The Trail's Gone Cold

I've been sitting back and watching the free agent machinations play out over the past few weeks to assess the Royals' acquisition possibilities. I'd managed to delude myself into believing that the Royals stood a fighting chance of acquiring some relatively young, talented free agents who still had some upside, but after seeing the amount of cash doled out for mediocre middle relievers, 5 year contracts for 30-year old closers with exactly 2 years of success, I'm feeling much less sanguine about this offseason.

Word on the street is that the Royals are targeting Paul Byrd to the tune of a 3 year, $21 million contract. I could not be any less excited about Paul Byrd. He's a health disaster waiting to happen, and his ERA would jump 2 points pitching in front of that horrid Royal defense. And the Royals want to be on the hook to this guy for 3 years? If Paul Byrd is getting THAT contract, what will Matt Morris get? What will Jarrod Washburn (whom I don't like anyway) get? I shudder to think.

I know free agent season is hardly over yet, and perhaps the Royals will surprise us all by signing A.J. Burnett to a 5 year, $60 million deal, but the harsh reality is that this team is not going to get much better through free agency. Alex Gordon, Billy Butler, Jeff Bianchi, and (hopefully) Andrew Miller - you can't get here fast enough.