MLB Daily Dish - Royals, Rays MEGATRADE: Wil Myers for James Shields, Wade DavisMLB Trade Rumors, Signings, and Newshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47945/mlbdailydish-fave.png2014-03-06T14:00:02-05:00http://www.mlbdailydish.com/rss/stream/35135372014-03-06T14:00:02-05:002014-03-06T14:00:02-05:00Royals will face PR backlash if Shields walks
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<figcaption>Ed Zurga</figcaption>
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<p>This is why Kansas City was criticized for the Wil Myers trade. </p> <p><span>James Shields</span> is open to an extension with the <a href="https://www.royalsreview.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Royals</a>, but he won't negotiate with the team during the season. So, unless he agrees to a new deal sometime in the next two and a half weeks -- <a href="https://twitter.com/TylerDrenon/status/441573840049565696" target="_blank">which is unlikely</a> (cool hashtag Bowden, #FreeAgentNintendoFear) -- he will be one of the most sought-after free agents on the market next winter.</p>
<p>That's good news for just about everyone but the Royals.</p>
<div class="read-more">
<b>More from Justin Millar</b>: <a href="http://www.mlbdailydish.com/2014/3/5/5475632/masterson-proposes-extension-to-indians" target="_blank">Masterson proposes extension to Cleveland</a> <a href="http://www.mlbdailydish.com/2014/3/5/5475632/masterson-proposes-extension-to-indians" target="_blank">Could the Phillies trade Cliff Lee?</a> <a href="http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2014/2/23/5440496/position-player-regression-candidates" target="_blank">Position player regression candidates</a>
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<p>Sure, there's some risk in extending a 32-year-old pitcher at a top-of-the-market AAV, but the Royals knew how good Shields was when they traded Wil Myers -- and <span>Jake Odorizzi</span>, Patrick Leonard, and <span>Mike Montgomery</span> -- for him.</p>
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<p>If Shields leaves Kansas City after the season -- or during, if they struggle -- Kansas City will be left with only <span>Wade Davis</span> to show for the <span>deal</span>, and the <a href="https://www.draysbay.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Rays</a> will be laughing their way through pennant chases with the 23-year-old holding down the middle of their batting order.</p>
<p>Furthermore, Davis -- and his career 4.57 ERA as a starter -- might not even be a Royal past 2014. Rays general manager Andrew Friedman was praised for acquiring Myers for James Shields after the deal became official on December 9, 2012, but maybe he should have gotten more credit than he did for unloading Davis.</p>
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<a href="http://www.royalsreview.com/2014/3/6/5467948/the-royals-horseshoe">
<h2>The Royals' horseshoe</h2>
<img src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/assets/4096047/9-2620royals20logo.jpg"></a> <span>"I understand it works whether you believe in it or not."</span>
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<p>In 2011, Friedman made a rare mistake. He signed Davis to a four-year extension worth $10.1 million. That part of the contract wasn't horrible (and Tampa Bay only paid $1.5 million of that amount anyway thanks to the trade). The problem was the escalating options thereafter. Next season, Davis' contract enters into a series of escalating team options that begin at $7 million in 2015 and end at $10 million in 2017 -- Davis' age-31 season.</p>
<p>The 28-year-old has all but solidified himself as reliever -- when the results he's posted out of the bullpen are held up against his ERA as a starter, it's an easy choice. Friedman couldn't begin to consider paying Davis that much, and the Royals probably shouldn't either. Major-market clubs can afford to pay their 7th-inning guy $7million to $10 million (if they want to), but small-market clubs like Kansas City and Tampa Bay can't -- at least not in a way that's conducive to building a winning roster. So Friedman covered his mistake well while bringing in one of the best hitting prospects in the game and he only gave up a pitcher he couldn't afford anymore anyway.</p>
<p>The Royals can't afford him either -- apparently. Since they have no plans to negotiate a deal with Shields, they will be left with the microscopic window for discussion that bridges the end of <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-series" class="sbn-auto-link">the World Series</a> to the official beginning of the offseason.</p>
<p>In other words, it's probably not going to happen if it doesn't happen before the 2014 season starts.</p>
<p>That will not be well received by Royals fans. Shields has become immensely popular in his short time with the Royals, and unless Myers literally disappears into thin air, KC fans will have to watch what could have been in duplicate for the foreseeable future when Shields signs elsewhere.</p>
