The Royals have signed catcher Miguel Olivo to light a fire under John Buck. They wanted to challenge Buck last season but Jason LaRue was awful. Olivo played in 122 games last season for the Marlins and he was 107 for 452 (.237 avg, .667 OPS) with 43 runs scored, 16 homers and 60 RBIs. Olivo has now played in 556 games in his major league career and he is 427 for 1,786 (.239 avg, .680 OPS) with 210 runs scored, 61 homers and 224 RBIs. Olivo has a mutual option for the 2009 season so he will be motivated and that’s a good thing for the Royals.

The Royals have signed 36-year old lefty reliever Ron Mahay to a 2-year, $8 million dollar contract which reflects inflation in free ageny. Mahay pitched in 58 games last season with the Rangers and Braves and he was 3-0 with 1 save, a 2.55 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Mahay has now pitched in 359 games (3 starts) in his major league career and he is 19-10 with 4 saves, a 3.87 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. At least the Royals are using there revenue sharing to try to improve the product on the field which can’t be said about a lot of teams in baseball.

The Royals have acquired infielder Alberto Callaspo from the D-Backs for starting pitcher Billy Buckner. The 24-year old switch hitting Callaspo played in 56 games for the Diamondbacks last season and he was 31 for 144 (.215 avg, .536 OPS) with 10 runs scored and 7 RBIs. He has now played in 79 games in his major league career and he is 41 for 186 (.220 avg, .552 OPS) with 12 runs scored and 13 RBIs. The Royals are rolling the dice that Callaspo will turn into the player that scouts say he can be.

The Royals decided not to tender Emil Brown a contract for the 2007 season making him an unrestricted free agent. Brown led the Royals in RBIs in all three seasons he played in Kansas City. He won’t be bitter though as the Royals gave Brown his first real opportunity to play in the majors. Brown played in only 113 games last season for the Royals and he was 94 for 366 (.257 avg, .647 OPS) with 44 runs scored, 6 homers, 62 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. Brown played in 410 games in his three seasons for the Royals and he was 401 for 1,438 (.279 avg) with 196 runs scored, 38 homers, 229 RBIs and 38 stolen bases. He should have no problem finding a new job for the 2008 season.

The Royals have designated reserve catcher Paul Phillips for assignment. Phillips played in 8 games last season for the Royals and he was 2 for 14 (.143 avg, .414 OPS) with 2 runs scored and 2 RBIs. He has now played in 58 games in his major league career and he is 39 for 151 (.258 avg, .635 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 2 homers and 16 RBIs. The Royals would like to bring the 30-year old back if he clears waivers but someone might take a chance on him.