Q: Do you think the Royals will go after Andruw Jones, or another outfielder to add some power they desperately need for their young lineup?
— Jeff Hunter, Lee’s Summit, Mo.

A: Nobody thought they would step up and outbid a couple of other teams by spending $55 million for Gil Meche last winter, so this time, I’m going to assume the Royals are serious about putting together a team that can get back above .500 and challenge in the American League Central.

I don’t know if it’s Jones they will go after, although there is the connection with Royals general manager Dayton Moore, who came from the Braves’ system. There will be a glut of quality center fielders on the market this winter, including Torii Hunter, Aaron Rowand and Mike Cameron. There also handful of several factors to be determined here, namely how much Jones will be able to get on the market after a bad season, and just how much the Royals can afford to add to their payroll.

The bad news is the Royals’ payroll made a big jump this season — from $47 million to $67 million. The good news is they clear about $25 million-plus with the expiration of the contracts of Mike Sweeney ($11 million), Jason Larue ($5.2 million), Reggie Sanders ($5.0 million), and Scott Elarton ($4 million).

You’re right in saying they need a veteran run producer in the middle of a promising-but-still-young lineup that includes David DeJesus, Alex Gordon, Mark Teahan and Billy Butler. They also need another quality starting pitcher. But Royals’ fans should be pleased with the direction Moore and his administration is taking this down-too-long franchise.

Q: Can you give me your take on Milton Bradley? When will he finally blow up with the Padres?
— Mark, Pasadena, Calif.

A: The Padres needed offense badly enough to take a flier on Milton, and so far, he has been well worth the gamble. He currently is sidelined by a strained right oblique suffered last Friday in Denver, but there’s no doubting he has been an important part of their offense, as he is hitting .321 with 10 homers and 39 RBI since the Padres got him from the A’s on June 29.

So no matter what happens the rest of the way, GM Kevin Towers made the right move. And maybe some down time will keep Bradley’s mercurial personality under wraps for awhile, as the Padres will need him down the stretch and in the playoffs if they get there. His closest call to another incident came when he exchanged a few taunts late last month with Phillies fans — a flammable mix if there ever was one.

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