After the KC Royals declined former closer Joakim Soria’s $8 million option for next season, I thought the Royals would try to bring him back at a cheaper price.

Prior to succumbing to his second Tommy John surgery and missing the entire 2012 season, Soria was one of the game’s best closers. Yet he rarely garnered much recognition.

I had heard that a few big name teams were interested in him (like Boston), but he had kept stating his desire to close.

However on Day 1 of the winter meetings in Nashville, it was announced that Soria did sign with one of those big name teams. He signed a two year deal with the Texas Rangers, but he will be setting up Joe Nathan. The deal is expected to be worth $8 million with a possible third year option. He is expected in Arlington tomorrow for a physical.

The Rangers took a flyer on Nathan last off season after he had recovered from TJS and it worked out pretty well. Now Soria has someone to go to with questions regarding his recovery.

Soria is just 28 years old and is one of the best Rule V draft stories. The Royals plucked him in 2006 and he now ranks third in the franchise in saves (160). He also carries a career 2.40 ERA and 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings.

In other winter meetings news…

*Former (and seldom used) outfielder Mitch Maier signed a minor league deal with the Boston Red Sox.

*DH Billy Butler is in a lot of conversations in Nashville. The Seattle Mariners still REALLY want him. Despite the fact that the TB Rays signed first baseman James Loney, they are still interested in Butler. The Baltimore Orioles need a big bat in the middle of their order. The M’s and Rays are better choices for the Royals to deal with because of their pitching depth.

Joakim Soria

After weighing his options and seeing Dr. James Andrews for a third opinion, KC Royals closer Joakim Soria has decided to undergo season-ending elbow surgery. It will be his second Tommy John surgery.

He will undergo the surgery on April 3rd by surgeon Dr. Lewis Yocum (who originally told him of his ligament damage).

It is a tough blow for Soria, who worked his butt off this offseason to put last year’s struggles behind him. Instead, he will miss the entire 2012 season (he had Tommy John surgery back in 2003).

Signing Jonathan Broxton this season now looks like a blessing. He and Greg Holland figure to get the bulk of the closing duties, along with All-Star Aaron Crow, who has been moved back to the bullpen.

*There are also some salary issues with Soria the Royals need to work out. Via the Kansas City Star:

Soria is making a guaranteed $6 million this season, and the Royals hold options for the next two seasons at $8 million and $8.75 million. Those options include $750,000 buy-out clauses.

Joakim Soria

The KC Royals and closer Joakim Soria received bad news on Monday, as an MRI revealed damage in the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. Surgery is likely.

Soria may need another Tommy John surgery, which he had done back in 2003. He will know more when he is examined by elbow specialist Dr. Lewis Yocum on Tuesday.

It’s a tough blow for a guy who worked his butt off this offseason after not being satisfied with his 2011 season (in which he struggled).

Options for manager Ned Yost to close out games for the 2012 season include newly acquired Jonathan Broxton and Greg Holland, who closed out games at the end of last season.

There are about two weeks left of spring games with today being the only day off for the KC Royals. The team has made a few cuts, but still have a ton of pitchers still in camp that are competing for the seven expected spots in the Opening Day bullpen.

Greg Holland

The locks in the bullpen are expected to be closer Joakim Soria, new setup man Jonathan Broxton, Greg Holland, and lefty Jose Mijares. Three of the four have been very good, but Soria has been shaky and now is dealing with elbow discomfort. Soria’s health could play into who makes the Opening Day roster.

Broxton was held back a bit, but his first appearance came live on MLB Network and he was popping 96 mph fastballs. He really looked good. In his two appearances so far (totaling two innings), he has not allowed a hit and just one walk. Broxton has struck out three and thrown 18 of his 24 pitches for strikes.

Holland has been equally as impressive, but over more outings. He has pitched five times so far, totaling 5.1 innings. His last outing was the only time he has allowed a hit (two of them to be exact) or a run. Overall, Holland has not walked a batter while striking out seven.

Mijares has not allowed a run over five appearances (totaling 5.2 innings). He has allowed just four hits and no walks, while striking out three.

Those are the four locks (though it may be just three if Soria has to miss any time). What about the rest of the competition?

» Continue reading “How is Spring Going for the Royals Relievers?”

