Rotation Changes

It looks like Denny Bautista is going to fill the rotation slot vacated by Zack Greinke, and I'm okay with that. Bautista will be 26 this August, so he's not some kid who needs to be coddled. I realize that he's coming off an injury, but he appears to be back to his normal throwing motion and free of pain. Plus, remember that this guy was in the rotation to start last season, too, and had three quality starts in his first five games, all against playoff contenders (Chicago, Cleveland, and Los Angeles) before his arm trouble made him shut it down. If he can find that groove again, he may well be the best starter on the team, and takes a lot of pressure off the Royals to rush Greinke back

On that subject, if Greinke ever comes back, I think he should go back to Triple A first. This guy's head is pretty fragile, and the last thing he needs is to come back into the pressure of major league baseball. Let him go to Omaha, re-establish some confidence, and get his head screwed back on right. Plus, he's still only 22, and won't be 23 until after the season ends. There shouldn't be any urgency about wasting his prime in the minors because his prime hasn't arrived yet. Take some pressure off the kid and let him blow away some Triple A hitters until June

Other Royals Notes:

• I have bashed the Royals enough, and it's time I game them some props. I couldn't be happier about the new contract they gave David DeJesus. He earned it, it was relatively inexpensive, it's long enough to get the team through all of his arbitration eligibility, and it gives them the option to extend the deal past his first year of free agency. Love it. Love it, love it, love it. This made sense in every facet, and Allard Baird should be given a lot of credit.Now, if he can actually draft and develop real pitchers this June, I may start to consider that he shouldn't be fired.