<p>Not that the resentment from the fanbase will really affect the Royals' front office in any way. Why would it? Criticism is so incredibly easy to take when you're reading it on the hologram screen of your own personal spaceship ... or something like that. Who knows what the absurdly rich outright owners of American culture actually have at their disposal.</p>
<p><i>C'mon Mr. Glass! Let us eat cake!</i></p>
https://www.mlbdailydish.com/2014/3/6/5476610/royals-rumors-free-agency-james-shieldsTyler Drenon2013-02-27T16:00:10-05:002013-02-27T16:00:10-05:00The MEGATRADE that wasn't
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<figcaption>Rob Tringali</figcaption>
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<p>Before the Rays and Royals finalized their trade, there was a potential 3-team deal in the works involving the Rays, Rangers and Diamondbacks.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.draysbay.com/">Tampa Bay Rays</a> traded <span>James Shields</span> and <span>Wade Davis</span> to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Kansas City Royals</a> for a bevy of prospects this winter. But before that deal was completed, the Royals almost lost out on Shields and Davis, as there was a potential three-team deal in the works involving the Rays, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lonestarball.com/">Texas Rangers</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Arizona Diamondbacks</a>, according to <a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/kansas-city-royals-gm-dayton-moore-wil-myers-james-shields-wade-davis-jake-odorizzi-mike-montgomery-patrick-leonard-022713" target="_blank">Ken Rosenthal</a> of FOX Sports.</p>
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<h4>Read: <a href="http://www.mlbdailydish.com/2012/12/9/3749496/royals-rays-megatrade-wil-myers-for-james-shields-wade-davis" target="new">The entire Royals-Rays MEGATRADE stream</a>
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<p>The night before the Rays and Royals finalized their agreement that sent Shields and Davis to KC for <span>Wil Myers</span>, <span>Jake Odorizzi</span>, <span>Mike Montgomery</span> and Patrick Leonard, another trade was nearly completed.</p>
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<a href="http://www.mlbdailydish.com/2012/12/10/3749532/royals-rays-trade-wil-myers-james-shields-wade-davis/in/3513537">
<h2>Royals-Rays MEGATRADE instant reaction: Rays win, Royals lose. Forever.</h2>
<img src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/4719645/153100064.0_standard_783.0.jpg"></a> <span>"I thought it could happen. The rumors were out there. GOOD rumors. I knew it could happen. I believed GMDM was capable of something like this. And then it DID happen. Here's what the world said immediately after the biggest catastrophe since the Royals."</span>
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<p>The Royals didn't nearly lose Shields to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/">Detroit Tigers</a>, the other team that was reportedly pursuing the right-hander.</p>
<p>Instead, Rosenthal reports the proposed trade would have sent Shields and Davis to Arizona, outfielder <span>Justin Upton</span> to the Rangers and a package of prospects to the Rays.</p>
<p>It remains unclear why the deal was never finalized, according to Rosenthal, but the next day Arizona signed free agent right-hander <span>Brandon McCarthy</span> to a two-year, $15.5 million contract.</p>
<p>Ultimately the Royals acquired Shields and Davis, the Tigers re-signed <span>Anibal Sanchez</span>, the Diamondbacks shipped Upton to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Atlanta Braves</a>, and the Rangers wound up inking <span>A.J. Pierzynski</span> and <span>Lance Berkman</span>.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/mlbdailydish"><img alt="Mlbdd-twitter-insert_medium" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1795637/MLBDD-twitter-insert.png" width="100%"></a></p>
https://www.mlbdailydish.com/2013/2/27/4035746/mlb-rumors-rangers-rays-dbacks-james-shields-justin-uptonBlaine Blontz2012-12-10T12:00:00-05:002012-12-10T12:00:00-05:00ROYALS RAYS MEGATRADE
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<figcaption>Matt Ryerson-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p><b>UPDATE - </b>James Shields receives $750,000 as a bonus for being traded, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports:</p>
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<p>James Shields receives $750,000 trade bonus as a result of trade, source says. @<a href="https://twitter.com/mlbonfox">mlbonfox</a></p>
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) <a data-datetime="2012-12-10T12:50:13+00:00" href="https://twitter.com/jonmorosi/status/278119426451185664">December 10, 2012</a>
