Alex Gordon got a one-year deal but most fans want to see him locked up photo credit to Charlie Riedel (AP)

First let’s look at our company in the AL Central.  The Detroit Tigers are owned by pizza mogul Mike Ilitch, who has done a good job in recent seasons of spending money to help them compete in and out of the division, i.e. the Prince Fielder signing.

Jerry Reinsdorf, who has done the same with the Chicago White Sox, will spend the money if he needs to. Reinsdorf’s spending along with Kenny Williams assembling a complete roster helped the team to a World Series title in 2005 in addition to having a little luck on their side, which you need no doubt to win.

Minnesota has Jim Pohlad, who took over for his father Carl when he passed away in 2009.  The Twins have the luxury of a new stadium, but before that, GM Terry Ryan built a team from a good farm system that was perfect during their run in the Central.

Lastly, the Cleveland Indians have Larry Dolan who owns another team that has been down in the dumps, but they, like KC, are starting to compete. Chris Antonetti took over for Mark Shapiro in the 2010 offseason and has made them competitive.

Sensing a theme here? Spend the right amount of money, hire the right GM to make good moves and have a farm system that can produce players or have trade pieces. This brings me back to the article and Mr. Glass who has been in my opinion the rightful punching bag.

Like most Royals fans the death of Mr. and Mrs. Kauffman led to a weird period in the franchise’s history.  The team was run by the board and it wasn’t until 2000 that the Glass family took ownership. So from 1993-2000 the team didn’t have an owner and had Herk Robinson and Allard Baird as GM’s.

Flash forward to the present where Dayton Moore has rebuilt the farm system, made trades to help the team and signed free agents that seem to fit the team. While all has been great from the standpoint that the club might be ready to compete for the division, one has to think why the purse strings can’t be loosened a little bit more.

Roy Oswalt is still on the market and with that being the black hole in this roster, it makes sense to make the move.  Even on a national level Steve Berthiaume of ESPN’s Baseball Tonight tweeted what we’ve written about on Kings of Kauffman this offseason that it would be a wise move.

No one likes to be called cheap in any walk of life especially if you’ve got a fortune from running a successful business. He says that you’re willing to do what it takes to win, (I will give him credit for putting money into international scouting and spending on draft picks) which will be tested outside of free agency with contract situations like Alex Gordon on several fan’s minds (Gordon did get arbitration).

But how about the other young players on the roster? I have no problem with seeing the payroll rise that way since you’d be winning with guys who the franchise raised through the system (homegrown players-that’s something that has happened little during the Robinson and Baird years) and win here.

Mr. Glass, I’m sure you’re a good guy and thanks for stepping in to own the team.  As a fan base we’re fragile and don’t want this opportunity to slip through our fingers with how long it’s been since Kansas City has been a winner. GMDM, just tell Mr. Glass that we need a little more money for a one-year deal to get Oswalt, which would better the team’s chances at ending “the drought” eating at all of us who bleed blue.

Thanks for visiting Kings of Kauffman.

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Ken Harvey celebrating a rare victory.

I’m not so sure.

Earlier this off-season when it looked like Kevin Millwood and Luke Hochevar would be the most accomplished pitchers on the staff and the outfield seemed like the Island of Misfit Prospects, I had my reservations. It looked like another 100 loss season and I was bracing myself for a long summer of watching former Braves duff around the diamond while waiting for the Futures Game.

But in the past few weeks I’ve been doing my best to look for bright spots on the 2011 roster. Since Zack Greinke left the team, the Royals have actually made a fair amount of smart transactions. Jeff Francis and Bruce Chen were added to shore up the rotation, Alcides Escobar and Lorenzo Cain were brought in to tighten up the defense, and our stockpile of top-rated prospects continued to grow.

As Gage wrote earlier this week, the Royals have off-loaded a fair amount of money and are *GASP* finally making legitimate strides toward fruition of The Process.

But the question remains, how bad will this team be in comparison to the other terrible teams Royals fans endured in the past?

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In fact, I more than agree.  I say it’s ridiculous to even consider anything else.  Most trades should be something that benefits both teams.  Team A has a losing record, an aging, expensive slugger, and won’t have a use for him.  Team B needs a proven slugger for their playoff charge and is willing to take on age and salary to do it.  They’ll gladly give up prospects to a rebuilding team.  It’s win win.

But the Royals can take no other stance but “we’re going to rip you off, and laugh at you when we do it” if they’re to trade Greinke this off-season.

The issue has sparked a lot of debate on the Fansided network as well, especially following Jordan Campbell’s article on Cubbies Crib about the Cubs chances at landing the talented right handed starter.
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And if not, all of us at Kings of Kauffman wish him good luck on his future endeavors and hopefully, down the line, that includes witnessing the Royals making the playoffs.

And as a thank you to Jon for his service, I present the Jon Twibell retrospective.  A greatest hits, if you will:

• Where’s the Beef? – Looking at the rather paltry middle of the order in KC.
• Really, Royals? – Predicting regression for Jose Guillen, Jason Kendall and Scott Podsednik and praying for a bullpen that doesn’t blow every lead
• You Stay Classy, Kansas City – On Mike Sweeney, Carlos Beltran, Allard Baird and a city’s frustration with its own bad luck
• Royals Look For a Winning Streak – Looking at the Royals need for urgency to actually, you know, win some games and avoid a meltdown
• Where Do We Go From Here? – After the Royals hot start under Ned Yost, Jon looked at what lay ahead

Again, thanks Jon for the time and effort you’ve put in for Kings of Kauffman, and feel free to check in with us when you can.

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