One of the more interesting decisions was to option outfielder David Lough to triple-A Omaha.

Also, the Royals decided to release former big-league veterans Xavier Nady and George Sherrill.

Lough wrapped up his big league camp by hitting .455 with 20 hits in 44 at-bats. The 27-year-old outfielder notched six doubles, one triple and five RBIs. Lough was battling for the fourth outfield spot with speedster Jarrod Dyson. With the move, Dyson will retain the reserve outfielder spot, primarily due to his speed and knack for creating havoc on the base paths.

Feb 21, 2013; Surprise, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals right fielder David Lough (7) poses for a picture during photo day at the Royals Spring Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

According to the Royals website manager Ned Yost had nothing but praise for Lough, sighting Lough’s offensive adjustments and improvements. Yost’s reasoning behind the demotion was to ensure that Lough plays every day at triple-A, but also said that the minor leaguer was very close to being ready for big-league service.

Nady was signed to a minor league deal this offseason in hopes to create depth in the outfield. A nagging hamstring sidelined the 34-year-old vet this spring, but managed to appear in 13 games and bat .346 with six RBIs.

Sherrill, 35, was on a minor league contract and recovering from Tommy John Surgery. His most recent big-league stint was in Seattle, making two relief appearances before being shelved for surgery. He did not make any appearances with the Royals this spring.

The moves leave 33 players on the roster, but that does not include pitcher Felipe Paulino and Danny Duffy. Both are still recovering from Tommy John Surgery.

Update: The Royals re-signed both Nady and Sherrill to new minor league deals on Wednesday morning. Both of their original contracts had been subject to a roster retention payment of $100,000 if they were still under contract after 11 a.m. Tuesday under Article XXB of the CBA. Baseball America has more details here. The moves end up being creative accounting exercises. And yes, pretty much every team does the same thing, before the “Glass is cheap” thoughts jump up.

April 17, 2012; Washington, D.C., USA; Washington Nationals left fielder Xavier Nady (21) at bat in the second inning against the Houston Astros at Nationals Park. The Nationals defeated the Astros 1 – 0. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

Nady has bounced around the majors after breaking in with the Padres. He’s played for nine teams since 2000, logging time with both the Washington Nationals and San Francisco Giants last season. He’s coming off a string of bad seasons. Since 2009, he’s received 765 plate appearances and put up a 72 OPS+ with them. He definitely peaked in 2008.

But it’s an option, and as the Royals look for players to fill out spots in the minor leagues, part of that strategy will be to go after guys who might have a bit of fire left. Nady is 34 years old but has had success in the big leagues before. The odds that he does so again are slim, if he even makes it back up, but it’s another low-risk move, similar to the deals signed recently involving George Sherrill, Dan Wheeler, and Willy Taveras. Bob Dutton suggests that the Royals may still look for outfield help and depth.

It’s interesting to note that Nady’s career slash line of .266/.324/.432 is slightly better than Jeff Francoeur’s .270/.310/.426, though Francoeur is younger, has more homers and more RBIs (also about 1600 more plate appearances in three fewer seasons). Nady’s no threat to Francoeur’s job (nor is anyone else in 2013).

Nady’s shown the ability to hit for power in the past, so if he does make it to the big leagues, he could be a reasonable right-handed option as a pinch-hitter or to spell others. He’s hit 20 or more homers in a season twice in his career, though the last one was in 2008. Not a lot to rely on there.

How about Jon Garland? Garland, who many of us remember his days with the Chicago White Sox had six straight seasons of 10 or more wins from 2002-07. The string continued until last year where he was injured most of the season where he was just 1-5 in just nine starts. I mainly like this as a veteran who could come in and stabilize a young staff or let him hide out at Warner Park regaining his old form.

My next pitcher is another righty who I actually saw at the College World Series with the Tulane Green Wave. Micah Owings was drafted by the Diamondbacks and then spent a couple years in Cincinnati before going back to Arizona last year. Here is what I like in addition to being a tweener  (starter or reliever).  He can hit off the bench which could be valuable at any point if the Royals got desperate in a game. His homeruns allowed numbers I attribute to pitching at two home run friendly parks.

One of my favorite relievers in the AL recently has been Pat Neshek. He had a rough year in San Diego last year, but I remember him being on my Royal pain list (it’s a long offseason I will present that list). It would be cost effective and you have the option of storing him with the Storm Chasers until the need arises.

Another name Royals fans will recognize is Carlos Guillen who played with the Tigers from 2004-11 in their infield. Sure he’s a little older than some of the others on this list but he has postseason experience and is versatile. He’s played the bulk of his career at short but has experience at first, second, third and leftfield. This would be another great guy to sign to a minor league deal as a just in case situation.

The final name that catches my attention is Xavier Nady. Nady is a bench guy that would really help KC next season and could give Frenchy, Hos or whoever a day off and can play all three OF spots. His best stretch of baseball came between 2005-08 while with the Padres and Pirates when he averaged 18 HR’s and 68 RBI’s with ’08 being a career year.

This is primarily filled with pitchers since that is the teams larger need as we approach spring training in the coming weeks. Adding competition to the fourth and fifth spots with these guys in camp simply wouldn’t hurt the team during camp and worst case they play at Omaha only to get promoted if guys struggle. Names like Guillen and Nady are versatile players who can help if they were to beat out another bench player.