - Rafael Furcal
3B - Alex Gordon
LF - Raul Ibanez
CF - Mitch Maier
RF - Jose Guillen
DH - Kila Ka'aihue

----------------------------

*Let me just start by saying I know I'm going to get burned at the stake for the Furcal prediction. I completely understand your frustrations with his health.*

I know, I know, this is very far-fetched. As you can see, I predicted a trade in there. David DeJesus to the Rangers for Taylor Teagarden and obviously some prospects. I think Maier impressed some with his stick, albeit he didn't play a great deal this season.

I think Maier could very well be the center fielder if DeJesus gets traded. He showed he could handle the position and is likely to hit for a respectable average while popping around 10 homers a year. Very similar to DeJesus numbers. Of course, if the Royals keep Teahen he may get the nod instead.

I don't think the Royals will have much luck trading Guillen, though I wish it would happen. I think Shealy would be a likely candidate to be traded. If not, pencil him in over Butler at first and Butler over Ka'aihue. Hawaiian Punch will open the season at Omaha.

----

My biggest question here...would GMDM actually consider dealing Gordon or Butler? He hasn't hesitated to raise some eyebrows in the past, you know. Obviously, I don't think that would actually happen but who knows?

Dragging out the Eric Hosmer situation

With first-round pick Eric Hosmer getting into just three professional games at Idaho Falls this year before the commissioner's office pulled him off the field, it comes as no surprise Dayton Moore wants to get him back on the field as soon as the Arizona Instructional League fires up on Sept. 22.

However, it doesn't appear that will happen as MLB and the Players Union met in front of an arbitrator Wednesday to discuss the Pedro Alvarez/Pirates signing situation. Hosmer, who was mentioned by Pirates brass to have signed AFTER Alvarez, remains in limbo as the arbitrator has scheduled another hearing for Sept. 23 (a day after the AZIL opens play). Moore is growing impatient with the situation as this could shave some time off Hosmer's arrival to the big leagues. (Ok, maybe not that much time - but still.)

Rumors are the arbitrator could then possibly drag these hearings well into October before making a decision. Thus, ending Hosmer's season before it ever really started. So much for the Aug. 15 signing deadline (designed to get players into games and not drag the signing process into next season). Let's just hope there aren't any more twists to this story - if you know what I mean.

Burgos is a D-Bag

Got a call from a buddy of mine this morning (another loyal Royal) that did nothing but assure all those rude and crude comments I had made about Ambiorix Burgos over the years was right on the money. It seems the flame-throwing righty is a serious S#!T bag.

Now a member of the New York Mets (thank God!), Burgos was arrested in New York on Tuesday and charged with assaulting his girlfriend - who had to be treated for her injuries at a hospital. The "Un-Mexicutioner" apparently struck his woman and knocked her to the ground before the policia arrived and hauled his butt to the pokey. He appeared in court on Tuesday, but hadn't yet received the slap on the wrist he has coming his way.

By the way, the garbage pitcher and flake of a human being, has spent the past month in the minors (still a stretch for him) while rehabbing from an arm injury. Anyways, I'm done talking about this piece of crap. Sorry for bothering you with this one.

Have the Royals tanked it with a purpose?

I'm getting the vibe there are some Royals fans out there who are pleased to see that the Royals have packed it in these final two months of the season. The reason? Why, the June Amateur Draft, of course.
Unless the insightful Brian Bannister got bored and brain stormed an evil scheme to play mind tricks on the fans instead of hitters. Maybe then they aren't as bad as they look.
Na.
I agree, it will be nice to have another year to replenish the farm system by picking in the top 5 each round. However, I don't completely believe the conspiracy theories surrounding all of this losing. I may be in the minority on this one.
To me, it is important for these young guys to finish the season on a good note. Now, none of that will matter if Dayton Moore cleans house as he has vowed to do this winter. Still, there is no way you want your organization to put on this type of show a couple of months before you start wining-and-dining free agents.
You can't play for June '09 in August '08 ... plain and simple. To be honest, I don't think that is what has happened to this team either. Rather, I believe what we are seeing is a roster watered down with minor league talent posing as major leaguers. The core group of guys - the guys that started on opening day - have been so beat up and dragged down that a great deal of playing time has been placed on the shoulders of their backups - the guys who can't play.
Don't get me wrong, I think Mitch Maier can be a serviceable player. He is very similar to Mark Teahen, and probably swings the lumber a little better. It's still too early to tell with him. Yeah, there are guys with potential like Gordon, Butler, Shealy, Ka'aihue and others, but this team seems to be too loaded down at certain positions.
We all know about the logjam at first base. There are very few options that help this team in the middle infield. Aviles has been good and there seems to be some potential there with Callaspo. Still, both of those players may not be regular starters five years from now.
That's the thing. This team is WEAK off the bench.
Ka'aihue is getting little playing time. That's no shock. Shealy and Butler are going to make it hard for him to showcase his talents for obvious reasons. Barring a trade, it appears the Royals will likely stick him in the minors again next year and see how legit this '08 season really was.
Aviles has that dreaded sophomore slump to worry about. Pitchers are going to make adjustments on him this offseason. Can he adjust with them? Gordon has been better at the plate, yet still leaves much to be desired. Butler has heated up since his stint at Omaha.
Dayton Moore is a man with a lot of pride. In no way would he encourage his players and coaching staff to sink the ship for a draft pick.
This team is loaded with a bunch of guys with no heart, though. Yeah, I said it. Josey was right when he called them "crybabies" and basically told them to grow some cajones. He couldn't have described himself any better if he was filling out his profile on Match.com.
For the most part, he described his teammates pretty well too.
Guys like Grudzielanek are pro's. This thing took a ride on the tobaggan when he went down and has never recovered. This team needs leadership. Right now they have none.
Lost in this rant somewhere is the fact that I just don't believe they are, or should, intentionally tank what's left of the season. Instead, they just plain suck. It won't hurt my feelings if you agree with me.

