Royals Trade For Reliever Lloyd

The Royals were off but were busy. They traded minor league pitcher Jeremy Hill for left-handed reliever Graeme Lloyd. He was 1-2 with a 3.31 ERA with the Mets this season. He also has post-season experience, collecting World Series rings with the Yankees in 1997 and 1998. The move gives Kansas City more left-handed depth in the bullpen. Before the trade, Jeremy Affeldt was the only lefty reliever. Affeldt was recently moved to the bullpen because of a recurring blister problem on his middle throwing finger. The Royals could either separate themselves or make the A.L. Central a tight race beginning tonight. They take on the second-place White Sox at home for the first of three. Kansas City leads Chicago by four games and they have a six and a half game advantage over the third-place Twins.