The Royals wanted to bring in a cathcer to challenge John Buck for the starting job so they signed Miguel Olivo to do that. The Royals thought that Buck would be pushed last season by Jason LaRue but that wasn’t the case as he only hit .148 in 66 games. Buck started last season hot with the bat but he faded down the stretch. He played in 113 games last season and he was 77 for 347 (.222 avg, .737 OPS) with 41 runs scored, 18 homers and 48 RBIs. The 27-year old has shown decent power in his major league career but he has a .237 lifetime batting average and that just won’t get it done. Buck also had a bad season throwing out baserunners as 83% made it safely to the base they were stealing. Royals pitchers had a 4.43 ERA when pitching to him and that’s pretty darn good when you consider who was pitching for them last year.

29 year old Miguel Olivo has been the starting catcher the last two seasons for the Florida Marlins. 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 also threw out 28% of the runners that tried to steal on him last season. The Royals should have looked at Olivo’s American League/National League splits as he is a career .218 hitter in the A.L. and a .256 hitter in the N.L.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: C-

The Royals have signed 34-year old righty swinging outfielder Brian Buchanan to a minor league contract. Last season Buchanan played in 99 games in Japan and he was 82 for 288 (.286 avg, .791 OPS) with 25 runs scored, 11 homers and 48 RBIs. Buchanan last played in the majors in 2004 with the Mets and Padres. He has played in 346 games in his major league career and he is 198 for 767 (.258 avg, .767 OPS) with 105 runs scored, 32 homers and 103 RBIs. Buchanan will be a long shot to make the Royals roster this season.

The Royals felt they needed a catcher to push John Buck, a power hitting outfielder, rotation help and a lefty for the bullpen and they filled all of those needs in the off season. Miguel Olivo will battle Buck for the starting catcher job. He has started for the Florida Marlins the last two seasons and he no doubt will put big time pressure on Buck to produce. Jose Guillen was signed to give the Royals a big bat for the middle of the batting order. He should do well for them after he serves a 15-game suspension at the start of the season for violating baseball’s substance abuse policy. Alberto Callaspo was brought in with a trade from the Diamondbacks and he appears to be a favorite to land a bench role with the Royals. Brett Tomko was signed to be the #4 starter for the Royals this season. The veteran is an innings eater with a winning career record so maybe the kids can learn a few tricks from him. Brian Lawrence, Hideo Nomo and Mike Maroth have been brought in to battle for the #5 spot in the rotation this spring. Lefty Ron Mahay will likely pitch late in games for the Royals as he is coming off a very effective season pitching for both the Rangers and Braves. 34-year old righty Yasuhiko Yabuta might earn the role of 7th inning reliever for the Royals as he has pretty good stuff.

OFF SEASON GRADE FOR FRONT OFFICE: B+

The Royals have signed 30-year old lefty starter Mike Maroth to a minor league contract. Maroth pitched in 27 games (20 starts) for the Cardinals and Tigers last season and he was 5-7 with a 6.89 ERA and a 1.87 WHIP. Maroth has now pitched in 161 games (150 starts) in his major league career and he is 50-67 with a 5.05 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. He will compete for the #5 job in the rotation this spring but don’t expect him to win the job.