Rob Neyer criticizes the Royals for one more and one non-move. On Johnny Giavotella:

He should probably play anyway, because this is where the Royals are in their development cycle: Let the kids prove themselves in the minors, then let them sink or swim in the majors.

I find it hard to believe the Royals would send him down to reset his arbitration clock. He’s already clocked 55 days in the majors. At 24 years old, the Royals will already control Johnny’s career through his prime. Most great players are solidly in the majors by this age.

And on Joakim Soria:

And I will say this again: Not trading Joakim Soria when his value was highest is inexcusable, because a high-quality closer is simply not a luxury that a rebuilding team can afford. Even when he’s “cheap”, there’s an opportunity cost that should not be ignored. The front office ignored that opportunity cost, and now it’s going to cost them.

The Royals were a poor late-inning team even with Soria. It’s nice not to lose close games late, but the Royals were losing them in the eighth instead of the ninth.