Now the Royals are getting somewhere.
Juan Cruz was signed today to a two year $6 million contract with a club option for 2011, the significance and importance of this signing is multifaceted. 

The fact that they signed a Type-A free agent signifies that the Royals are officially trying to compete, not only in the future but this year. Because of the signing the Arizona Diamondbacks will receive a compensation/sandwich pick and the Royals’ second round pick in the 2009 First Year Player Draft.
They effectively signed him to a three year contract. This is significant because he is locked up in the [...]

Juan Cruz on the Royals:
“I like this team because they have some young guys, they seem like they try to win and this is a good organization,” Cruz said.
Generl Manager Dayton Moore on Juan Cruz:
“He’s a power pitcher, he’s a great competitor,” said Royals general manager Dayton Moore. “I think only Brad Lidge had more swings-and-misses last year. He was very effective against left-handers and very effective against right-handers and is someone who gives us a lot of power and aggressiveness. He’s been very successful the last two years.”
“You’ve got to be able to strike people out in our league,” [...]

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February 28, 2009 from MLB.com

The Royals wanted to solidify their bullpen, so today they went out and signed Juan Cruz. This should be a excellent addition to the Royals bullpen after trading away Nunez and Ramirez. Cruz has had a few solid seasons working out of the bullpen and hopefully he can continue that in Kansas City. Here is the details about his contract:
Cruz signed a contract that would guarantee him $6 million over two years. The deal was believed to be worth $2.25 million for this year, $3.25 million for 2010 and had a club option for $4 million for ‘11 with a [...]

The Royals have only played two spring training games thus far (1-1), and I am already confident in one of my offseason assessments.  Horacio Ramirez has no business being in a major league starting rotation.  However, the Royals seem dead set on making him a starter because they are convinced that they need a lefty in their rotation.