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<p><b>ORIGINAL - </b>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Kansas City Royals</a> have traded major <a href="http://www.mlbdailydish.com/2012/9/4/3291811/kansas-city-royals-of-wil-myers-named-baseball-americas-minor-league-poy" target="_blank"><i>major</i> </a> prospect <span>Wil Myers</span> along with <span>Jake Odorizzi</span>, <span>Mike Montgomery</span> and Patrick Leonard to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.draysbay.com/">Tampa Bay Rays</a> in exchange for <span>James Shields</span> and <span>Wade Davis</span> (<a href="https://twitter.com/TBTimes_Rays/status/277980382400507904" target="_blank">first reported by Marc Topkin</a>), according to Ken Rosenthal:</p>
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<p>Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Rays">#Rays</a> will send James Shields and Wade Davis to <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Royals">#Royals</a> for Wil Myers and other prospects.</p>
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) <a data-datetime="2012-12-10T03:46:47+00:00" href="https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/277982667985809408">December 10, 2012</a>
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<p>Wil Myers has been been dangled as trade bait by Royals General Manager Dayton Moore pretty much since the end of the World Series, if not before. Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star suggested as far back as August that Myers' minor league success (and Jeff Francouer's comically bad performance in RF combined with his $7.5 million 2013 salary) <a href="http://www.mlbdailydish.com/2012/8/24/3265169/kansas-city-royals-rumors-jeff-francoeur-wil-myers-mlb-2012" target="_blank">could lead to a Frenchy trade this off-season</a>.</p>
<p>However, once the post-season passed and the Royals' <a href="http://www.mlbdailydish.com/2012/11/24/3684538/royals-rumors-wil-myers" target="_blank">obvious need for a starter</a> transcended every other need (like basic understanding of years of team control, value, aging ... I could go on), something changed. Suddenly it was <i>Wil Myers</i> was the movable piece, not Frenchy.</p>
<p>First came the rumors that it was Myers-for-Shields, which received a <a href="http://www.mlbdailydish.com/2011/11/5/2540396/mlb-trade-rumor-reactions-lincecum-cuddyer-prado-myers" target="_blank">well-justified backlash</a> considering Shields is under team control for 2 more seasons while Myers is under control for 5 (I need to check that part). Then the rumors were Myers for Dickey, but that was no-go, and then it was <span>Jon Lester</span>, but that wouldn't happen either.</p>
<p>And here we stand. The Royals have traded away their one can't miss prospect for 2 years of James Shields. Yes, there's Wade Davis, and there's that "other prospects" business which needs to be addressed which we can save for the next update.</p>
<p>But for now it's clearly obvious the Royals are playing for 2013, and it's just as obvious Dayton Moore probably made the one move that will either get him fired -- or save his job. How long will it take to find out whether he was right?</p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/mlbdailydish" target="_blank"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1795637/MLBDD-twitter-insert.png" class="photo" alt="Mlbdd-twitter-insert_medium" width="100%"></a></p>
https://www.mlbdailydish.com/2012/12/9/3749364/royals-rays-trade-wil-myers-james-shields-mlb-trade-rumorsJustin Bopp2012-12-10T11:30:13-05:002012-12-10T11:30:13-05:00Rays fans sad to see Shields depart
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<figcaption>Matt Ryerson-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>Just ignore the "cons" part...</p> <p>It seems that Andrew Friedman is at it again.</p>
<p>The MacGyver of Major League Baseball has taken $28.6 million in salary over the next two seasons and turned it into four shiny new prospects, none of whom have even a day of major-league service time.</p>
<p>The prize of the Royal Quartet is <a href="http://">Baseball America's 2012 Minor League Player of the Year</a> and Master Masher of Baseballs Wil Myers. Along with Myers comes the left-hander <span>Mike Montgomery</span>, right-hander <span>Jake Odorizzi</span> and third baseman Patrick Leonard. Montgomery and Odorizzi <strike>are</strike> were hanging out with Myers in the Top 5 of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Royals</a>' prospect list, while Leonard -- a low-minors guy -- plays the part of <span>Nick Punto</span> in this trade.</p>
<p>The reaction from the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.draysbay.com/">Rays</a>' side of things has been pretty exclusively optimistic, ranging from "it should be a good move" to "OH MY GOD We're going to dominate!"</p>
