And then Damon topped things off, tarnishing his shining season -- at least for Royals fans -- by making it painfully clear that he would test the free-agent market following the 2001 season.

But big-time props to Royals GM Allard Baird.

Facing the same dilemma as the Mariners did with Alex Rodriguez in 2000 -- not only was Damon unwilling to re-sign with the Royals without becoming a free agent, he also vowed not to re-sign with any team the Royals traded him to -- Baird may well have solved two problems with one adroit move, sending Damon to Oakland in a three-way swap for veteran closer Roberto Hernandez.

Hernandez is 36 and even Muser acknowledges that the right-hander's fastball isn't what it used to be, but he still posted 32 saves with a 3.19 ERA for the last-place Devil Rays in 2000 and his 266 career saves rank 15th on the all-time list.

So, even without Damon, the Royals should be just fine this season -- meaning as good or better than the 2000 ballclub -- if:

After all, we all saw how much the Mariners missed Ken Griffey Jr. last season.

Arrivals
Pos.	Player	From	Via
2B	Luis Alicea	Rangers	Free Agency
SS	Angel Berroa	A's	Trade
RHP	Jason Grimsley	Yankees	Free Agency
RHP	Doug Henry	Astros	Free Agency
RHP	Roberto Hernandez	Devil Rays	Trade
C	A.J. Hinch	A's	Trade
OF	Raul Ibanez	Mariners	Free Agency
RHP	Steve Rain	Cubs	Free Agency

Departures
Pos.	Player	To	Via
RHP	Ricky Bottalico	Phillies	Free Agency
OF	Johnny Damon	A's	Trade
SS	Mark Ellis	A's	Trade
C	Jorge Fabregas	Angels	Free Agency
OF	Scott Pose	Astros	Free Agency

Spring Cleaning

Mike Sweeney The bad news is that it's probably unrealistic to expect Sweeney and Dye, who combined with Damon to give the Royals one of their most potent offenses ever, to surpass their stellar 2000 numbers. The good news is at least they'll be around to try. Sweeney signed a two-year contract worth $13 million over the winter, while Dye is in the final season of a two-year deal that will pay him $3.8 million in 2001. And unlike Damon, they both seem willing to stay even longer. How far can you go when your No. 1 catcher is ... Gregg Zaun? Yes, a 29-year-old journeyman who threw out 13 of 70 baserunners last season before undergoing offseason shoulder surgery. Zaun did hit .274 with seven homers and 33 RBIs in 83 games, but you gotta figure Hector Ortiz (.386, 0, 5 in 26 games), no kid himself at 30, will get a shot this spring. Another option is ex-Olympian A.J. Hinch, 25, obtained in the Damon trade, but he never showed much punch in trials with the A's (.225, 16, 59 in 202 games). Febles, the other half of 1999's famed "Dos Carlos" rookie combo, also slumped last season (.257, 2, 29, 17 SBs), largely because of shoulder and ankle injuries that sidelined him for nine weeks. If he regains his freshman form, Febles gives the Royals another leadoff option should Beltran falter. If he doesn't, well, the Royals signed veteran Luis Alicea, coming off a career year with the Rangers (.294, 6, 63) as insurance. There also are questions in the heartland about starters Jose Rosado and Mac Suzuki. Just 25, Rosado has top-of-the-rotation stuff -- he was fifth in the AL in ERA in 1999 -- but he's coming off shoulder surgery. Suzuki was the team ERA leader in 2000 (4.34, along with his 8-10 record), but he's coming off October rotator cuff surgery and will probably miss at least the first couple of months of the season. Behind them are Jeff Suppan (10-9, 4.94), sturdy Brian Meadows (6-2, 4.77) and 6-foot-7 Blake Stein (8-5, 4.68), the oldest of the bunch at 26. Healthy or not, that's an awful lot of young starters.