Joakim Soria

For the second straight game, the KC Royals had a reliever leave the game due to a right elbow injury. Yesterday it was Blake Wood (who will rest for a week). Today it was closer Joakim Soria, who has struggled all spring.

Soria entered the game in the 5th inning with the Royals leading the Cleveland Indians, 6-0. Lonnie Chisenhall led off the inning with a single and Lou Marson worked a walk. Jason Kipnis followed with a bunt single to load the bases. Asdrubal Cabrera delivered a two-run single and Shin Soo-Choo drove in a run with a fielder’s choice ground out. That is when manager Ned Yost went out to get Soria.

Outside of that, it was a good game for the Royals. They got good pitching (outside of Soria) and three 2-run innings. Unfortunately, the offense didn’t do any damage after Indians starter Josh Tomlin left the game (he pitched four innings).

Eric Hosmer continues his hot-hitting, as he went 3-for-3, a triple short of the cycle. Lorenzo Cain went 2-for-2 with two runs scored and Alcides Escobar went 2-for-2 (including a triple) with two RBIs. Alex Gordon went 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI.

Luke Hochevar started and allowed five hits (and no walks) over three shutout innings. He also struck out four. His pitch count was a little high at 62 (35 for strikes). Two of the five hits he gave up to start the 4th inning. Lefty Jose Mijares came in to clean up his mess, by inducing a double play grounder and getting a strikeout.

After Soria’s exit, lefty Tim Collins got the final two outs of the 5th inning. Greg Holland struggled for the first time this spring. He allowed two hits and a wild pitch got a run in for Cleveland. Holland responded with two strikeouts to end the inning.

Sean O’Sullivan pitched two scoreless innings of relief and Jeremy Jeffress followed with another perfect inning. He needed just eight pitches to finish off the Indians.

*The Royals did hit into two ground ball double plays, and three total (Mike Moustakas lined into an inning-ending DP). That gives the Royals 18 of them this spring.

The KC Royals used a four-run 7th inning to defeat the LA Dodgers, 8-5.

The game didn’t start well for the Royals, despite putting two men on base against Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley. However, Billy Butler hit into an inning-ending double play.

Royals starter Danny Duffy walked the first batter he faced. He balked in the Dodgers first run before giving up an RBI single to Matt Kemp. Duffy settled down a bit and did not allow another run.

Joakim Soria was next to pitch and he got roughed up. In the 4th inning, he allowed three hits and a run. In the 5th inning, he allowed two more hits (around a hit batter and a balk) and two more runs. That was the last time that the Dodgers scored.

Meanwhile, the Royals offense went to work once the Dodgers went to former Royal Mike MacDougal in the 7th inning. Eric Hosmer delivered the big blow, a two-run single to chase him from the game. John Grabow entered and Clint Robinson greeted him with a two-run double.

The Royals tacked on two more runs in the 9th inning for insurance.

Offensively for the Royals, Hosmer went 2-for-3 with a run scored and four RBIs. Yuniesky Betancourt went 2-for-3 while starting at shortstop.

Chris Getz came off the bench to play second base and went 1-for-2 with two runs scored. Getz may be winning the race for the starting second base job. Rey Navarro also came off the bench to go 1-for-2 with two runs scored.

*The Royals pitchers after Soria were flat-out dominant today. Jose Mijares started it by pitching a perfect inning of relief (he picked up the win). Next came Kelvin Herrera, who walked just one over two scoreless innings of relief. He also struck out four. It ended with Greg Holland, who pitched a perfect inning of relief in earning the save.

**MacDougal wasn’t the only former Royal to appear in the game. Catcher Matt Treanor started for the Dodgers and went 2-for-3.

***The Royals hit into one double play today, putting their spring total to 16.

KC Royals manager Ned Yost has announced that he plans on carrying 12 pitchers on the big league roster when camp breaks. Is it set in stone? No. Can things change? Absolutely.

Joakim Soria

With a five-man rotation, that means the Royals will carry seven relievers to Anaheim for Opening Day. The only guarantees are closer Joakim Soria, Jonathan Broxton, and I hate to say this, lefty Jose Mijares (even though he has yet to show up to camp). I would guess that Greg Holland is just about a lock after bursting onto the scene in 2011, especially since he has already impressed in camp.

