Touching base....

It's been a while....but it's time to rehash the last couple months since last I posted on the blog...I can't promise regular posts again quite yet, I've got a few things going on in my life, but I should have a couple more posts on here before long this offseason. We'll see....

• The Teahen trade -- I've been advocating a Teahen trade for a couple years now. Some Royals fans saw Teahen's one-year power surge and thought that was his long-term upside. We now know it wasn't. He doesn't get on base as good as was advertised during the Beltran trade, he strikes out way too much, doesn't hit for enough pop. He's a solid player, and I'll say all this stuff and then he'll be a contributor to a ChiSox playoff run in 2010, but the Royals didn't need him. Of course, I woulda liked to get something better than Chris Getz and Josh Fields for him, too. Getz plugs Callaspo's defensive spot at 2B, and Fields is all-hype no MLB production thus far, although a later move may open a lineup spot for him. Otherwise, it's mediocre Teahen, for good-glove, little-bat Getz and hyped-bat, no-glove Fields. Not exactly a steal for either side.
• Olivo, Buck, Yabuta, Crisp gone -- good riddance to most, although I thought Crisp was a decent pickup, and Olivo produced one of his best career seasons last year. He just stinks defensively and can't get on base, that's all. I'd also feel much better if Olivo and Buck's replacement wasn't what it was, but whatever. Wil Myers can't develop soon enough (hopefully he stays at catcher and proves worthy). Yabuta was money wasted, unless a future Japanese signing somehow comes out of the foot in the door his signing helped create. I've also been wanting to say goodbye to Buck for a long time now, so fare well in Toronto.
• Greinke wins Cy Young -- well deserved, to say the least. Too bad it all but went to waste on this team, but at least it gets KC some good pub.
  
• Jose Guillen and Alberto Callaspo on the trading block -- God, I hope somebody will take on Guillen's carcass. I don't see it happening unless the Royals either kick in big $$$ or agree to take on another atrocious contract. Of course, I have little ill will against Guillen, it wasn't his fault Dayton Moore offered him that contract. We knew he was a mental case and probably wouldn't earn $13 million per. Plus, at least when he stinks up the place, he admits it. If Callaspo could field a position he probably wouldn't be on the block, but then again he probably wouldn't be a Royal either at this point.
  
• Minor moves -- Lenny DiNardo gone, Wilson Betemit in, Edwin Bellorin in, Brad Thompson in, Bianchi, Parraz, Dyson, Manny Pina and Blake Wood protected from rule 5 draft, Bryan Bullington in, Phillip Humber in, other filler like Josh Rupe and Buck Coats in, Shane Costa back. I'll miss DiNardo, who was a bright spot on a very dim-bulb Omaha team this year. Betemit=DM's Braves fetish. Bellorin and Coats and Costa are Omaha filler, and I can't believe Costa is back. He must have gotten no interest elsewhere. To be (arguably) jerked around by the organization for years now, but still come back for more....yeesh. Bullington, Humber, Thompson and Rupe will be in the running for the Doug Waechter-style bullpen role, or Omaha filler. It surprised me they protected Dyson in rule 5, as he's another speedy/questionable bat CF, although I wouldn't really see anybody grabbing Manny Pina either.
• Jason Kendall signed -- Pay no attention to that giant fork sticking out of his back and give the man a couple mill a year! The only thing he can still do is provide empty OBP, no contact, no power, not much D, no speed anymore. He's catcher 35 (years old), which is different than 35 reliever or 35 second base or 35 DH. So much for an upgrade at the catcher position.
• Bale, Jacobs released, P Edgar Osuna selected in rule 5 -- Bale coulda been gone a long time ago. I would have released him after the '08 season when he broke his hand punching a wall or whatever. I had higher hopes for Jacobs but he wasn't panning out and was empty millions spent. Does this mean Kila gets a shot at 1B in spring training? I hope so, but I doubt it. It probably means they're gonna play Fields at 1B and DH Butler, then switch them around. You watch. Oh, and Osuna is a former Brave, shocker! We'll see what they do with him.

So that's what I've missed posting about over the last two months from a Royals standpoint. Not exactly world changing news for Royals fans. Some dead wood gone, new dead wood washed up to shore. Addition by subtraction definitely applies in a couple cases, but I'm still awaiting the first Moore acquisition in a long time that I'm impressed by. He has to earn back the benefit of the doubt.

Until next post....