So far, 2012 is a disappointing season for the Kansas City Royals. Marred by injuries, a mediocre at best starting rotation and the sophomore slump of first baseman Eric Hosmer, the Royals are 37-47 and 9.5 games behind the Chicago White Sox. In an uphill struggle, the Royals are stuck in neutral and rolling back down the hill.

The Royals are getting outfielder Lorenzo Cain and infielder Chris Getz back from the disabled list. But Cain and Getz will not provide the dramatic turnaround the team needs to contend in a weak American League Central. What the Royals need is to get players via trades. But how the Royals play the next couple of weeks will determine if the Royals are buyers, sellers or window shoppers.

Buyers: If the Royals go 2-8 in the next ten games like they did in the previous ten games, they won’t be buyers until the off-season. And unless General Dayton Moore is willing to give up top prospects for starting pitching, the Royals won’t be buyers. Yes, it would be nice to think the Royals would have a chance with a Matt Garza, Cole Hamels or Zack Greinke. But at 9.5 games out and Moore’s aversion to trading prized prospects, this is a pipe dream. And would Moore trade for a front-line starter even if the Royals were in a tight A.L. Central race? I get the feeling he would say “trust the process,” and stand pat.

If the Royals go on a 8-2 run and play well the rest of the month, they might go for a Shaun Marcum, Jeremy Guthrie or Jason Vargas. But it’s likely the Royals will wait until the off-season to get a starting pitcher through free agency or a trade.

Sellers: This is the likely scenario for the Royals, a path the team has traveled too many times. The trade rumors for closer Jonathan Broxton are warming up and the trade rumors of outfielder Jeff Franceour will intensify as the trade deadline approaches.

In Broxton’s case, teams like the New York Mets need bullpen help and he might fit the bill. I wonder if the Mets would trade starter R.A. Dickey straight up Broxton? It’s doubtful, but it would be cool for the Royals to have a Dickey on the team. If the Mets aren’t interested, perhaps another team will show interest in Broxton.

Another player likely to be traded is Franceour, but don’t underestimate the love Moore has for Frenchy. Franceour’s defense is above average, but his offense has slipped from his numbers last year. And if you think we’re getting top tier prospects for Franceour, keep dreaming. But some low to mid-level prospects or a league replacement level player or two would be a fair trade.

Last month, I wrote an argument for keeping Franceour. But Wil Myers is close to Major League ready and if some other general manager gets the love jones Moore has for Franceour and gives up good players, the Royals have to trade him.

Then there’s outside trade candidates like infielder Yuni Betanourt and starter Bruce Chen. Yes, I said Yuni. Offensively, he had a great June and if Betancourt keeps it up, some team desperate for a utility infielder with some pop might be willing to trade. If that’s the case, Yuni needs to go.

As for Chen, he’s a dependable pitcher who can help out a contending team. The Royals shouldn’t give Chen away, but if the team can get some value, he needs to be traded. Chen’s exit would make way for Jake Odorizzi to join the Royals rotation and get a jump on 2013.

Window shoppers: This is an unlikely scenario, but it’s possible. The Royals wouldn’t get anyone in a trade and keep Broxton, Franceour, Chen and Betancourt. The team would shuttle starters like Nathan Adcock and Everett Teaford back and forth between Kansas City and Omaha. They might call up Myers and Odorizzi and whomever they replace will go to the bench, to AAA Omaha or be designated for assignment.

This scenario could happen if the Royals keep playing like they are or if the team doesn’t get the players they want via trades. They would play out the season and wait for 2013.

The reality is the second half of the 2012 season is shaping up like the second half of previous seasons. Middling to mediocre baseball, young players finding or losing their way in the Majors and a few bright spots in an otherwise dull campaign.

Will this ever change? I hope it does. I was heartened by the cheers fans gave Billy Butler during the All-Star Game. And when fans booed Yankees infielder Robinson Cano for not including Butler in the Home Run Derby, it showed fans still care for the Royals and they desperately want the team to win. Let’s hope the enthusiasm the fans had for Butler will carry over to the rest of the team. But the Royals have to play better baseball if they want to salvage the 2012 season.

With a young bullpen, having proven itself in 2011 season, the Kansas City Royals can and should look at moving their all-star closer Joakim Soria this offseason. Although being a good closer in the past, the Royals have set themselves up with numerous options for filling the closer role. Also Soria, with another trade asset, could bring a good return in the slim market of starting pitching.

