KANSAS CITY-- Adam Ulrey

If you want to know the difference between small market and big market clubs, just look at Johnny Damon, who was traded because the Royals knew they couldn't pay him. He's one of the best lead-off hitters in the game and yet they didn't even attempt to sign him, as they knew it was futile.

What they did do was sign Mike Sweeney, one of the best young hitters in the game, to a long-term deal. Sweeney hit .333 with 29 homers and 144 RBI's. I remember watching him struggle to hit .235 in rookie A ball here in Eugene, Oregon. Coming back to play second will be Carlos Febles, who the Royals are hoping will have a breakout year. He's capable of stealing 30 plus bases and they will need that from him now that Damon is gone.

The veteran Rey Sanchez is back to stabilize the infield at shortstop. He's not bad with the bat, as evidenced by his solid .273 avg. The third baseman will be Joe Randa, who seems to be getting better with age. He hit .304 with 15 HRs and 106 RBIs. The catching will be handled by a platoon of AJ Hinch, the former Athletic, and Greg Zaun, the elder statesman. David McCarty and Dee Brown will split time at the DH position.

The outfield will have all-star Jermaine Dye in right field. He's coming off a great year with 33 homers and was one of three members of the 2000 Royals to drive in over 100 runs. Carlos Beltran had a horrible sophomore year after being the Rookie of the Year in 1999. He was hurt, but when he did come back he just never got it going. He's looking to rebound and in the early going of spring training he's looking good. The bulk of the at-bats in left field will go to Mark Quinn, who hit .294 with 20 home runs and drove in 78 runs. Dee Brown will also see some time in left field.

The starting pitching is young, but has a chance to become a solid staff. Manager Tony Muser has said he is excited about his young staff. Jeff Suppan was their only double-digit winner last year with exactly ten wins. He'll be followed by Mac Suzuki (8-10, 4.34 ERA), Blake Stein (8-5, 4.68 ERA) and Brian Meadows, who came over in a late season trade from San Diego. The fifth starter will emerge from a spring training battle between Dan Reichert and Chris George. Jose Rosado will most likely be the number one starter once he is at full strength. He is coming off a shoulder injury and they don't expect him ready by opening day.

Roberto Hernandez, who came over from Tampa Bay in the Damon trade, should give the Royals a bonafied closer. Doug Henry comes to the Royals via the free agent route. He should be a quality set-up man for Hernandez. Chad Durbin, who was racked around by the league as evident by his 8.21 ERA, and Chris Fussell hope to be the back bone of the bullpen. Orber Moreno, who had high hopes of being the closer for the Royals last year until he went down for the year with arm trouble, will be back to help the bullpen out.

They have some young and exciting hitters, but it will be up to the pitching to see how far the Royals will go. Look for them to compete with the Twins and Tigers for third place in the AL Central Division.