Greinke signs a 4 year extension

Today the Royals made the best move of the offseason, signing Zack Greinke to a four year, $38million contract. In doing so, not only did the Royals lock up their ace pitcher, they also proved to the fans that KC is no longer trying to get by on a shoestring budget.

Of course, this signing will probably come with those who will put a negative spin on it. “He’s got psychological issues,” they’ll say. “What if he freaks out and walks off the team again?” they’ll ask.

Well…I’m not usually one for a big gamble when it comes to the Royals, as a small market team, they can’t afford to sit at the poker table and lose. However, this is a gamble I’ll take all day long. Greinke is now a couple of full seasons removed from his meltdown, and over that span, he’s started pitching like the ace we thought we drafted.

After a horrible 2005 season, which couldn’t have helped his state of mind, Greinke spent most of 2006 (when he decided he did in fact want to pitch) in the minors, logging about seven big league innings. Then, in 2007, he started out in the bullpen, as the Royals brought him back slowly, and then worked his way back into the rotation. He finished the year with 122 IP (only 14 starts) an ERA of 3.69, and a WHIP of 1.29. Then, in 2008, he proved he was all the way back, breaking camp as a part of the rotation and going on to be one of the best pitchers in the American League. Greinke posted a 13-10 record, logged just over 200 IP, had a 3.47 ERA and a 1.275 WHIP. He also struck out 183 while only walking 56 batters.

I’m going to guess this gamble will pay off…that we just locked up a young number one starting pitcher who has grown comfortable in his skin, is enjoying his success, and is ready to make his mark on the world of baseball. Greinke and Meche give the Royals a nasy 1-2 punch for the second straight year, and hopefully, these two pitchers will continue to lead the Royals back to respectibility.

Some KC football news...

Carl Peterson has officially been replace - welcome Scott Pioli to the Chiefs, ladies and gentlemen.

Should be interesting to see the dominoes start falling now that we have a new head honcho in place...Will Herm get axed? Will the entire coaching staff be shuffled? What type of players does Pioli like? What players are on their way out of town due to not fitting his "mold"?

Hang on Chiefs fan...could be an interesting ride.

That being said...this hiring is a tad less exciting to me than that of Dayton Moore a couple of years back. That one just left a more..."electric" feeling in the air.

There...I mentioned the Royals, too. I mean, it is supposed to be a Royals/baseball blog, right?

Tad Iguchi?

According to some rumors, the Royals are one of a few teams interested in the services of Tad Iguchi, although some Japanese clubs are also after him.

Not sure I like this move, but he could be a good veteran/utility guy to have around maybe...I'd rather see the middle infield of Aviles and Callaspo and see what we've got in those two.  Callaspo showed he could get on base last season and plays a solid second base.

Iguchi is 34 years old and hit around .230 (OBP around .290) last season...if we can get him on the cheap, I may be interested.  But what's the upside of this, really?  

Kyle Farnsworth signed

Well here's the reliever DM has been after since dealing away Nunez and Ramirez.  Farnsworth for two years and more than $9M is a bit much...but he's not horrible...probably will give us 70-80 IP and put up and ERA around 4.3-4.4 with a WHIP of 1.3-1.4, which is not too shabby.  

A lot to shell out, but I think KC is still in a phase of having to overpay a bit for guys here and there, just because they're the Royals.

Now let's go out there and land a middle infielder...sounds like KC is in the hunt on Rafael Furcal and Orlando Hudson - would love to land one of these guys next.

Update: Horacio Ramirez...it's official

Looks like it's official now...word is that KC will give Ramirez a shot at the rotation.  I'm fine with that...could be a decent spot starter at the back end...wouldn't mind giving him 15 starts or so and letting him come out of the pen the rest of the time.

Of course, if he comes out on fire, I don't mind giving him 25 plus starts either....

Horacio Ramirez coming back?

Sounds like the Royals are close with Horacio Ramirez...not a huge move, but he pitched well for us when he was here, wouldn't mind seeing him back here in long relief or with a shot as a back end starter.  The more depth, the better.

It's been a long time....

Once again I got burned out posting about the Royals...as much as I love them, it gets harder and harder to consistently blog about these guys without getting depressed during the season.

That being said...I'm going to try like hell to keep up with this thing with at least weekly posts.  The baseball winter meetings have my juices flowing and I'm looking forward to throwing my thoughts out on the web...

More to come.