Team Breakdown
Projected Lineup		Projected Rotation
CF	Carlos Beltran	RHP	Jeff Suppan
2B	Carlos Febles	LHP	Jose Rosado
1B	Mike Sweeney	RHP	Blake Stein
RF	Jermaine Dye	RHP	Brian Meadows
LF	Mark Quinn	RHP	Dan Reichert
3B	Joe Randa	Bullpen
DH	David McCarty	RHP	Roberto Hernandez (closer)
C	Gregg Zaun	RHP	Doug Henry
SS	Rey Sanchez	RHP	Jason Grimsley
Key Reserves		RHP	Jose Santiago
C	A.J. Hinch	LHP	Scott Mullen
INF	Wilson Delgado	RHP	Brett Laxton
INF	Luis Alicea	RHP	Cory Bailey

Prospects to Watch
SS Angel Berroa -- The Royals say they would not have traded Damon if the A's hadn't included Berroa in the deal. Expendable in Oakland because of the A's wealth of middle infielders, the 21-year-old Dominican immediately became Kansas City's shortstop of the future. Berroa boasts a slick glove, great range and a strong arm, not to mention a little pop at the plate. In just his second pro season, he batted .277 with 10 home runs and 63 RBIs in 2000 at Class A Visalia. OF Dee Brown -- Kansas City's top hitting prospect, the 22-year-old Brown will be given every opportunity to make the team in spring training, especially with Damon's departure. The left-handed-hitting Brown, a 1996 first-round draft pick, hit .269 with 23 homers and 70 RBIs last season at Class AAA Omaha, and the Royals believe he has 30-30 potential. His biggest obstacle may be attitude; he sulked after not making the team last spring and later drew a five-game suspension after arguing with manager John Mizerock. LHP Chris George -- He's 6-feet-2 and 190 pounds, his best pitch is a changeup and he has great poise. Which means, of course, that K.C.'s top pitching prospect is often compared to Tom Glavine. The Royals have no problem with that. Splitting his time between Class AA and AAA last year, the 21-year-old George was 11-7 with a 3.68 ERA and 107 strikeouts in 142 innings. He'll probably start the season in Omaha, but don't expect him to finish it there. RHP Mike MacDougal -- The prototypical power pitcher, MacDougal has hit 99 mph with his fastball, and his slider may be even better. The 6-4, 195-pound former first-round pick (1999) was 9-7 with a 3.92 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 145 innings in Class A last season. His control still needs work, but the Royals like that he's surrendered just eight home runs in 203 pro innings. RHP Shawn Sonnier -- If all goes according to plan, Sonnier will be ready to assume the Royals' closer mantle when Hernandez's contract runs out after the 2002 season. After saving 21 games with a 2.25 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 64 innings at Class AA Wichita last season, the 24-year-old Sonnier, whose best pitches are a slider and a mid-90s fastball, will probably get a chance to set up Hernandez before this summer is over.
Best-Case Scenario
Beltran stops sulking, Febles gets well and the Royals lead the American League in stolen bases and runs scored. Inspired by Beltran's model behavior, Brown easily wins the DH job from David McCarty in the spring, then becomes the Royals' third A.L. Rookie of the Year in seven years, making special mention of Bob Hamelin in his acceptance speech. The Royals' young starters all blossom, Hernandez discovers his own fountain of youth in the form of K.C. barbecue and saves 40 games, and the Royals make like the White Sox with a shocking first-place finish in the AL Central.
Worst-Case Scenario
A second consecutive subpar season for both Beltran and Febles prompts Royals fans to petulantly dub them "Doh! Carlos." Zaun gets 400 at-bats for the first time in his career and turns in the best performance of any catcher in the American League ... whose name begins with "Z." Unfortunately, it's almost dead-on his career averages of .244, three homers and 17 RBIs. Sweeney and Dye slump dramatically, the starting rotation's injury woes escalate to the extent that rotator-cuff surgery is renamed "Royals surgery," and the Royals, in a panic over plummeting attendance, replace Muser with George Brett. At the end of the season, the team firmly in last place, Brett says, "Well, I finally know how Ted Williams felt. This isn't really what I meant, though."
Bottom Line
Even with the loss of Damon, there will be pressure on Muser to show some improvement. The Kansas City offense is entering in its prime, and the veteran Hernandez gives the young pitching staff a chance to be considerably better. If they can keep injuries to a minimum, the Royals could break .500 and make a solid run at third place.

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