First off replacing Soria in the closer spot could be an easy transition for two in house options that the Royals have. Greg Holland proved last year that hitters just could not hit his stuff. Not even after seeing his arsenal numerous times. His fastball sets up his great off-speed pitches and he strikes people out. As the duel set-up man along side Aaron Crow last season Greg holland paved the way for whomever was taking the hill in the next frame. Also, Jonathan Broxton, whom the Royals signed to a one year deal this winter could be an option since he has already had that role with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Putting one of these two in the closers role will also free up a spot for potential prospect Mike Montgomery to join the young bullpen if he does not make the pitching rotation in Spring Training. Although if Montgomery is to make the starting rotation then the Royals can fill the bullpen with whomever he boots out.

That is not the problem that the Royals face with the closer. It is the fact that will teams be willing to give up what the Royals are asking for. No doubt the Royals are not willing to part ways with their mexican closer cheaply. A frontline starter must be given in return for Jack, Soria’s clubhouse nickname. The Cubs look to be an option with Matt Garza reportedly being on the trade block and that is exactly what the Royals need. A pitcher who has had success with a small market team, Tampa Bay, and a pitcher that throws right handed. This would be the kind of player that would attract the Royals to trading Soria. The Royals are have more lefty prospects than they know what to do with. Who knew that having lefty prospects would be a problem for any organization.

The problem with holding onto Soria is the fact that if he starts the 2012 season with the cold weather blues of the past then his trade stock will surely go down and the Royals will not have a chance to trade him then.

The questions stand. Are the Royals willing to part ways with Joakim Soria and will teams fulfill the high price that the Royals are asking? Will Soria be the Jack of any trade?

This rivalry transcends the game on the field. Nothing is off-limits when it comes to St. Louis and Chicago. Which city has the better landmark, the better pizza, the better fans? All questions argued between April in September. But it all eventually boils back down to one thing: the teams. Who’s winning, who’s not? And that’s what we’ve come to do here today… to break down both teams, and decide who’s got the edge as this century-old rivalry continues in 2011…

Starting Pitching

Heading into spring training, the Cardinals should be feeling pretty good about their rotation. Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright are perennial aces, each finishing in the top 3 in Cy Young voting as recently as 2009. Wainwright is coming off career years in ERA (2.42) and Wins (20), while Carpenter turned in another solid season (3.22 ERA) and is an astounding record of 84-33 since 2004. Jaime Garcia had a great rookie campaign (13-8, 2.70 ERA) and could be the left-handed starter the Cardinals have been looking for since Rick Ankiel’s pitching career when up in flames back in 2002. Jake Westbrook is a solid number 3 pitcher (career .500 pitcher with an ERA of 4.22) that the Cardinals will have the luxury of running out as their number 4. The only question that remains is the 5^th spot. Kyle Lohse was very unimpressive in his road back from injury late last season (4-8, 6.55 ERA in 18 starts) but may be the Cardinals best option. Brad Penny is now a member of the Detroit Tigers, and while there was some thought of possibly moving set-up man Kyle McClellan into the rotation, that seems very unlikely now with the trade of Blake Hawksworth in the Ryan Theriot deal.

The Cubs have a few more question marks in their starting rotation heading into spring training. They have 3 solid pitchers in Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano, and Matt Garza. All three had ERAs under 4.00 and winning records. Garza was a great pick-up. While it’s hard to what a 15-10 record and 3.91 ERA translates to in the NL Central, I think it’s safe to say those numbers will substantially improve from his time in the AL East. The Cubs will try to catch lightning in a bottle again with Carlos Silva, who started last year 9-2 with a 2.48 ERA before struggling with injuries in the second half of last season. Tom Gorzelanny is about attractive a number 5 pitcher as Kyle Lohse is for the Cardinals, but with a decent ERA of 4.09 last year, he’s definitely in the running.

Edge: Cardinals. Cards have as good a 1-2 punch as anyone in baseball, and too many question marks for the Cubs.

The Bullpen

IN 2010, the Cardinals Bullpen was head and shoulders superior to the Cubs. Chicago was 15^th in the NL in bullpen ERA at 4.72. The Cardinals were nearly a full run below that at 3.73. The Cardinals lost a critical, up and coming piece to their staff in Blake Hawksworth, and the Cubs have reacquired veteran Kerry Wood. And while Cubs closer Carlos Marmol gave blew more saves (5) than Ryan Franklin (2), his ERA was nearly a full run better (2.55 vs Franklin’s 3.46).