<p>But there is no doubt the departure of home-grown pitchers <span>James Shields</span> and <span>Wade Davis</span> will weigh heavily on Rays fans upon reflection, which is the approach the folks at DRays Bay have taken <a href="http://www.draysbay.com/2012/12/10/3749812/james-shields-rays-retrospective" target="_blank">in their analysis thus far</a>:</p>
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<p>Trades like this will never not hurt.</p>
<p>We're fans, and fans grow attached to players. It's natural.</p>
<p>As Rays fans we make a special pact with the team, though. In rooting for them you must understand the economic scope the team works within. Players are assets. When you build enough assets you can attempt to trade them at their peak value to provide the best possible return, thus improving yourself for the future while not damaging, and sometimes even improving, the present. That's what was done here.</p>
<p>As much as it sucks to not have Shields in a Rays uniform any longer, it's the cold yet necessary move the team felt like it had to make.</p>
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<p>Be sure to check back in with <a href="http://www.draysbay.com/" target="_blank">DRays Bay</a> throughout the day as they analyze the deal from several different angles.</p>
<p>______</p>
<p>The consensus over at Baseball Nation seems to be very much in favor of the Rays, with Rob Neyer <a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/2012/12/10/3749556/kansas-city-royals-tampa-bay-rays-trade-james-shields-wil-myers-analysis" target="_blank">concluding that the Royals were essentially hosed in the deal</a>:</p>
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<p>Is Myers a sure thing? Of course not.</p>
<p>The only sure things in baseball are Bud Selig getting a bad haircut and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.camdenchat.com/">Baltimore Orioles</a> finishing in last place.</p>
<p>What? Oh. Right. Then just the bad haircut, I guess. That's the only sure thing.</p>
<p>But Wil Myers is the latest winner of Baseball America's latest Minor League Player of the Year.</p>
<p>Based on this measure alone, it seems there's an excellent chance the Royals just traded away a future star ... and there's roughly a 50/50 chance they just traded a future superstar.</p>
<p>Bottom line? This is a desperate move by a desperate team. I'm reluctant to blame general manager Dayton Moore, because it's possible that owner David Glass forced this move, or something like it, on him. But we've heard no hint of that. Considering only the evidence at hand, we must assume that Dayton Moore considers this a good trade, in which the value of the players he's acquired is balanced by the players he's given up.</p>
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<p>Jeff Sullivan over at Lookout Landing -- <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lookoutlanding.com/2012/12/9/3749756/royals-rays-trade-james-shields-wil-myers">in a piece you need to read in its entirety because it is fantastic</a> -- gives the move much more perspective, marking the deal as the end of an era in terms of trades and the misestimation of talent:</p>
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<p>If front offices are all getting smarter and all blending together, it follows that there will be one final unforgivably stupid trade. There will always be trades that don't work out, because players will always be unpredictable, but as we've said time and time again, trades are to be evaluated by what's known at the time of the transaction, and eventually every trade should make sense for both sides. Teams won't make trades out of desperation or based on faulty analysis or whatever. They'll be made logically, sensibly. They'll be mutually beneficial. The days of immediately lopsided moves ought to be coming to a close.</p>
<p>One wonders if now, as of this evening, we've seen the last godawful trade in baseball.</p>
<p>The answer is "no, probably," and you have to be a big believer in the theory above, but in case you hadn't heard, the Royals traded Wil Myers. The Royals received James Shields and Wade Davis. In addition to Myers, the Royals gave up three talented prospects. The Royals are trying to win now, and one might refer to this as a "bold" maneuver, if one were being exceptionally, unreasonably nice...</p>
<p>Dayton Moore needs to be stopped, for Kansas City's benefit.</p>
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<p>I think it's fair to say that Sullivan thinks the Rays won the trade.</p>
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<p><a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/mlbdailydish"><img alt="Mlbdd-twitter-insert_medium" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1795637/MLBDD-twitter-insert.png" width="100%"></a></p>
https://www.mlbdailydish.com/2012/12/10/3750580/rays-megatrade-reaction-pros-cons-shields-myersNate A.2012-12-10T11:01:21-05:002012-12-10T11:01:21-05:00Royals fans react: Despair! Despair!
