Royals shakeup unlikely today

Glass says 'significant' changes on way, but probably not before Tuesday; Baird could be history

? The Kansas City Royals apparently will have to wait at least until Tuesday to learn what changes owner David Glass has decided to make.

Glass said Sunday he did not anticipate any announcement today.

“I don’t think so,” he told the Associated Press. “Before you announce anything, I believe you should know exactly what you plan to do.”

The Royals’ 3-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Sunday dropped their record to a major-league-worst 7-22. In an interview Friday, Glass seemed to leave no doubt that he would soon make “significant” changes in the club, which is on track to lose 100 games for the fourth time in five seasons.

General manager Allard Baird seems the most likely to go. Since he was named GM in June of 2000, the Royals have gone 375-561. Another possibility could be a revamping of the scouting and player-development departments.

Forced to work on a small budget, Baird wound up having to unload most of the best players the organization has produced in recent years, including outfielders Johnny Damon, Jermaine Dye and Carlos Beltran. But none of the players he got in return has developed into a quality major-leaguer.

In addition, many of his free-agent signings also have been disappointments, most notably Juan Gonzalez and Benito Santiago, who together got more than $8 million from the budget-conscious Glass family but never produced.

Adding pressure on Glass to act is the increasing frustration of fans. Their patience in the face of the dismal beginning to this season seems even shorter after voters in Jackson County approved April 4 a sales tax to fund extensive renovations and developments of Kauffman Stadium and Arrowhead Stadium.

“It is a very natural reaction from fans,” Glass has said. “I understand it and I think they have a right to feel that way. We have a responsibility – all of us who are involved – to put a team on field that is competitive.”