There’s always next year…except this year.

The end of
the season is always depressing for Royals fans.

This one,
though, is worse than the rest because in 182 days, things won’t be better. The
roster won’t change – nay, it can’t change – enough to save us from the
soul-sucking awfulness of this Royals team.

As Bob
Dutton outlined in the Star this weekend, the team is sort of stuck financially.

The Royals currently
have roughly $50 million allotted next season to nine players under guaranteed
contracts: pitchers Kyle Farnsworth, Juan Cruz, Greinke, Meche and Soria;
infielders Yuniesky Betancourt and Willie Bloomquist; and outfielders José
Guillen and David DeJesus.

 

Next, they face
decisions on 10-12 players eligible for arbitration. The uncertainty surrounds
Gordon and Alberto Callaspo, who could qualify under the labor provision
covering players with fewer than three full seasons of service.

 

The 10 who are
definitely eligible: outfielder Mark Teahen, DH Mike Jacobs, catcher John Buck
and pitchers Robinson Tejeda, Roman Colon, John Bale, Lenny DiNardo, Doug
Waechter, Bannister and Davies.

 

Those 12 players are
making $17.122 million this season in base salary. A conservative estimate
boosts the group’s 2010 price to $23 million-$25 million.

 

See the problem? The
Royals are already over budget before addressing those players — such as Butler
and Luke Hochevar — who have yet to achieve eligibility for arbitration.

 

Nor does it allow any
financial room for efforts to retain outfielder Coco Crisp, after exercising a
$500,000 buyout on an $8 million option; or catcher Miguel Olivo, whose current
deal carries a $3.25 million mutual option for 2010.

So basically, the Royals had a cast of below-average (or
downright bad) players this season, and they can’t get rid of many of them or
their salaries, and they don’t have room to add better players.

Next Opening Day, therefore, will bear none of the hope that
a new season is supposed to offer. It will instead be a play we’ve seen before,
and it ends in, at best, a tie for last place.

Related posts:

1. It’s that time of year again
2. The best AAA game I’ve seen all year