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<figcaption>Matt Ryerson-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>Mostly cons though, at least from the Royals' side.</p> <p>Well, it happened.</p>
<p>Someone gave Dayton Moore the keys to a bunch of young, promising players and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mlbdailydish.com/2012/12/9/3749364/royals-rays-trade-wil-myers-james-shields-mlb-trade-rumors">he went and traded them all for two years of an expensive 31-year-old and some other guy (and maybe another guy?)</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.mlbdailydish.com/2012/12/10/3749532/royals-rays-trade-wil-myers-james-shields-wade-davis" target="_blank">Justin did a pretty damn good job</a> of summing up the <a href="https://www.royalsreview.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Royals</a>' fan perspective last night, but just in case he didn't convince you, here's a smattering of views from well-respected KC fans across the interwebs.</p>
<p>Craig Brown and the rest of the good folks at Royals Review have a hint of resigned sadness about them <a target="_blank" href="http://www.royalsreview.com/2012/12/10/3749726/instant-analysis-dayton-moore-closes-phase-one-of-the-process">in their analysis of the deal</a>. They put their trust in "the process" for years only to watch Moore ultimately give up on the plan for a short-term gain:</p>
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<p>As fans, when we looked ahead to the 2013 season, there were two names that topped our list of players we were anxious to see contribute full time: WIl Myers and <span>Jake Odorizzi</span>...</p>
<p>Now they're gone.</p>
<p>And all we get is <span>James Shields</span> and <span>Wade Davis</span>. Ugh.</p>
<p>This is the first time since The Process started in earnest that Dayton Moore has moved a prospect chip in exchange for big league talent. This means he's going for it. But can he afford to go for it? This is a move that smells of desperation...</p>
<p>This move is from a General Manager who is, as I've noted before, on the hot seat. His contract runs out in 2014 and the clock is ticking. He's had a longer tenure than Allard Baird with less major league success.</p>
<p>Dayton Moore is fighting for his job. When that happens, you sacrifice the long term plan for the short term gain.</p>
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<p>From Grantland writer and (former?) <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ranyontheroyals.com/2012/12/complete-analysis-of-myers-shields-trade.html">Royals super-fan Rany Jazayerli</a>:</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1856523/Screen_shot_2012-12-10_at_5.22.46_PM.png"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1856523/Screen_shot_2012-12-10_at_5.22.46_PM_medium.png" class="photo" alt="Screen_shot_2012-12-10_at_5"></a> <br id="1355149465305"></p>
<p>From former KC Star columnist and current Jedi Master at Sports on Earth Joe Posnanski:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p>I felt a great disturbance in the force.</p>
— Joe Posnanski (@JPosnanski) <a href="https://twitter.com/JPosnanski/status/277998745914834944" data-datetime="2012-12-10T04:50:40+00:00">December 10, 2012</a>
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<p>________________</p>
<p>While the large amount of the reaction around the net seems to be of the "Royals are doomed" variety, not all writers are writing Dayton Moore's eulogy.</p>
<p>JD Sussman of <a target="_blank" href="http://bullpenbanter.com/the-royals-rays-trade-by-the-number/">Bullpen Banter</a>:</p>
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<p>It’s impossible to know why Dayton Moore made this trade. Maybe he was trying to save his job. Maybe he really believes that Myers will not hit for power – as reported. Maybe ownership wouldn’t okay buying another free agent starter after committing $12 million to Ervin Santana and $26 million to Jeremy Guthrie. This may have forced him to make a trade (albeit, the wrong one). In all, there is a lot of upside on this Royals squad. The defense is very good; Moustakas, Hosmer, Cain, Duffy and Perez should all be healthy and could improve; Francouer could regress towards the league average, making him more useful than he was in 2011; the same could be said for WadeDavis and Santana too.</p>
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<p>From Ken Rosenthal of <a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/kansas-city-royals-gm-dayton-moore-right-move-james-shields-wade-davis-trade-tampa-bay-rays-wil-myers-120912" target="_blank">FOX Sports</a>:</p>
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<p>People will crush the Royals. People always crush the Royals, and they mostly deserve it after nine straight losing seasons, the last 6-1/2 under general manager Dayton Moore.</p>
<p>But not this time.</p>
<p>Not after obtaining 40 percent of their 2013 starting rotation Sunday night without trading a single major leaguer in their stunning blockbuster with the Rays...</p>
"I love prospects, but uncle," one GM said Sunday night. "Myers is no slam dunk. He better hit a ton. And maybe he will. But this is far from a lopsided deal..."
