Royals Sign Juan Cruz
Cruz will receive $2.25 million for 2009, $3.25 million for 2010, and a $4 million team option for 2011 in the deal, with a $500,000 buyout.
The right-handed Cruz could represent a major upgrade for the Royals' bullpen amid high hopes within the organization that Kansas City will take a long stride forward this year. The Royals traded middle relievers Leo Nunez and Ramon Ramirez after last season.
With the deal complete, the Diamondbacks get two 2009 compensatory draft picks -- a sandwich pick between the first and second rounds and the Royals' second-round pick at around No. 55 overall.
Cruz doesn't get much money (in baseball terms, anyway) and effectively guarantees he won't get a shot at much more until at least 2012. The Diamondbacks don't get the first-round pick they would have gotten if a better team had signed Cruz, although at least they get two picks, a sandwich-rounder and the Royals' second-rounder. (The first-round pick was the reason Cruz stayed on the market so long.) And the Royals... at least they get a very good setup man, but what the Royals think they're doing giving up their second-round pick, I have no idea. I'd be apoplectic if the Pirates pulled a stunt like this. The Royals at least have the excuse of being in a wide-open division, but I strongly doubt they have any chance of winning it, which makes their decision to sign Cruz pretty strange. It's possible they trade him eventually, but I wouldn't bet they'll get more value back than the second-round pick would have had.
2 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
I can live with it for KC...
…given that they indicated a willingness to go over slot for guys later in the draft last year (most notably with the Melville pick). If they do that again this year, they can make up for the lost second.

by 












