GM Dayton Moore is making a list, and checking it twice. The Front line starter the organization coveted can be scratched off the winter shopping list. Ownership has been naughty enough in green lighting a deal that adds $10.5 million to Kansas City's 2013 payroll?

Whether you agree or disagree with the blockbuster deal that came to fruition last weekend, you must admit it's stirred up the stagnant fan base that has been yearning for some sort of change. This bold trade makes Kansas City a better team in 2013, so we'll focus our attention on that and try to ignore the sentiment that the Rays will likely get the best of it in the long haul.

Bob Dutton recently tweeted they're currently $12 million over their stated breaking point, which means any more significant upgrades to the club seems unlikely. If anything they'll be finding ways to shed a little payroll?

There is unfinished business in shaping up the 25 man roster if you ask me, but finances restricts the front office from doing any more. I would be taken aback if any more meaningful moves transpire this winter.

Free agents that would be welcomed with open arms like Michael Bourn and Edwin Jackson for example are off limits. (Keith Law of ESPN mentioned Bourn as a potential fit in KC) It's safe to say that the fan base is hankering for more than a Xavier Nady minor league signing when the organization has declared that they're "all in".

I'd like to see Dayton succeed, but ownership needs to lend a helping hand. They have plenty more trade pieces at their disposal to improve the big league club. He's done an astute job of feeding the minor league pipeline with an abundance of talent, so let's throw the "beloved" GM a bone.

If Mr. Glass gets into the Christmas spirit and decides to unshackle his tight financial budget things could become very interesting. Adding a couple more players via trade would provide the club with a handful of extra wins next year. While I'm skeptical of his creativity to do so without giving away too much, desperate times call for desperate measures.

In all reality it appears as if the Royals are tapped out. Investing more into the product at this point is out of question if we've learned anything under the Glass family regime. While deeply disappointed by that notion, It's not an unfamiliar feeling. Perhaps I'll be mistaken if the shrewd owner decides to ante up some of that Walmart dough lying around.

I must be in a jolly mood to be feeling a sudden rush of optimism as a Royals fan these days, but my current state of jubilation could fade by mid-summer if the front office is packing it in for the winter.