Well, this season has surprisingly gone south the last two months.  The Royals are 15-33 in their last 48 games.  That equals a winning percentage of .313 in those last 48 games.  For reference, the lowly Nationals are sporting a .289 winning percentage on the season.  The Royals aren't that bad, but lately it hasn't been a whole lot better.  The promise of the 18-11 start is gone and we are left with a roster that is so bad, I don't know how to describe it. 

So, the question in my mind becomes "what happens now"?  Was the start a hint that with healthy players this team could be competitive as is?  Doubtful.  We've seen this stuff before and have been fooled by it.  Lets take a look at the pitchers and see what 2010 looks like.

Pitchers

Gil Meche- Signed for 2010 and 2011 at 12.4 million.  Enough has been said about his recent starts, lets hope he is still capable of brushing his teeth by this time next year.

Zack Greinke- 7.2 for 2010, 13 million for 2011 and 2012.  Ace of the staff and could anchor any rotation in Major League Baseball. 

Brian Bannister- Getting 1.7 this year and looks like he will be in his second year of arbitration next year.  Definitely looks like he can be a solid starter, could easily get shipped out for parts soon though.

Bruce Chen- He isn't listed on the Cots spreadsheet, I'm assuming he signed a minor league contract?  Either way, doubtful that he is a key piece of this rotation going forward.  Special note from his baseball reference page- "Hey Chickenman at least I wear a glove! So the Phillies finally won, great now you're tied with the Marlins."  That is from his sponsor.

Luke Hochevar- 1.75 this year and with his arbitration years is around until 2013.  Luke has looked pretty salty at times this year.  Interesting trade material?

Kyle Davies- 1.3 this year, second year of arbitration next year.  I don't have any longterm faith in him being 1-4 starter going forward.  Maybe a few spot starts and some bullpen work in his future.

Bullpen-

Joakim Soria- 3 mil for 2010 and 4 mil for 2011 with club options after that.  Great contract and one of the best closers in the game.  He's looked great the last few games and could bring a great haul in a trade.  Definitely a risky move though.

John Bale- 1.2 mil this year and listed as Arb 2 for next year.  Has looked good at times and can definitely be a useful part of a bullpen.  Might have some value on the trade market.

Ron Mahay- Free agent next year.  Hopefully he gets traded for something.  Anything. 

Juan Cruz- 3.25 for 2010 and a club option for 2011.  Disappointing year to this point but he has still shown flashes.  Another possible trading chip or solid bullpen material for 2010.

Kyle Farnsworth- Do I need to rehash his contract again?  Great, great mop-up reliever and with his contract it is unlikely he is traded for much.

Jamie Wright- Free agent for 2010.  Can't get here fast enough for me.

Robinson Tejeda- 437,000 this year and elligible for arbitration next year.  Struggles with the strike zone occasionally and must not be very vocal in the clubhouse as it seems Trey forgets he is on the team at times.

Roman Colon- Not listed on Cots and is making around the league minimum (I'm guessing?).  Solid year up to this point, I can handle him in the bullpen.

What do we have here?  Out of the starters, I'm guessing we have 4 guys that belong in a Major League rotation.  In my mind, it is unlikely we make it past the trade deadline with all four of those guys.  It seems like Zack is the only untouchable with Meche's name being mentioned in the last week.  I'm all for trading anybody, well except Zack.  I'm not sure if a team could put enough together to take him. 

The bullpen is a question mark for most teams and the Royals aren't any different.  It's ok though, we have Dayton Moore and he can build a bullpen using play-dough.  Soria could bring in a lot of talent and I firmly believe another closer can be found somewhere.  The question is whether during a season like this, can the Royals afford to piss off the fans by doing something like that?

Thoughts?