How will Kansas City greet Zack Greinke Tuesday when he returns to Kauffman Stadium for the first time since being traded. Photo Credit: Benny Sieu-US PRESSWIRE

At this point many probably feel the Brewers got the better of the deal since they made the postseason with Zack and were two wins from the World Series last fall. Another reason Royals fans feel like the trade didn’t work out is because Betancourt was brought back this past offseason. It also doesn’t help that since the trade Greinke’s 23-8 during the last two seasons. During those two seasons Kansas City could’ve used a number one starter.

Saying his time in the city of fountains was up and down is an understatement because he only had two seasons with a winning record, one .500 season, lost 17-games in 2005 and dealt with a social anxiety disorder during his time in KC. As for the bright spots he did strikeout 15 Indians on August 25, 2009 which broke the team’s strikeout in a game record, previously held by Mark Gubicza.

His crowning achievement was winning the 2009 Cy Young award with a 16-8 record and 2.16 ERA for a team way removed from the postseason. That season he represented the Royals in the All-Star Game in St. Louis striking out two of the three hitters faced.

How will the crowd react Tuesday night? I expect it to be a mixture of cheers and boos when he takes the mound likely in a navy blue Brewers jersey. Royals fans never got to say goodbye and with Zack being a free agent this winter I think some people are holding out hope he returns since he and his wife still own a home in Kansas City.

When I heard that he was scheduled to pitch during this brief homestand there was no doubt that I’d drive down from Omaha to see the “return” of the former hero. I was there for the wins and losses in addition to the night where he toyed with Cleveland, I won’t boo but it will be bittersweet seeing him in another uniform.

Maybe if he’d stayed KC they’d be further in the “process” than they are now but there would also be no Alcides at short or No Odorizzi, no Cain (who could still contribute if he can stay healthy), no Jeffress (who might get back to KC at some point). In addition who knows if Greinke becomes the guy he is right now, the one who is nearly unbeatable at Miller Park and 7-2 this season. It’s possible that if he remains might of continued had he not got the change of scenery due to the struggles of 2010.

So if you’re at the K on Tuesday, it’s understandable if you root for the Royals while remembering the good times we had with number 23 throwing for Kansas City. However once Zack throws his first pitch to Alex Gordon your emotions might change a bit.

With Salvador Perez and Manny Pina going down with injuries during spring training general manager Dayton Moore made a trade to bring in a catcher on Tuesday. Kansas City acquired catcher Humberto Quintero and outfielder Jason Bourgeois for minor league pitcher Kevin Chapman plus a player to be named later.

Humberto Quintero and Jason Bourgeois on Tuesday. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-US PRESSWIRE

 Quintero, 32, spent his time in Houston primarily served as a back-up, last season he appeared in 79 games hitting two homeruns and drove in 25. During his career which started with San Diego and the last seven with the Astros his numbers are in 379 games, 15 homers and 94 RBIs.

Bourgeois, 30, was drafted in 2000 by the Texas Rangers played with the White Sox in 2008, 2009 in Milwaukee before spending the last two with Houston. Last year he played in 93 games hitting .293 with six stolen bases. During his four year MLB career his numbers in 192 games played he has a batting average of .262, two homeruns and 22 RBIs. During his 12-year minor league career he’s swiped 256 bases.

Kansas City send minor league pitcher Chapman, 24, spent 2011 in Wilmington and Northwest Arkansas by the end of the season. The Royals drafted him in 2010 out of the University of Florida. KC moved Perez and Pina to the 60-day DL to get both new players on the 40-man roster.

What are your thoughts on this trade that was made today to pick up another catcher plus an outfielder?

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We'll Always Have 1985 but what about other teams?

Fans of the Kansas City Royals know that it’s been 26 years since the franchise last played in the postseason (something that always seems to come up when we play the St. Louis Cardinals), which did result in a world championship. Granted I was only a toddler at the time, but at least I can say that the baseball team I root for has won a title.

Yes, there have been a couple other seasons-1994 strike shorten season and the 2003 Tony Pena overachievers-but it has been few and far between. While we’re loyal to the cause and the coming seasons that will hopefully end the drought, let’s look at teams who have it worse than the Royals.

First let’s assess the franchises that have longer title droughts than Kansas City in major league baseball. Of course it’s the Chicago Cubs who bear (see what I did) the weight of a 103 years and counting drought which for non-fans can be annoying or maybe that’s just me. Sure they are eternal optimists on the North side of Chicago, but with all the advantages of being a big market team should have figured out how to win a title during this period of time.

Next up are the Cleveland Indians who haven’t won a title in 63 seasons, but with the success they enjoyed last year, they may make the postseason sooner than later. Getting into the playoffs means anything can happen.  If the Indians can make the postseason, look out, because they will be a team KC competes with.

The great state of Texas has had recent brushes with a trophy with the Rangers representing the American League the last two seasons and the Astros representing the National League in 2005. Neither team could seal the deal and it appears the only title the Astros will be competing for over the next few years will be for the worst record in Major League Baseball.

Next we have club 43 of the Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres and Washington Nationals. The Brew Crew made the World Series in 1982 and if you haven’t noticed suffered several losses after last year’s postseason run. San Diego lost to the Yankees in 1998 and are in a holding pattern in my opinion from ending that drought. Washington seems to be building closer and closer to being a playoff team, but they have yet to reach a World Series.

