February 28, 2009
Cruz a Royal
Juan Cruz finds a job, landing a two-year deal with the Kansas City Royals. He's posted high strikeouts and low ERAs the last two seasons with the Diamondbacks. His walks are a bit high, but they haven't hurt him much in terms of allowing runs. I'm surprised he stayed on the market this long.
I'm not sure Cruz staying on the market is incredibly surprising. Dropping a first round pick and the kind of cash he was said to be looking for is a lot to ask. At this contract it's a solid signing, and one that any number of other teams could have used. However, the big thing is that the Royals don't need him and could spend the money in more pressing areas (ie player development).
I think this is a good move for KC. Possibly their best since bringing Aviles up from AAA.