More Signings

The Royals have signed several more players, avoiding arbitration with them:

Mike Jacobs

Jacobs signed a one-year deal that is reportedly worth $3.275. Looking at the numbers he put up in Florida last season (32 HR, 93 RBI, .299 OBP), this one looks like a steal for the Royals—especially since his numbers were arguably better than Jose Guillen’s numbers last season (20 HR, 97 RBI, .300 OBP) and the Royals paid him $12 million.

Mark Teahen

Teahen signed a one-year deal worth $3.575 million. Much has been debated about Teahen in recent weeks—what position he’ll play, whether the Royals should have shipped him off by now, how adaptable he is defensively, etc. In my opinion, Teahen will only be worth the three and a half million dollars if he plays 130+ games and I’m guessing that Hillman will find a way to make that happen.

Brian Bannister

Bannister signed a one-year deal worth $1,737,500. Over the off season, several Royals fans have asked me, “What happened to Brian Bannister last season?” The answer is, I have no idea. In 2007 he was 12-9 with a 3.87 ERA and seemingly poised to become a fixture in the Royals rotation for the next decade. He got off to a hot start in 2008, then the wheels fell off. He did win three of his final five starts, but even then, his ERA was nearly six during those five starts. Nobody doubts his ability to perform at a high level, but he’ll still be fighting to keep his spot in the rotation this spring.