The Royals made it official Wednesday. They designated Noel Arguelles and Irving Falu for assignment and Felipe Paulino left as a free agent after rejecting an assignment to Omaha.
That opened space for the Royals to add four players and they filled all available spots. In to the roster are Lane Adams, Christian Colon, Chelsor Cuthbert and Michael Mariot.
Retro broke down the possibilities earlier this week and all of the names listed above were mentioned, except for Falu. The initial reaction is to be surprised by dumping him. He's played third, short, second and some outfield for the Royals. However, it just doesn't make baseball sense to keep a 31 year old on the 40-man roster as what amounts to minor league filler. Falu has been in the organization since 2003 and has spent the last four years in Triple-A. It wasn't going to happen for him in Kansas City.
Paulino tweeted his release a couple of days ago, but subsequently deleted the tweet. If I remember, he thanked the organization and said he enjoyed his time. I love Paulino's tools and his results, but the guy just couldn't stay healthy. Tommy John surgery aside, it seemed like every other month he experienced a setback in rehab. It's possible the Royals could bring him back on a split contract, but from the Tweet, I'm going to assume there are some more medical issues.
Speaking of medical issues, Arguelles was a disaster. $6.9 million down the drain. I'll still say it was worth the risk.
Among the players added, there aren't really any surprises. Besides, I think I saw somewhere the other day the Royals haven't lost a player in the major league phase of the Rule 5 since Dayton Moore has been GM. Colon was a given. The Royals aren't going to expose a first round draft pick who has spent time in Triple-A. I have my doubts about the guy, but his pedigree means he will get some sort of shot. I think. If there was an upset, I'd say Cuthbert over Eibner. Although I don't think the Royals are going to lose Eibner and I don't think Cuthbert was at risk either. Call it a toss-up.