The bullpen competition also depends on the rotation competition. It’s like a trickle down effect. Yost could decide that the team is better suited with both righty Aaron Crow and lefty Everett Teaford in the bullpen. That would leave just one bullpen spot open.

Or those two could win big league rotation spots. Or they both could get sent to the minors. Or one could win a rotation spot with the other moving back to the bullpen. Or the one that doesn’t win the rotation spot could get sent back to the minors to start there.

There are quite a few scenarios and about a month to see it all play out.

There are anywhere from one to four (or maybe five) bullpen spots open (depending on the health of Broxton and when Mijares shows up). Let’s take a look at the right-handers today:

Soria spent the majority of the offseason in Arizona, not happy with his 2011 performance. He is expected to continue as the team’s closer. Broxton missed most of 2011 and will be held back in the beginning of camp. He is expected to setup Soria (despite his struggles over the last few seasons in LA).

» Continue reading “Royals Bullpen Candidates: the Right-Handers”

This is going to be a post that may be a little all over the place, but it will cover KC Royals news over the last week or so. It also means that it will be long. You have been warned.

*Eric Hosmer appeared on MLB Network’s Intentional Talk last week with Chris Rose and Dan Plesac. He was a bit overdressed in a suit, but his personality fit right in. You can check out the video clip HERE and relive his first big league homerun and his mom’s reaction and see an old school pic of Hos in his younger baseball years.

*Hosmer was also a guest on Hot Stove and you can check out that video HERE. He sat down with Matt Yallof and Mitch Williams and talked about how he got the call to the big leagues.

*When you think of Hos, you may not think to include him in the same sentence as Miami Marlins outfielder Logan Morrison. Well, now you will. While at MLB Network studios, Hos teamed up with LoMo to produce a MLB Fan Cave entry video.

*If you are addicted to MLB Network like I am, then you know that they are currently airing a “Top Ten Right Now” segment for each position. Closer Joakim Soria ranked tenth in the top reliever category. I was disappointed that Jeff Francoeur didn’t rank in the top ten for right fielders. I mean, Corey Hart and Hunter Pence ranked higher?

*In my final MLB Network plug, they posted a Facebook poll, asking which American League first baseman would be voted in as the starter for the 2012 All-Star Game in Kansas City. The candidates were Prince Fielder, Adrian Gonzalez, Albert Pujols, and Hosmer. Pujols ran away with the vote, but Hosmer received just 4% of the vote. Hopefully, Hos can gain more support come midseason.

» Continue reading “Royals News and Notes”

Many people concoct New Year’s resolutions which last about a week. I look more towards the whole year.

So I put together a KC Royals Wish List for the upcoming season. Each day leading up to the New Year, I will reveal another item on the wish list.

In order for the Royals to have a winning record in 2012, they need bounce back seasons from two players: one new player and one old player. Both starter Jonathan Sanchez and closer Joakim Soria need to look to their past and bring back their 2010 versions.

Sanchez, who was acquired this offseason from the SF Giants for Melky Cabrera, made just 19 starts for the Giants in 2011. He also carried a 4.26 ERA over 101.1 innings. In those innings, he walked 66 compared to just 102 strikeouts.

Back in 2010 when the Giants won the World Series (even though he didn’t pitch great in the postseason), Sanchez was 13-9 with a 3.07 ERA in 33 starts (193.1 innings). He still walked alot (99), but he also struck out 206.

Opponents don’t usually collect hits off him (about a .200 batting average against over the last three seasons), but his wildness gets him into trouble. The Royals need him to solidify their rotation and help carry the team towards the postseason.

As much as the Royals need Sanchez to be strong in the rotation, they also need a strong finish to their games. That is where Soria comes into play. Many are surprised that he’ll still be wearing a Royals uniform in 2012, but he has been one of baseball’s best closers over the last four years.

2011 was a forgettable season for Soria, who struggled mightily in the first half and got hurt late in the year. He went 5-5 with a 4.03 ERA in 60 games. He converted just 28 of his 35 save opportunities. He did however keep his walks below 20 while striking out 60 in 60.1 innings.

For the Royals to contend in 2012, they need the 2010 version of Soria to show up. That year, he went just 1-2 but had a 1.78 ERA. In 66 games, he allowed just 53 hits and walked just 16 while striking out 71. Opponents hit just .216 against him as he converted 43 of 46 saves.

