NewsRoyals parting ways with Mahay
Lefty designated for assignment; righty Yabuta recalled
By Dick Kaegel / MLB.com
08/24/09 8:19 PM ET
KANSAS CITY -- Left-hander Ron Mahay, senior member of the Royals, was designated for assignment on Monday, and right-hander Yasuhiko Yabuta was called up from Triple-A Omaha to replace him.Mahay, 38, had a 1-1 record and 4.79 ERA in 41 relief appearances this season, his second with Kansas City. Last year, he went 5-0 with a 3.48 ERA in 57 games.
"It just wasn't clicking as far as performance," Hillman said. "Statistically, Yabuta has done well in the Minor Leagues. We don't control Ronnie for next year, and this will give him the opportunity to hook on with somebody else where he can bring all the positive characteristics that he's brought here for the last year and six, seven months."
By being designated now, Mahay has more than a week to land with another Major League club and potentially be eligible for a postseason roster.
"Maybe this is a good thing, maybe I can catch on with a contending team," Mahay said. "I've got another week to do that. You've got to keep your head up and keep going."
If Mahay signs with a club by Aug. 31, he'd be eligible for postseason play. He said that general manager Dayton Moore told him the Royals would do anything they could to help him find a spot.
A Major Leaguer since 1995 when he came up to Boston as an outfielder, Mahay switched to pitching and resurfaced with the Red Sox in 1997. That year, he was 3-0 with a 2.52 ERA in 28 relief outings and a 13-year pitching career was launched.
He's also pitched for Oakland, Florida, the Chicago Cubs, Texas and Atlanta. He's been in 457 games with a 25-11 record, four saves and a 3.89 ERA.
"It's not an easy decision, not one we took lightly, especially when you put all the other components of a guy who's as classy and professional as Ron Mahay is," Hillman said. "You want those guys on your team, and at the same time, we want to win as many games as we can.
"We've got two other lefties down there and we knew there weren't going to be many innings for Ronnie. So we'll get Yabuta in here and see if he can help us out from the right side a little bit."
Yabuta has spent the entire season with Omaha, going 2-1 with a 3.55 ERA in 26 games. He had 53 strikeouts in 45 2/3 innings.
Yabuta was signed out of Japan before the 2008 season but struggled and spent part of the summer with Omaha. He was 1-3 with a 4.78 ERA in 31 games last year for Kansas City.
Mahay's last appearance for the Royals was Saturday night against Minnesota, and he gave up hits to three of the four batters he faced. He had a rough August, with two losses, a 9.95 ERA and four homers given up in 6 1/3 innings.
Last season was going splendidly for Mahay until he had problems with a bruised heel and arch plantar fasciitis in August. His ERA jumped from 1.75 to 3.48. After undergoing a procedure to correct the condition last winter, he took it slow in Spring Training but seemed to have recovered this year.
His time on the mound was reduced by the presence of two other lefty relievers, John Bale and Bruce Chen.
"The chances were limited down there compared to last year," Mahay said.
He and wife Alison were involved in numerous charitable, community and club activities.
"He was a true professional every day, no matter how he performed," Hillman said.
Dick Kaegel is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
