This was an easy call by the Royals as Perez was in line to make $9 million bucks in 2008. This will be addition by subtraction for the Royals as Perez was awful for the Royals this year. Perez started 26 games this season for the Royals and he was 8-11 with a 5.57 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP. In 137.1 innings this year, Perez allowed 178 hits, walked 50 batters and whiffed 64.

David Riske has declined his half of a mutual option for 2008 thus becoming a free agent. He will likely make a few bucks based on his work out of the pen for the Royals last season. Riske pitched in 65 games last season and he was 1-4 with 4 saves, a 2.45 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. He pitched 69.2 innings last year and he allowed 61 hits, walked 27 batters and whiffed 52. This will hurt the Royals as he pitched well out of the pen.

Trey Hillman is a 16 year veteran of managing despite only being 44 years old. He managed for 11 seasons in the minors with the Yankees before heading to Japan. Hillman has been very successful in Japan the last 5 seasons. He led the Nippon Ham Fighters to their first Japan Series Championship in 44 years. The Royals hope his winning attitude rubs off on the young players the Royals have assembled.

Joakim Soria won’t win the Rookie of the Year Award over Delmon Young or Dustin Pedroia but he deserves it. He was one of the best Rule 5 Picks ever as GM Drayton Moore stole him over the winter. He started off as the set up man but he moved into the closer role while Octavio Dotel was injured and he resumed the role after Dotel was traded to the Braves. Soria pitched in 62 games in 2007 and he was 2-3 with 17 saves, a 2.48 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. He worked 69 innings and he only allowed 46 hits, walked 19 batters and whiffed 75. The sky is the limit for Soria as he will develop into one of the better closers in the American League with his outstanding stuff.