The Edge: Cardinals. Both teams certainly have holes to fill, but the Cubs have more work to do if they plan to erase that big gap separating their bullpen and the Cardinals’.

The Infield

As always, the Cardinals have a big question marks at every position west of Albert Pujols (which by the way, the Cubs $10 million dollar contract they gave to first baseman Carlos Pena was very cute, but he’s a .241 career hitter coming off a .196 season, and Pujols is a future Hall of Famer. Let’s not waste any more time on first base: Advantage: Cardinals).

The Cardinals will hope Skip Schumaker figures things out at the plate and returns to his .300+ form of his earlier years with the Cardinals. It’ll be interesting to see how Ryan Theriot experiment works out; certainly won’t be worse than the Khalil Greene era, right? At third, David Freese is a big question mark heading into the season as well coming off his injury. It’s easy to forget he’s only had a few months experience in the big leagues. Although he appears to have a bright future, you just never know how the native St. Louisian will bounce back. Yadier Molina is a perennial gold glove candidate behind the plate, but his average has dipped of late.

The Cubs have the luxury of a proven anchor in Aramis Ramirez over at 3^rd. Although he had a terrible season by his standards, hitting just .241, he still managed 25 HRs and 83 RBIs. It was his first full season coming off an injury plagued 2009, and I would expect him to return to his usual .300+ average with 30+ HRs and 100+ RBIs. That might be more than the left side of the Cardinals infield combined. Chicago also has a promising young middle infield. Starlin Castro hit .300 in his rookie campaign (he’s only 20) and Blake Dewitt wasn’t spectacular, hitting .261 with 19 errors, but 82 RBIs from a second baseman is definitely nothing to scoff at. Geovany Soto isn’t as good a catcher as Molina, but makes up for it with his power and average.

Edge: Cubs. Even with Albert Pujols, the Cardinals have some big questions at every other infield position. The Cubs will get major power from both corner spots, and quiet, top of the order production from the middle of their infield.

The Outfield

The Cardinals outfield could be scary good this season. If Colby Rasmus gets the 400+ at bats he deserves and doesn’t have to sit every third day or vs left-handed starter, he is a .290/30 HR/85 RBI/20 Steal waiting to happen. But will he get the Abs, and will he stay healthy? Speaking of health, Lance Berkman could do some serious damage as well. He’s shown in the past he can be a .350 hitter with 40+ HRs and 100+ RBIs, but he isn’t getting any younger. The Cardinals will have to hope he has at least one more spectacular season left in him. We all know what Matt Holliday can do. His only downfall has been hitting early in the season with runners in scoring position. After huge pressure in his first season after a major contract, expect Matt to relax and produce even more than last year.

The Cubs outfield was a disaster last season. Kosuke Fukudome has been disappointing for three years now, hitting just .263 with 13 HRs while making $14 million. Alfonso Soriano has had two straight down years, hitting around .250 since ’09 with dropping power numbers. Marlon Byrd, the Cubs only “All Star” last year, hit .293 with just 12 HRs and 66 RBIs. Need we go further?

Edge: Cardinals.

Despite the clear advantages in many areas, the Cubs had the Cardinals’ number last year. The Red Birds only won 6 of 15 games against Chicago. It was just one of many examples of the Cardinals’ struggles to beat bad teams last year. More than two-thirds of the Cardinals’ losses in 2010 came at the hands of teams with records that were .500 or worse. St. Louis needs to take care of business against teams like the Cubs this season if they plan to play in October.

The Royals put a damper on the Twins’ hope for having home field advantage in the post season by unleashing a near non-stop onslaught against the Twins’ formidable pitching staff. In the first two games, the Royals scored twenty runs. The Royals have a chance to influence post-season seeding again to conclude the 2010 season versus the Tampa Bay Rays. If the Royals sweep the Rays, the Rays will go from being the number one seed to the number four seed in the playoffs. With a division title and playoff implications on the line, the Rays can ill afford to slack off against a team that scored over twenty runs in the past three games.