RIP Don Gutteridge

I know this isn't a post about the Royals per-say, but I did want to send my condolences to the family of Don Gutteridge, who passed away yesterday evening (Sunday). Don was the last surviving member of the famed Gas House Gang from the 30's and 40's. Don was affiliated with Major League Baseball for more than 60 years as a player - with the St. Louis Browns, Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Red Sox (where he played with Ted Williams) - a coach (White Sox) and a scout (Royals, etc.).

Don, 96, passed away with his family and friends by his side in his hometown of Pittsburg, Kan. where he returned each season and remained after his retirement in 1992. His passing came exactly 72 years to the day of his major league debut on Sept. 7, 1936. He had been in good health as of late, but recently experienced some health difficulties.

Don was a very kind person. This past winter I wrote to Don and he not only signed the card I sent to him, but he also penned an extra card and the note I sent and shipped them all to me. This was something he did to everyone who wrote to him. He never big leagued anyone. He attended Royals games when he got the chance and made an appearance at Kauffman last year when he was honored the weekend he was enshrined into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. He had already been inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame several years ago and was a member of eight separate Halls of Fame.

For more on Don, check out http://www.joplinglobe.com/ for the official story about his life and death from my buddy Jim Henry - who knew Don rather well.

Pair of farmhands make BA's All-Star team

Baseball America named its post-season all-star squad today and a pair of Royals made the team. As no surprise, Kila Ka'aihue was named to the first-team as a DH. KK slugged 37 homers and hit .313 between AA Northwest Arkansas and AAA Omaha this season. He also drew 104 walks while only striking out 66 times. That gave him an OBP of .457.
2007 first-round pick Mike Moustakas made the second-team after a hot streak in the second half left him with 22 dingers and a .272 average. 'Moose' had one of the best seasons in the Midwest League (primarily a pitchers league) this year and should start next season at High-A Wilmington.

Royals sweep, Ka'aihue left on deck

Well, it was finally nice to see the Royals do something positive for a change. Not only did they sweep the Oakland Athletics who, by the way, are the only team to have scored fewer runs than the Boys in Blue this season, but they also managed to get around blunders and, at times, bad pitching to get it done.

Mike Aviles made a goof in game one that led to three runs and nearly cost the Royals in a brutal way. Of course, Brian Bannister didn't have to start leaving pitches up and getting pounded shortly after the error either. Banny couldn't hold another four run advantage. He allowed a solo shot to Daric Barton to tie it at 4 after giving up three runs in the prior inning.

Thanks to a nice slap hit from Gathright in the 10th the Royals were able to win the series and then focus on the sweep in game 2. By the way, Aviles, DeJesus and Butler all had a great day. Heck, Butler had a great series. That was nice to see.

Oh, and as a footnote, Kip Wells sucks. There's a reason the guy was just on the free market. He's been jumping around the league doing his best Brett Tomko impressions the past couple seasons. I think you get my point.

In case you didn't see the game, Kila Ka'aihue made his major league debut as a pinch runner late in the night cap. He also played defensively at first during the eighth and ninth innings, but didn't get an at-bat. He was left stranded in the on-deck circle when Jason Smith got out to end the eighth.

Ryan Shealy got the start again tonight. Should be interesting to see when Trey gives Kila his shot to impress.

Shealy gets the start, homers in second at-bat

Ryan Shealy went 1-for-4 in his first game back in the majors in almost a year, but that one hit was an opposite field homer and two of his other three outs were hit very hard. He narrowly missed an opposite field shot in the first inning also. He got a little too much lift on it and ended up flying out to the warning track in front of the Royals bullpen.

Kila Ka'aihue didn't get into the game, but he may see action in Wednesday's game. In fact, he may get the start in that one. Shealy, it should be noted, also made several good plays around the bag at first tonight as well. One of those plays was a nifty 3-6 double play he started himself.

Hopefully this trend will continue. The lineup could use the pop.

