Kansas.com: Kansas City Royals

Royals downsizing salary load

BOB DUTTON — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:07 CST

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —Two overriding factors surfaced Friday in explaining the Royals' decision to send third baseman/outfielder Mark Teahen to division-rival Chicago with cash for second baseman Chris Getz and third baseman/outfielder Josh Fields.

Increasing inventory while gaining financial flexibility.

"Our motivation behind this deal — and any deal that we make this winter," Royals general manager Dayton Moore acknowledged, "is to acquire as many zero-to-three service-time players as we can. That was certainly what we did here."

Royals' offseason opens with trade rumors

BOB DUTTON — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:07 CST

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —It didn't take long for the Royals to surface in baseball's offseason trade rumors.

Merely hours after the New York Yankees secured their 27th World Series title, a report claimed the Royals had agreed to send outfielder Mark Teahen to the Chicago White Sox for second baseman Chris Getz and third baseman/outfielder Josh Fields.

The report first appeared Thursday in the New York Daily News and gained steam when the Chicago Sun-Times cited confirmation from the White Sox. It now appears those reports, at best, are premature.