Is 2008 FINALLY the year?

[Yankees]

In what has become my busiest off-season of a busy GM career, I think the Royals have finally found the right balance between skill level, age, and depth.

Injuries have severely derailed my last two seasons, so the goal of this off-season was continue to build a talent base, while giving myself enough depth to work around any potential injury situation.

The results, thus far, have me very excited. The offense is built around excellent depth - featuring a front of a lineup that will cause any pitcher headaches - Chone Figgins, Michael Young, Todd Helton, Chipper Jones, Victor Martinez, and Brad Hawpe - and most team's would drool to have Chris Duncan, Kelly Johnson, and Mike Lamb in the 7-8-9 slots.

The rotation has been dramatically upgraded since the end of the season - featuring a devastating front four, and a lot of 5th spot candidates. Rich Harden (for f's sake stay healthy), Fausto Carmona, Rich Hill, and Gil Meche will be a dramatic improvement for a team whose starting pitching has been a weak point for the totality of my IBC existence. Jarrod Washburn (the front-runner), Matt Morris, Carlos Villanueva, Bryan Bullington, and Matt Chico will head a competitive battle for the #5 spot in the rotation.

The off-season activity has taken its toll on my bullpen. The bullpen is very talented and deep, but with no true closer. Aaron Heilman, CJ Wilson, and Brian Wilson will top line the bullpen. Troy Cate, Kevin Hart, Edwar Ramirez, Brian Wolfe, John Bale, Ryan Franklin, Sean Henn, Royce Ring, and Luiz Vizcaino will battle for three spots in the middle of the rotation. Carlos Villanueva, unless he gets the 5th rotation spot, will slot into the long reliever's role.

Future posts will be on any number of things I want to talk about - I'm going to pull no punches, so don't take anything too personally.

Especially Bren...cuz you suck...