Kansas City Royals: Grading the Team's Offseason Moves so Far

The Kansas City Royals came into this offseason with a few holes to fill on their roster.

After two months, they have managed to add two veteran relief pitchers, a veteran starter and a utility infielder to their already very talented roster.

Here are my grades for each of the Royals' offseason moves to this point.

Trading for SP Jonathan Sanchez

Heading into this offseason, it was clear that the Royals needed another solid left-handed starter in their rotation.

They got one in ex-Giants pitcher Jonathan Sanchez.

Sanchez was traded to the Royals last month with minor leaguer Ryan Verdugo in exchange for outfielder Melky Cabrera.

Although he comes with some attitude and injury concerns, he will greatly improve the overall talent level among KC starting pitchers this season.

Grade: A-

Signing RP Jonathan Broxton

The signing of reliever Jonathan Broxton came as somewhat of a surprise to Royals fans.

This is because the team already has one of the best setup men in the league in right-hander Greg Holland.

However, Broxton's addition will just strengthen an already potent Royals 'pen in 2012 and beyond.

If he can stay healthy this season, he has the ability to be one of the best strikeout pitchers on the entire KC roster.

Grade: A

Re-Signing SP Bruce Chen

Re-signing veteran starter Bruce Chen was one of the smartest moves the Royals have made so far this offseason.

The organization agreed to terms with the 34-year-old right-hander last month.

Chen has led the team in wins in each of the past two seasons, and he had one of the best years of his career in 2011, when he won 12 games and posted a 3.77 ERA in 25 starts.

Although the former Brave will never be an ace, he is still a quality pitcher that KC now has under contract for two more years.

Grade: A

Trading INF Yamaico Navarro

The Royals decided to cut bait with utility infielder Yamaico Navarro earlier this offseason.

In return, they received two minor leaguers, Brooks Pounders and Diego Goris, from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Apparently they didn't see a need for Navarro anymore, as they were looking for a veteran infielder that was more versatile overall.

I like this move, but I'm not giving it an A because it's too early to tell what will become of the two prospects the Royals got for Navarro.

Grade: B

Signing SS Yuniesky Betancourt

Another big need for the Royals this offseason was finding a quality infielder who could back up several different positions in the infield.

Earlier this week, KC signed former Royal Yuniesky Betancourt to help fill this void.

There seemed to be mixed emotions about that signing, especially considering that the team just traded away Betancourt to the Brewers a year ago.

I think picking up Yuni was a good move by GM Dayton Moore, so long as he is only used in a backup role.

Grade: B

Signing RP Jose Mijares

Jose Mijares gives the Royals another solid lefty out of the bullpen.

Although he struggled last season, he owns a career ERA of 3.16.

He will likely be the situational lefty out of the KC 'pen in 2012.

This was another decent pickup by the Royals brass.

Grade: B

Overview

Overall, this has been a productive offseason so far for the Royals.

They have filled a few holes in acquiring Sanchez, Broxton, Betancourt and Mijares. They also were able to retain their best starting pitcher from the past two seasons in Bruce Chen.

There is definitely more work to be done this offseason, but the Royals brass has already shown that it is trying to make the team better by adding more talent to the roster.