That puts Jonathan Broxton in the crosshairs for some teams.

Jim Bowden reported that the Giants had interest in Broxton and past reports indicated that they may have had scouts in Omaha to look at potential add-ons.

Another team has surfaced as well. The Rangers are looking at Broxton as well, according to Jon Heyman. Broxton would serve as a setup man for Joe Nathan if a trade were finalized.

Obviously, having more than one team interested increases the likelihood that Broxton will be moved at some point before Tuesday’s deadline. Of the main names known as available – Yuniesky Betancourt, Jeff Francoeur, Jose Mijares and Broxton – the Royals closer is having the most success recently, which sticks in the minds of front offices sometimes.

A deal with the Rangers might – might - be closer, though, as Bob Dutton tweeted that the Royals were interested in Rangers pitching prospect Justin Grimm, a 5th rounder in 2010 who made his major league debut this season at the age of 23. He’s said to have a plus curve and sinker plus is working on a changeup. He was an All-Star in the Texas League this year and earned a promotion to Triple A after 80 innings for Frisco in Double A where he had a 1.80 ERA and a 68/14 K/BB ratio.

The Rangers are loaded with pitching prospects and can use them to go get the pieces they want. Last year, they traded Joe Wieland and Robert Erlin to get Mike Adams as a setup man, so this kind of deal isn’t out of the question. Mutual interest reported and names being named is a good thing if you’re in the Trade Broxton camp.

It’s all speculation for now, though. Talks may heat up or fizzle out on Monday. That’s the intrigue of the trade deadline.

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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"Country Breakfast" Billy Butler connects on an 0-2 pitch for a 2 run homer Sunday. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE

After months of offseason workouts and a week of full camp and intrasquad games, the Royals finally faced a different opponent on Sunday.

They jumped on the board early, as Billy Butler ripped a two-run homer to left off Rangers starter Colby Lewis. With Johnny Giavotella on base after a walk, Butler turned on an 0-2 pitch for the Royals first runs of the Cactus League season.

It was all they would need.

Luis Mendoza got the first crack at the Rangers lineup and threw two scoreless innings, walking one while striking out another. The only hit he surrendered came on a ball that got through to left field, just out of reach of Alcides Escobar. He retired four batters on ground balls.

The Royals added four more runs in the fifth inning after Lorenzo Cain opened the inning with a hustling double. He scored on a bloop single by Alex Gordon, who moved to third on a Johnny Giavotella double to left. Eric Hosmer got a ball through to center field that was ruled as an error on Ian Kinsler, but Gordon and Giavotella scored. Singles by Billy Butler and Mike Moustakas scored Hosmer for the Royals sixth run.

The Rangers lone run came on a solo homer by Mitch Moreland off Sean O’Sullivan in the sixth. The Rangers only managed to advance one  other player past first.

Kelvin Herrera closed out the game against the Rangers reserves by striking out two of the three batters he faced.

Wil Myers reached on an infield single in his only at bat. David Lough and Clint Robinson also added singles once the starters came out of the game after five innings.

Cain and Giavotella are both looking for a strong spring to ensure their job security. Cain is pretty safe, but Giavotella is being pushed by Chris Getz and Yuniesky Betancourt. Giavotella drew the team’s only walk and both players had two hits apiece. Getz and Betancourt, however, went 0-4 combined and didn’t get the ball out of the infield.

The Royals and Rangers play again tomorrow afternoon in Surprise at 2:05 CST. Bruce Chen is scheduled to start for the Royals and pitch two innings.

The scorecard* is below:

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*Scorecard Note: Because it’s spring training, I’m trying out the iScore app on my tablet for the first time. It worked great, other than my own mistake of not entering a full roster of Royals, so when Wil Myers pinch hit for Billy Butler in the seventh inning, it wouldn’t let me go back into the team options and add him to the day’s lineup. So other than that one area, it’s intact. I was going off of the radio broadcast as well while scoring the game, so I half-heartedly tried to monitor pitch locations, and when all the reserves came in at once, it took me an inning to get them entered (after not having them in at first). Due to that, the pitch counts aren’t accurate late. Like I said, it’s spring training, so going forward, I should be able to get all players in beforehand now that I know how chaotic it is to add nine reserves in the middle of an inning.

I don’t need to insult your baseball intelligence by telling you that currently three division winners and the next best record goes to the playoffs in each league as the wildcard. Since this looks like it will go into effect in a matter of hours, the timing might actually be perfect.

Can the Royals compete for the division title in 2012? I think the reasonable fan would say why not before taking the time to say, “things need to shake right and the starting pitching needs to perform better than expected.” I think it’s realistic to say the Detroit Tigers will probably win the division title with all they’ve done this offseason along with the fact they have the defending AL MVP/Cy Young winner toeing the rubber every fifth day.