The Seattle Mariners, who like the Nationals, have not made the World Series at all and have a 35-year drought they started off post-Kingdome life with some success early in their tenure at Safeco Field. The Pittsburgh Pirates are on year 32 of not winning a championship which must be rough with the Penguins and Steelers successes.

Baltimore Orioles are on year 28 and the Detroit Tigers haven’t celebrated in 27 years.  These are polar opposites with the O’s in the AL East and the Tigers spending money plus living in the AL Central as you all know. At least the Cubs, Indians, Pirates, Orioles and Tigers have championships to celebrate unlike the fan bases of the Rangers, Astros, Brewers, Padres, Mariners and Nationals (I don’t doubt they are still waiting in Montreal).

I hate to continue to bring up the Nationals but they haven’t made the postseason in 30 years which is the longest drought in MLB. At least both Washington and Kansas City have hope in the coming years to end their futility, because again, once you get into the playoffs anything can happen. It’s not known if commissioner Bud Selig will add wildcards which would help both the Royals and Nationals. We are closer to the start of the season and seeing if any of the mentioned teams can end these droughts that they and their fans don’t like having constant reminders of.

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Billy Butler is extended with club-friendly options, and at age 24 could be a batting leader in the American League for the duration of his contract.

Kila Ka’aihue hopes to build off a strong September, and so far in spring training he has two homers and if nothing else will get a shot to hit everyday.

Eric Hosmer has been the star of spring through the first batch of games and should be looking for a 3-5 month lease in Omaha if he hasn’t lined it up already.

And then there’s Clint Robinson, the lowest on the totem pole, but the second oldest of the group.  All he’s done is win the Triple Crown in the Texas League, get added to the 40 man roster, and through 10 at bats (standard sample size disclaimers apply) has four hits and five RBIs.

These four, none of which have turned 27 years old, can only occupy two spots in the lineup.  Even if somehow the Royals got creative and moved Hosmer to the outfield, Robinson’s still the odd man out.

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Chris Dwyer destroys some high-A batters.

And that’s just what happened. Something big. The Royals’ farm system was ranked number one overall by Baseball America and Keith Law. It was widely expected to happen, but it’s sort of a surreal feeling that it actually came to pass. When you start reading about what that ranking has meant for past teams, it starts to hit you that it could be something huge.

And it should be. Every team with the best farm system (as ranked by Baseball America) from 2001-2010 went to the playoffs, League Championship Series, or World Series within five years. That means that by January of 2016, the Royals should have at least one playoff appearance. That means a winning record (this isn’t the NFL, come on) and at least a second place finish in the division. That means success like I’ve barely known in my lifetime. That might even mean that Rob Neyer becomes a fan again.

That’s all well and good, but isn’t there the slightest bit of concern that this isn’t as locked-in as the past would suggest? With Dayton Moore’s track history of questionable major league signings in mind, I started looking into what acquisitions those successful teams had to make in order to get where they were. This is what I found.
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Photo by Carlos Osorio/Toronto Star

Most of the rank and file Royals fans have reacted with resigned disgust. There’s a terrible feeling of having seen this before. To many, this trade seems like another Johnny Damon or Carlos Beltran experience where our most beloved player got wrenched away from us for a nothing more than a handful of magic beans. But as most of the blog-reading public knows, there was really no way of keeping Greinke around for long.

The Royals and the fans will miss Greinke immensely. He gave us four amazing years after he came back from a mental breakdown and brought home the AL Cy Young after an putting up an amazing 2.16 ERA in the 2009 season. He was adored by the fans, put butts in the seats and made every 5th game a must-see event.

Then Greinke started to show his doubts about the team’s direction, stopped putting in 100 percent on the mound and publicly demanded a trade. I guess I can’t blame the guy for wanting to win and being tired of sitting through losing season after losing season, but I can blame him for giving up on his team.

Through May and April of last year, Greinke stayed on line with his previous campaign and posted a 3.33 ERA, but as the team fell out of contention his monthly ERA steadily rose until it topped out at 5.92 in September.

By the end of the year, his talk matched his play and the pitcher who said, “I don’t want to play anywhere else,” only a year before looked like he would rather be playing anywhere but Kansas City.

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First, I want to comment on the return. Sending Yuni in any deal is instantly a positive. I cannot wait to see a Royals infield without Yuni, though seeing him on the team I grew up watching will be hard. Anyway, getting Yuni off of the roster immediately improves the infield defense. That’s a plus in my book.

Filling Yuni’s vacant crater will be Alcides Escobar, one of the most-hyped prospects of the last couple years. My friends that love the Brewers were pumped about this guy starting with the team and, I’ll have to admit, I bought into that, too. Well, Escobar had a rough year. Without going into stats, I can say that he didn’t get on base and definitely didn’t hit for any power. The bat just wasn’t there, which isn’t too much of a shock. We can only hope that it comes back. Otherwise, we’ll have a new Tony Pena Jr. on our hands.
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There are rumors that a deal has been agreed upon that will send Royals starter Zack Greinke and shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt to the Milwaukee Brewers for shortstop Alcides Escobar, outfielder Lorenzo Cain, and pitchers Jeremy Jeffress and Jake Odorizzi.  All four Brewers prospects ranked in the top 25 in Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook in 2010.  Escobar was ranked as the top prospect in that publication and Cain was considered a favorite for the distinction in 2011′s handbook.

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