<table> </table> The rush by big-league teams in recent months to lock in their young core players for long term appears poised to add another name. Florida has reached a general agreement on a six-year extension with shortstop Hanley Ramirez that could be worth as much as $70 million.</p><p>If that deal goes down, Ramirez would become the 23rd player since Jan. 1 to reach a multiyear extension when at least two years shy of free-agent eligibility.</p><p>None of them are Royals.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s just kind of a feel thing,&#8221; general manager Dayton Moore said. &#8220;Obviously, there has to be a willingness on both sides. We talk about a lot of things, but we&#8217;re still very early in the process.&#8221;</p><p>The Royals are loaded with young players who project as key players for years to come. Of those, the closest to free-agency are pitcher Zack Greinke and catcher John Buck. Both are on track to enter the market after the 2010 season.</p><p>Neither has been contacted by club officials about possible extensions.</p><p>&#8220;I haven&#8217;t heard a word of anything,&#8221; Greinke said. &#8220;I don&#8217;t think it would distract me, but I don&#8217;t know what I&#8217;m worth. But if you continue to do well, you&#8217;ll be fine. That&#8217;s all I&#8217;m really worried about.&#8221;</p><p>Greinke, 24, is 4-1 with a 1.80 ERA in seven starts. He could be even better; he turned over leads to the bullpen in his two no-decisions.</p><p>Buck, 27, draws increasing praise from pitchers for his ability to call games and, given regular duty again this season, is showing signs of increased offensive production. Even so, he also has yet to generate interest from the Royals regarding a possible extension.</p><p>&#8220;Any player would welcome some talks because that&#8217;s security you&#8217;re talking about,&#8221; Buck admitted. &#8220;You can root your family down. That&#8217;s the plus side of it. The other side is how much money is that worth to you?&#8221;</p><p>Moore declined to discuss specifics but said he has no problem in initiating talks during a season.</p><p>&#8220;You evaluate every player and every situation differently,&#8221; he said. &#8220;You can&#8217;t just have a blanket policy. There is a lot that goes into signing a player long term. I can&#8217;t speak for any other organization. I can only speak for how we look at it.&#8221;</p><p>The Royals, under Moore, have limited their long-term investments to free agents, such as pitcher Gil Meche and outfielder Jos&#233; Guillen. The previous administration signed outfielder David DeJesus for a five-year deal in March 2006 that runs through 2010 with an option for 2011.</p><p>Moore also inherited a four-year contract for shortstop Angel Berroa for $11 million that expires after this season when the Royals exercise a $500,000 to void a $5.5 million option for 2009.</p><p>&#8220;I would just as soon not comment on any pending negotiation or potential negotiation,&#8221; Moore said, &#8220;but I think you evaluate everything on a case-by-case basis.&#8221;</p><p>Tampa Bay created a stir last month by signing third baseman Evan Longoria to a six-year deal for $17.5 million after he played just a handful of games in the big leagues.</p><p>The Royals seem unlikely to make such a quick decision on any player, but Greinke and Buck are the vanguard of a group of young players requiring decisions in coming years.</p><p>Outfielder Mark Teahen will be eligible for free-agency after the 2011 season. Barring extensions, the big exodus could be after 2012, when third baseman Alex Gordon, closer Joakim Soria, starter Brian Bannister, shortstop Tony Pe&#241;a and reliever Leo Nu&#241;ez can enter the market.