The Kansas City Royals have signed outfielder Jose Guillen to a 3-year, $36 million deal. Among other things, this probably forces the Royals to move one of David DeJesus of Joey Gathright, which doesn’t strike me as the best course of action for a team that should be rebuilding.
Guillen also may be facing a PED-related suspension. As I note in today’s hot stove round table over at Hardball Times, I have no clue why Kansas City would make this move. I’m trying to understand it, and I really can’t.

The Kansas City Royals have signed Japanese right-hander Yasuhiko Yabuta to a 2-year, $6 million deal. Yabuta, who turns 35 in June, has spent his entire 12-year career with the Chiba Lotte Marines and been a fairly effective reliever over the past four seasons.
Yabuta emphasized new Kansas City manager Trey Hillman’s presence as a factor in his signing:
Mr. Hillman knows Japanese baseball and Japanese players. He knows my style. He understands me very well.
Hillman, of course, managed in Japan for several years and was very successful there. Related to Hillman’s experience on the other side of the Pacific, general manager …read more

I’ve already made my distaste for the All-Star game abundantly clear. Chris Jenkins of the San Diego Union-Tribune has pretty well outlined why I can’t muster any enthusiasm for the so-called Midsummer Classic:
Every year, even 64 slots seem too few for the truly deserving. Virtually half of those are already committed, one per team, minimum. It devalues the honor when a player is handed an All-Star uniform for no more reason than the simple – and regrettable – fact that he plays for the Pittsburgh Pirates or Kansas City Royals.
Yeah, that part never sat right with me. Either we’re fielding …read more

I’ve ridiculed his signing on more than one occasion, but for one day, Gil Meche is looking like an ace. He does have a real nice curve; I’ll give him that. Now he just needs to give the Royals about 20 more quality starts. Stranger things have happened. Soft-serve ice cream, for example…