Game 1: Matt Garza (15-9) vs. Zack Greinke (9-14)

Matt Garza is getting his last start before the post-season begins. He is one of the key ingredients for the Rays’ ability to maintain pace with the Yankees all season long. He has one start against the Royals this season back on April 29th. He went six strong innings, giving up only five hits and one run.

Zack Greinke is going for his last attempt at reaching double-digit wins this season. For him, it would be a building block going into next year and a personal statistical milestone. If he pitches like his Cy Young caliber self, the Rays will have to take advantage of any mistake he makes. Last time Greinke faced the Rays he was nearly unhittable. He went eight strong innings and only gave up four hits and one run while striking out six. Despite this excellent performance, he took the loss due to the Rays pitching staff’s shutout performance.

Game 2: James Shields (13-14) vs. Bruce Chen (11-7)

James Shields has been on a roller coaster this season in terms of his effectiveness. At times, he has been forced to take early exits as he did against Florida in June (3.1 innings/ 10 ER). In other instances, he was very solid as he was against the Yankees two weeks ago (6.1 innings/ 1 ER). It is difficult for me to see him as a starter for the Rays in the post-season because of this inconsistency.

Bruce Chen is trying for win number twelve to cap off his most impressive season since 2005. He does have some quality experience against the Rays when he was with Baltimore. This will mark his first start against them this year. He is coming off an impressive outing versus Cleveland. He pitched 6.2 scoreless innings but wound up not being a part of the decision.

Game 3: Wade Davis (12-10) vs. Kyle Davies (8-11)

Last time Wade Davis got a start against the Royals, he pitched a magical seven scoreless innings against Zack Greinke. Since then, he has pitched .500 ball. He has not won a game since September 11 while visiting Toronto. Despite this fact, his ERA in the month of September has dropped steadily with each start.

Kyle Davies has a chance to tie a career high in wins if he can earn the victory on Saturday. His most recent start against Tampa Bay was back on May first of this year. He lasted six innings while striking out six, walking five, and giving up just two earned runs. In his last outing, he was shelled by the Twins. He lasted only 3.1 innings and gave up seven earned runs on eight hits and three walks. In order for him to get a strong consideration for next season he will have to have a solid outing against the Rays.

Game 4: David Price (19-6) vs. Sean O’ Sullivan (4-6)

David Price, a Cy Young candidate this year, will finish off the season for the Rays. Depending upon how the first three games go, he could be the man the Rays count on to bring home the division title, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. He has a chance to join the 20-win club in just his second complete season in the majors. Back on May first, he ended up not being a part on the final decision against the Royals. He went six innings and gave up two earned runs on just four hits. In his most recent start though, he pitched eight shutout innings against Baltimore.

Sean O’ Sullivan did something for the Royals that was more than just a “W” in the standings in his second-to-last start. Because of his quality pitching performance against Cleveland he assured the Royals would not suffer a 100-loss season this year. He also has the opportunity to make a stronger case for the Royals to keep him around for next year if he is able to repeat his winning performance against the Rays.

Offense:

The Royals were hot in the series against the Twins. With those performances, the Royals were able to move into a tie for second in the American League in team average. The Rays have been on and off the past few games, including a 2-0 loss against Baltimore on Wednesday. The Royals batters have a chance to do some damage to the Rays’ post-season expectations. Billy Butler and Mike Aviles have been swinging the bat really well all September. If the leadoff hitter can get on, this will give these two hitters a chance to drive in some runs.

Defense:

Going into this season the Royals thought they had improved on the defensive side of the ball. According to the numbers, they have not. This will be a point of emphasis going into the off-season. In contrast, Tampa Bay is ranked third in the American League in fielding percentage behind two other Playoff bound teams (New York and Minnesota).

Pitching:

This is another point in which the Rays and the Royals are polar opposites. The Rays are ranked second in team ERA, first in saves and third in strikeouts. The Royals rank fourteenth, fifth and eleventh in the same categories. The Royals need solid outings by their starters in order to set the game up for closer Joakim Soria. If each of them can go six or more innings while keeping the game close, this will allow Soria to attempt to eclipse the forty-five save mark.

X-Factor:

The Royals are playing for pride and evaluating talent for next year. The Rays are battling for a division title and playoff seeding (even though they are guaranteed a spot). The big question is, will the Rays finally cave under the pressure that they have been under all season or will they prove that they are the best team in the A.L. East?