How former Royals have done around the league

Players come and go. It is the nature of baseball as a business. Some leave of their own volition, others are asked to leave to peddle their talents elsewhere. The Royals have perhaps their greatest era of roster stability since the 1980s, but we have still seen a number of old friends depart.

Two of the most prominent ex-Royals playing elsewhere are Ben Zobrist and Johnny Cueto. Both pivotal members of last year's World Series club, they were among the most sought-after free agents last winter. This summer, they have justified those demands, both making an appearances at the All-Star Game in San Diego. Zobrist has had a fantastic season for the high-flying Cubs, while Johnny Cueto might be in the mix for a Cy Young Award with the Giants.

The trio of arms the Royals gave up to Cincinnati for Cueto have had more mixed results. Brandon Finnegan has been a solid mid-rotation pitcher, even flirting with a no-hitter, although his walk rate has been a bit high at 4.4 per-nine-innings. Cody Reed shows a lot of promise, but was hit hard in ten starts, although he is still just 23 years old. John Lamb has also been hit rather hard. The Reds have been stashing a lot of former Royals pitchers, including Tim Melville, Blake Wood, and Ross Ohlendorf (who was briefly in spring training with Kansas City this year).

The ex-Royals in Oakland recently made waves by fighting each other in the clubhouse, with Danny Valencia and Billy Butler coming to blows. Valencia has had a fantastic season, while Butler has been relegated to a part-time role. Sean Manaea, who the Royals gave up for Ben Zobrist, has a 3.14 ERA over his last nine games. Ryan Madson has seen his strikeout numbers decline, although he has otherwise had a solid season. Other former Royals relievers excelling around the league include J.P. Howell, Mike Montgomery, Joe Blanton, and Jeremy Jeffress, who was dealt to Texas at the trade deadline.

Wil Myers has had a breakout season in San Diego, also being named to the All-Star team, while the player hw was traded for, James Shields, has been a disaster. Longtime veterans like Carlos Beltran, Zack Greinke, and Melky Cabrera continue to play well, while Jose Bautista (who played here just briefly) has had a down year. Recently traded outfielder Brett Eibner has struggled since leaving Kansas City, hitting just .162/.238/.324 in 18 games with the A's.

Here are all the ex-Royals around baseball. Is there an old friend you pine for?