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OFFSEASON PLAYER MOVEMENT

Player signed	Player lost
2B Carlos Febles (re-signed)	SS Neifi Perez (waived/Giants)
OF Mark Quinn (re-signed)	RHP Paul Byrd (free agent/Braves)
RHP Albie Lopez (free agent)	C A.J. Hinch (released/Indians*)
INF Desi Relaford (free agent)	2B Luis Alicea (free agent)
C Mike DiFelice (free agent*)	OF Chuck Knoblauch (free agent)
RHP James Baldwin (free agent*)	RHP Roberto Hernandez (free agent/Braves)
	RHP Blake Stein (free agent/Devil Rays*)
	RHP Jeff Suppan (free agent/Pirates)
*Minor-league deal

Complete Player Movement | Free Agent Signings

Baldwin agrees to deal


	Baldwin

Right-hander James Baldwin agreed Jan. 23 to a minor league contract with the Royals and was invited to spring training as a non-roster player. Baldwin, who went 7-10 with 5.28 ERA in 23 starts with the Mariners last season, would get a $575,000, one-year contract if he's added to the major league roster and the chance to earn $675,000 more in performance bonuses. His best major league season came in 2000 with the White Sox. He opened the season 7-0 and finished with a 14-7 record and a 4.65 ERA in 28 starts. General manager Allard Baird said the Royals hope to add another veteran to their bullpen before pitchers and catchers report to spring training on Feb. 14 at their new training camp in Surprise, Ariz.

Hot Stove: Royals
ESPN.com contributor Rany Jazayerli takes a look at the Royals in Hot Stove Heaters: After years of investing No. 1 draft choices on pitchers -- Kansas City hasn't taken a hitter in the first round since Dee Brown in 1996 --the Royals are hoping that in 2003, for the first time, they will see a return on that investment. Gone are Paul Byrd and Jeff Suppan, the only two pitchers on the team to win even five games last season. In their place, the Royals are counting on a bunch of starting pitchers who still have to pay extra for insurance every time they rent a car.

Sickels: Minor-league report

Glass: No ordinary Joe


	Randa is one of the few players who makes Kansas City his permanent home.

The Royals came close to trading third baseman Joe Randa to the Cubs last month, but president Dan Glass vetoed the deal, The Kansas City Star reported. The deal, which would have brought minor-league prospects to Kansas City in exchange for Randa, came up during the mid-December winter meetings in Nashville, Tenn. "I did veto a trade," Glass told the newspaper. "I felt like we weren't getting enough in return for a player of Joe's abilities and quality. We're not here on a fire sale. We're here to win as many games as we can, and Joe's a big part of our offense and a big part of our team."

Lopez inks one-year deal

DiFelice catches opportunity
Free-agent catcher Mike DiFelice agreed to a minor league contract with the Royals on Jan. 9 and was invited to spring training. If he is added to the Royals' major league roster, he would get a $625,000, one-year contract and the chance to earn $150,000 more in bonuses: $25,000 each for 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 and 110 games. If he isn't added to the major league roster, he is guaranteed $50,000. DiFelice is expected to compete with Ronny Paulino for a backup job to starting catcher Brent Mayne. The Royals released A.J. Hinch, who was their No. 2 catcher last season.

NEWS AND NOTES

1B Morgan Burkhart and pitchers Buddy Carlyle and Jason Turman came back from Japan to sign minor-league contracts with the Royals. The three were among 17 players invited to spring training on Jan. 30. The team's first workout will be Feb. 15 for pitchers and catchers.
RH reliever Roberto Hernandez agreed to a one-year contract with the Braves on Jan. 22 that gives him the chance to earn $1 million. Hernandez, 38, is guaranteed $600,000 next season and has a chance to earn an additional $400,000 in performance bonuses.
INF Desi Relaford and the Royals agreed to a two-year, $900,000 contract Jan. 10. Relaford hit .267 with six homers and 43 RBIs last season with Seattle.
RHP Brian Rose, signed by the Royals last summer after undergoing elbow surgery, will be a non-roster invitee to camp, The Kansas City Star reported Jan. 8.
The Royals agreed to one-year contracts with 2B Carlos Febles and OF Mark Quinn on Dec. 20. Febles will receive $750,000 and Quinn will get $500,000 next season.

Enroll in winter ball now.
The fantasy player's spring training.

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ULTIMATE STANDINGS

See how the Royals fare among all 121 professional sports teams.

SportsNation's Ultimate Standings

Where do the Royals rank?

2002 AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL
TEAM	W	L	PCT	GB
Minnesota	94	67	.584	-
Chicago	81	81	.500	13.5
Cleveland	74	88	.457	20.5
Kansas City	62	100	.383	32.5
Detroit	55	106	.342	39.0
Complete Standings

Royals 2002 Authentic Collection Tee Our Price: $16.99	Royals Authentic Home Jersey Our Price: $149.99
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ON THE FARM


AVG	M. Sweeney	.340
HR	C. Beltran	29
RBI	C. Beltran	105
RUN	C. Beltran	114
SB	C. Beltran	35
WIN	P. Byrd	17
SV	R. Hernandez	26
ERA	P. Byrd	3.90
Complete Team Statistics: Batting \| Pitching


C	B. Mayne	ROTATION
1B	M. Sweeney	R. Hernandez
2B	C. Febles	J. Affeldt
3B	J. Randa	D. May
SS	A. Berroa	C. George
LF	D. Brown	M. Asencio
CF	C. Beltran	CLOSER
RF	A. Guiel	C. Bailey
DH	R. Ibanez


Jan 24: Signed free agent pitcher James Baldwin, who had been with the Seattle Mariners, to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Jan 11: Signed infielder Desi Relaford, who had been with the Seattle Mariners, to a two-year contract.
Complete Team Transactions


No significant injuries.