Surprise! Surprise! Ka'aihue gets the call

In a move that almost seemed inevitable, the Royals have called up slugging first basemen Ryan Shealy AND Kila Ka'aihue to join the team as September callups. As recently as last night there seemed to be some in the organization who weren't comfortable calling up the one we call Hawaiian Punch. Much of that dealt with where all of these first baseman are going to fit on the team. Billy Butler, Shealy and now Ka'aihue will all merit time at first and there are other guys like Gload and Teahen who have seen time there as well. It should be interesting to see how Hillman will balance the playing time.
Look, calling Ka'aihue and Shealy up is the right move. Shealy started off slow this season after coming off an injury riddled 2007, but he has heated things up the past several months and finished the season with a .280 average and 22 homers. I still believe this guy can be a solid hitter in the bigs - he deserved the call.
By now everyone knows Kila's story. There is no way they could not reward him with a promotion. He killed Texas League pitching, got called up and did more of the same in the PCL. Former top prospect Devon Lowery also will make his big league debut out of the bullpen. Yabuta also will be back with the club.
The team will have to make room on the 40-man roster for Lowery, Yabuta and Ka'aihue. It will be interesting to see who hits the door. Ka'aihue had to be added to the 40-man by November anyways or else the Royals would be forced to expose him to the Rule 5 Draft.
All four players who were promoted are expected to be in uniform in time for Tuesday's game.

Let's talk deals

With word coming out that Rafael Furcal does not qualify as a Type A or Type B free agent this year (meaning he will not require any compensation for signing him this off season) I now am starting to believe he may make waves on the radar for Kansas City. Furcal would allow the Royals to shift Mike Aviles to second base and use Alberto Callaspo as a super utility option next year.

Injuries would certainly become a factor in signing a guy like Furcal, but the Royals stand little to lose in taking a leap on the guy. The viable options to fill the shortstop position on the roster and in the minors is very watered down. Aviles certainly has proved he can play the position, but has also said himself he is best suited to play second. We all know Moore wants to protect his draft picks, and, yes, Moore was in Atlanta with Furcal all those years. It makes perfect sense. Of course, it would have to make perfect "cents" in order to work out as well.

On the trade front I believe the Royals HAVE GOT TO FIND A CATCHER! I'm sick and tired of watching John Buck as the starting catcher. The infatuation with him has to come to an end SOON. The guy is like a lump of cole in your stocking at Christmas. Nothing but disappointment. The Texas Rangers have an influx of young talent at catcher that they are just waiting to unload for the right price.

Jose Guillen, maybe? Look, you are going to think I'm crazy here but I believe that Mitch Maier could be close to David DeJesus on this team. He is going to hit 8-15 homers a year (not great, but DeJesus numbers), he plays good defense, hits for a good average and would be sure to steal just as many (and likely more) bases.

I'm just saying I don't think this team is going to be hurt that bad by trading him while his return is at its peak. When DeJesus starts to decline, he's going to fall off the radar quick. He has average-at-best speed for a center fielder and doesn't hit with enough "SLUUUG" to be a corner outfielder. (Trey Hillman loves me right now.) With what a player like DeJesus would return, I would say pull the trigger and help re-load the system with close-to-ready big league talent.

Any of the young catchers from Texas would be a good haul. The free agent market for catchers is going to be very weak. I have evidence to prove it. Miguel Olivo will be one of the top receivers on the market. So there.

Teahen isn't going to bring much, so it would probably be wise to keep him (now my throat hurts). Gordon and Butler are most likely not going to be dealt. Though if it meant nailing a solid power bat I wouldn't be surprised to see Dayton shake it up a bit.

I'll have more on this as we get closer to the off season.

Server back up, posting can happen again

Sorry for the delay in posts guys. For some reason this server wasn't allowing me to post things the past couple of days, and I still can't get rid of that old poll and add a new one. Keep your eyes peeled though because as soon as I can I will add another!
-----------
Now to posting some Royals stuff: As rosters begin to expand the team has recalled Jimmy Gobble and John Bale on Sunday. The two lefties will add plenty of depth in the bullpen which will suddenly triple in left handers when Ron Mahay comes back from the disabled list on Tuesday. If Josh Newman is recalled (as is expected) the total of lefties will jump to four. Should be interesting to see who they go with here. Word on the street is Ka'aihue may not make his debut with the big club. Seems some of the brass think it's too early to jump him up and would rather see him finish the year on a good note at Omaha.
I believe this is a dumb move. If Ka'aihue is called up right now it will only give him a jump start on next year. Let the kid get the butterflies out while the games mean nothing. Afterall, he has earned the call with the type of year he has had. Instead, the Royals are most likely to opt for Ryan Shealy - who has also had a respectable year in AAA and merits a call.
Ka'aihue must be added to the 40-man roster to get the call. Here's the deal though. In order to protect him from the Rule 5 draft next year he must be on the 40-man by November. So, in my opinion, they've got to do it anyways so they might as well give the kid some time in the show and prove how legit he is NOW!