The Royals have shown that they can hit, but they need their pitching to be stronger than in the past. A great way to start is with the past versions of Sanchez and Soria returning.

The MLB Winter Meetings are all about the rumors and the deals. This year, all the talk seems to be about Albert Pujols, the Miami Marlins (the signings and the Hanley Ramirez drama), Jimmy Rollins, CJ Wilson, Prince Fielder, and the trades.

• When it comes to the KC Royals, all the talk has been rumors. The team entered the meetings listening to offers for closer Joakim Soria with the signing of free agent reliever Jonathan Broxton. However, as expected, the Royals want a front-line starter.

On Intentional Talk, hosts Chris Rose and Kevin Millar discussed the topic of trading Soria. Both agreed with me, that it would be stupid considering there are too many what if’s linked to Broxton and the returning depth of the bullpen.

• Then there was word that they were also listening on offers for reliever Greg Holland. Considering he came on really strong in the second half in his first season in the big leagues, I’m not sure the Royals would get much for him (unless they packaged him in a deal). The Toronto Blue Jays were expected to be the most interested in Holland, though they just acquired a new closer, Sergio Santos of the Chicago White Sox.

• The one need the Royals are looking to fill is the bench, particularly a utility man. They could fill this role in January or even early February as the non-tender candidates hit the market. They are rumored to be interested in players like Craig Counsell, Willie Harris, and Andres Blanco (who came up through the Royals system). I am thinking that Counsell and Harris would be more interested in joining a contender and have more teams interested in them.

Then came word that they are interested in former Detroit Tigers Carlos Guillen. Seriously? First off, he’s 36 years old. Second, he’s barely played the last three years due to injuries. Sure, he was a part of the Tigers in 2006 in their World Series run, but I’m not sure he’ll fit in.

• The Oakland A’s Gio Gonzalez has been the trade piece everyone has been talking about lately. It seems quite a few teams covet the lefty who has yet to be stricken with an arm injury. The biggest need for the A’s is outfielders, as their starting three have all elected free agency (and one has already signed elsewhere). It has been rumored for over a month that the Royals are interested in Gonzalez. It would make sense considering he is a front-line starter, but not now that they have acquired lefty Jonathan Sanchez and re-signed veteran lefty Bruce Chen. That would give the Royals four potential left-handed starters in their rotation (including Danny Duffy). The A’s want right fielder Wil Myers and the Royals may be willing to part with him if they can net Gonzalez. Maybe they could send the A’s Sanchez too.

The Philadelphia Phillies (who once had him in their farm system) are rumored to be interested and would be willing to part with once untouchable outfielder Domonic Brown. However now the rumors are that the Phillies are out (they were willing to part with either Kyle Kendrick or Joe Blanton). The NY Yankees have shown interest, but don’t have a ton of young outfield talent in the minors (outside of Melky Mesa, Brandon Laird, and maybe Ray Kruml). The Boston Red Sox have jumped in the loop, though rumors are out there that the A’s asked for third baseman Will Middlebrooks. The Detroit Tigers are pushing hard, but see the Jacob Turner asking price a little high.

Word is that Gio will not be traded during the winter meetings because right now, the haul is not good enough.

• Assistant GM JJ Picollo interviewed for the open Houston Astros GM job on Monday night.

• Also, the Rule V draft will be held at the conclusion of the winter meetings on Thursday. The Royals have a full 40-man, so right now, they cannot make a selection. Baseball America has listed a few intriguing picks, and Royals lefties Blaine Hardy and Brandon Sisk are on that list. Here is what the magazine had to say about the two:

Blaine Hardy and Brandon Sisk, lhps, Royals: The Royals offer a pair of lefty specialists up for bids. Sisk has better stuff, with a fastball and changeup that earn average grades from scouts to go with a fringy curveball. He finished 2011 on a roll, posting a 1.41 ERA and striking out 30 in 32 innings at Triple-A Omaha while giving up just 16 hits. Hardy, like Sisk, started the year at Double-A Northwest Arkansas and was better there before posting a 7.14 ERA at Omaha. Hardy relies more on deception with a short-arm delivery and has a better breaking ball in his average slider. He also throws a curve and a changeup.

*Did I mention all the rumors? If not, let me know!