Butler extended.

Billy Butler signed a 4 year extension for 30 million. The Royals are rewarding his two previous good years and they are expecting him to continue to hit. I like the deal, I guess. Billy frustrates me. I see he can hit,we all can see that. He just isn't productive. He needs to drive in more runs. I realize he needs guys on to drive in but Yuni demonstrated last year that you need to be clutch. Yuni hitting down at the bottom of the lineup had more RBI's? Come on. That's the problem. Double Play Billy doesn't drive in the runs. How about a two run double instead of a two out double? He is a good player and a good contract for the team and the player. I just wish he would it more in the clutch. I wouldn't mind seeing him hit for more power. A 290 average with 25 homers and 100 RBI's is better than 320 with 15 and 75. Let the bat go.
It has been a productive and creative past week for the Royals. May have to change the name of the blog to 70 wins or bust!!

Chen, too!

I am very glad the Royals signed Bruce Chen today. He was their best pitcher last year and I believed he deserved a chance to come back. He out pitched Zack last year. Go ahead and defend Greinke, but he quit. Chen was throwing his baseball in September. That was the time Zack decided his slider and his attitude would improve in Milwaukee. The Royals will win more games next year than this past year. I'm not ready to say they will win too many more, just more!
Good day. Chen, Francis, Hochevar, Mazzaro, O'Sullivan, Davies? Looks like Kyle may get a chance to work construction full time. Not the Phillies staff, but not as bad as it was a week ago.

Francis added to the mix.

The Royals addressed the rotation. They added Jeff Francis today. One year deal. He is left handed. He is coming off TJ surgery. I think it was a good move. I know they needed another arm and Francis is a safe gamble. I hope he can put together 150 quality innings. That may be too big a number but it is a good goal. The Royals also avoided arbitration with Gordon. That process amazes me. Alex struggled last year and gets a good raise. I wish I could suck at my job and get a nice raise for the next year. I know its baseball and all that noise, I'm just saying it doesn't make sense to give raises to people that didn't earn them. Butler, Tejeda, and Davies to go. I've seen Kyle Davies pitch quite a few innings in the past couple years. He isn't real good. He gives up a big inning and its over. He does eat innings. The Royals need to replace the 220 innings Zack pitched for them. Francis will pick up some. O'Sullivan/Mazzaro, Hochevar, and ? Maybe they need another starter. I won't hold my breath. I will instead focus on creating optimism for the coming season. I wonder how many times the Cubs, Red Sox, Indians, and other teams had "great" farm teams in the last century or so. I can't wait 86 years for another title. I'll be long dead. We need the big league team to be viable and we need it now!!
Go Royals.

Not much shaking in KC.

The Royals are quiet. They can afford to be, I guess. They signed Luke today. Low number. They still need another arm, or two for the so-called rotation. As January trudges toward the less bleak light of February I hope the Royals can see in that light. I hope they solidify the staff. I refuse to buy the farm, folks. The farm system is all giggles and laughs, but it doesn't mean a thing until the KC is on the front of the hat. Come on Royals. Sign Francis, or Chen. I'm trying hard to muster that optimism for the season. All we need is better than career best numbers from everyone. Then this team may win 75 games. Oh brother. I'm glad I'm a Steeler fan! Don't try to figure it out. Just realize I became a Steeler fan in 1972 at the age of 7. The Royals were pretty good then, too. Bandwagon boy, maybe. I just won't get off either one. I'll ride the World Championships every so often from football, but I remember 1985 better than any of the 4 Super Bowls of the 70's. Come on Royals. Lets get back to the top.

Why not Chen, Come on!

The Royals don't seem to care about the 2011 season. The "farm" the "farm" the "farm" that is all you hear. They trade away Zack and DDJ. OK, I get it. They get Mazzaro in return for DDJ and he is slated for the rotation. They have O'Sullivan in the rotation already. The guys are the same pitcher, so I guess the Royals found what they like twice. Whatever. These guys are control guys that don't miss too many bats. They are going to tax the bull pen and, again, they are the same guy. Right now you have Luke, Davies, and the same guys. That is 4. Actually 3 but you get the idea. The Royals signed Zack Miner to a minor league deal. Wrong Zack, or Zach. Coming off TJ surgery Miner is a grasp in the dark. Cheap but probably worthless. They need another pitcher. Kevin Millwood has been rumored. Good God no! He is too expensive and he is just an old, worn out version of Mazzaro/O'Sullivan. Actually, Millwood probably has better stuff than the "2". Please Millwood is too old, worn out, and right handed to help the 2011 Royals any. Jeff Francis is another rumor. Better. He is young. He is left handed. He is also coming off surgery. He may make it back. He is a grasp in a room a little bit lighter than the Miner room. He may actually payoff, but the price tag will be a little higher.
Here is my question: Why not Bruce Chen? He was the Royals best starter at the end of the year. Zack was too busy being busy to pitch, while Chen was throwing innings. He even had a shutout at the end of the year. He is older,he did have surgery,but he was in the building last year. He pitched well. He competed. Zack Greinke didn't. He quit. Chen played until the end. He doesn't have amazing stuff. The only guy that had that was traded to Milwaukee. Maybe he can throw the slider now that he has left town. Chen isn't Greinke. He sure as hell isn't Millwood. He is a great option for a team that doesn't really care about the season anyway. Give Bruce a 2 year deal. He will compete. He is a major league pitcher. The next person that tells me how good the "farm" is will be reminded that Gordon and Butler were supposed to be the 3*4 hitters for a long time. Yeah, OK. Projections are for teams that don't care. I suppose Moose and Hosmer are way better than Butler and Gordon. If you believe that you just bought the "farm".
I'm a Kansas City Royal fan. Not an Omaha Royals (forget it Storm Chaser guys), NWA, wilmington,Burlington fan. The farm is the farm. The kids may be all right but until they are in KC and producing they don't count that much.
Why not Chen? Come on.