Back to the topic at hand.  Creating a second wildcard increases the chances that teams like the Royals could get into the playoffs.  History has told us in the wildcard era, anything is possible. The Kansas Cities, Cleveland and Toronto’s of the American League now will have a chance to make the playoffs like the top tier AL clubs of New York, Boston, Detroit, Texas, Los Angeles and Tampa Bay.

The extra spot will give the secondary clubs more hope than just the one spot guaranteed in previous seasons. Sure this will probably be more interesting to watch in the National League where everyone seems more bunched up in than in the AL, but KC fans have extra hope on the eve of the season.

Let me explain why I’m not a fan of this act by the commish. It feels like it will help the little guys having an extra spot available to make the playoffs, which is great since we support a small market team in the Royals. More seasons than not, though, this second wildcard spot benefits the AL east.

Baseball has enough of an image problem of catering to the bigger markets.  This will almost guarantee that the Yankees and Red Sox will be in the playoffs on a yearly basis. I think most would agree that dollar signs clouded some owner’s thoughts when this idea was floated. Sure you’ll have the extra TV one-game playoff and the addition of another team sounds great, but how great will something be that only benefits a small number?

Back to the positive thoughts, that when this happens it will be another opportunity for the Royals to end the drought that has existed since 1985. I don’t want to put a number of games that will be needed to win the second wildcard, but maybe I’ve looked the wrong way at this because Kansas City will play in a division that isn’t that strong.

I might not like the idea of a second wildcard, but as a fan of this franchise every opportunity to reach the postseason should be welcomed.

I’m sure I speak for all Kansas City Royals fans when I ask that you consider this young and upcoming team this year. I respect that you currently do not like the offers that you have received by other clubs at this time and will sit out until something to your liking comes your way.

Roy Oswalt announced he'll wait on signing with a team on Thursday hopefully this helps KC's chances Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-US PRESSWIRE

 At this stage of your career it’s hard to fault you for wanting to chase a championship having fallen short in previous attempts with the Houston Astros and most recently the Philadelphia Phillies. Sure the Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals are built to win now with their current rosters, but anything can happen in the game of baseball as you well know.

The Red Sox, Rangers and Cardinals are solid options for someone in your current position, but why not the Royals? I don’t need to remind you that since 1985 the club has had minimal success, however, have you seen the parts of this roster?  Your spot in the pitching rotation is assured and you could have any of the first three spots that you desire.

I think you’d fit in well with Luke Hochevar, Bruce Chen, Jonathan Sanchez and Felipe Paulino who currently project to be the team’s first four starters. You’re known for working deep into ballgames, but should the need arise, how about this bullpen bridge that can get you the win with Greg Holland, Jonathan Broxton and all-star closer Joakim Soria to nail it down?

Since you’re coming from the National League I’m sure you’ve got some concerns about run support and how the Royals lineup could help you out in that regard. Let me introduce you to the team’s starting lineup: Alex Gordon in left, Johnny Giavotella at second, Billy Butler at DH, Eric Hosmer at first, Jeff Francoeur in right, Mike Moustakas at third, Salvador Perez behind the plate, Lorenzo Cain in center, and Alcides Escobar at short.  That’ll be up to Ned Yost and not myself, but it gives you an idea of what to expect.

Sure you may think that fans aren’t passionate in the Kansas City market with all the losing that takes place, but after last season we cannot wait to kick off 2012. Also we’ve got a little event coming in July know as the All-Star Game, which hasn’t been in town since the 1973 season. So, these are a handful of considerations for you and for a one or two-year contract that you might be seeking.

Let me also point out that Kauffman Stadium is very pitcher-friendly with its dimensions. In addition, road trips to Comerica Park in Detroit and Target Field in Minneapolis are on the schedule multiple times within the division. We also feel that with you on board it would counter the Tigers lineup and help KC contend in the division or the wildcard.

I hope that you have all the necessary information that you may need in considering Kansas City for your 2012 pitching destination. The fan base would really enjoy having you on this staff as the team tries to change the culture.

Sincerely,

Royals fans

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.

Thanks for visiting Kings of Kauffman.

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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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With Cliff Lee‘s agreement to sign with Philadelphia last night, the Zack Greinke trade market could heat up with both the Rangers and Yankees – considered the two frontrunners for Lee – left wanting.  Obviously, he’s a big focus for those two teams and others, so there’s a lot out there right now about Zack and where he might fit – or won’t.

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I’ve come to the conclusion that if the Royals are going to trade Greinke, it should be before spring training’s on the horizon.

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