<p>People will crush the Royals. People always crush the Royals. But trust me, the Rays sure don’t feel like they won the trade.</p>
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<p>From Jeff Passan of <a target="_blank" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/news/mlb--royals-bet-big-james-shields-blockbuster-trade-with-rays-092108961.html;_ylt=AtXUkVxRQ.QteZDwdHdexF8LcykA;_ylu=X3oDMTFoZnA0Y2I3BG1pdANCbG9nIEluZGV4IGJ5IEF1dGhvcgRwb3MDMQRzZWMDTWVkaWFCbG9nSW5kZXg-;_ylg=X3oDMTFrODdzYXZuBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANhdXRob3IEcHQDc2VjdGlvbnM-;_ylv=3">Yahoo Sports</a>:</p>
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<p>To the Royals, Shields is The Piece. In his six years as general manager, Moore has done something his predecessors dating back to John Schuerholz couldn't: build a team that looks like it can contend, one with a dynamic core of young everyday players and a dynamite bullpen that assaults radar guns everywhere. The only thing missing was starting pitching...</p>
<p>Desperate? Hell yeah this was a desperate trade. More than a quarter-century of irrelevance tends to foster desperation...</p>
<p>It was a necessary trade. Not necessary because Moore is trying to save his job – any GM who cultivates the farm system Moore has and locks in Perez, Escobar, Gordon and Butler to superb contracts is doing something right – but because he understood that without better pitching, the Royals weren't winning the American League Central, let alone a World Series.</p>
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<p>The final jury on this one will be out for a while, of course, but it's always fun to start the week off with some instant analysis on a massive deal like this one.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/mlbdailydish"><img alt="Mlbdd-twitter-insert_medium" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1795637/MLBDD-twitter-insert.png" width="100%"></a></p>
https://www.mlbdailydish.com/2012/12/10/3750274/mlb-royals-fans-reaction-trade-myers-shieldsNate A.2012-12-10T10:26:20-05:002012-12-10T10:26:20-05:00Vote! Who won the Royals/Rays trade?
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<figcaption>Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>Who won the trade?</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Kansas City Royals</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.draysbay.com/">Tampa Bay Rays</a> completed the third MEGATRADE of the calendar year late Sunday night, joining the ranks of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.overthemonster.com/">Red Sox</a>/<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Marlins</a>/<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/">Blue Jays</a> deals.</p>
<p>Dayton Moore and the Royals put an end to "The Process" by sending prospects <span>Wil Myers</span>, <span>Mike Montgomery</span>, <span>Jake Odorizzi</span> and Patrick Leonard to the Tampa Bay Rays for right-handers <span>James Shields</span> and <span>Wade Davis</span> (plus maybe one more?).</p>
<p>Reaction and analysis has been swift and polarizing, with many condemning the Royals and others believing that the trade makes KC a definitive contender in 2013.</p>
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<h3>What do you think?</h3>
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<p>Does the addition of Shields and Davis make the Royals a real threat in the AL Central, or have Friedman and the Rays fleeced the Royals by taking baseball's No. 1 prospect and more?</p>
<p>What do the Royals need to accomplish in the next two years in order for this deal to be worth it and for Moore to keep his job?</p>
https://www.mlbdailydish.com/2012/12/10/3750490/royals-rays-complete-megatrade-voteNate A.2012-12-10T00:50:04-05:002012-12-10T00:50:04-05:00Royals-Rays: The Internet Responds
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<figcaption>Jason Miller</figcaption>
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<p>I thought it could happen. The rumors were out there. GOOD rumors. I knew it could happen. I believed GMDM was capable of something like this. <em>And then it DID happen.</em> Here's what the world said immediately after the biggest catastrophe since the Royals.</p> <p>To review, the big news tonight is that<a target="_blank" href="http://www.mlbdailydish.com/2012/12/9/3749364/royals-rays-trade-wil-myers-james-shields-mlb-trade-rumors"> the Royals have traded their #1 prospect (the world's #1 prospect really) to the Tampa Bay Rays for James Shields and Wade Davis. </a>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Royals</a> will be sending "other prospects" and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.draysbay.com/">Rays</a> will be returning cash or a player-to-be-named-later. But they won't be returning Kansas City's heart any time soon.</p>
<p>One surprisingly great way to measure the potential of a trade is to take the pulse of people that know what they're talking about, which is funny because one might think GMDM was backing off after the internet lost its collective shit last week when the trade (oh god is this already in the past tense?) really started picking up steam.</p>
<p>It's also a great way to embarrass people that don't qualify their statements or provide enough caveats to worm out of really terrible predictions and/or horrendous analysis. With that in mind, let's take the temperature of this thing.</p>
<p>Jon Paul Morosi has a good question, which my gut says "just in case," but my mind says "DAMMIT."</p>
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<p>So ... Why did Royals tender <span>Luke Hochevar</span> a contract?</p>
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) <a href="https://twitter.com/jonmorosi/status/277984750088622081" data-datetime="2012-12-10T03:55:03+00:00">December 10, 2012</a>
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<p>Oops.</p>
<p>Jeff Sullivan points out the absurdity of the Royals sending more than one of anything back to the Rays:</p>
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<p>My favorite part of Shields/Davis for Myers/other prospects is the other prospects</p>
— Jeff Sullivan (@LookoutLanding) <a href="https://twitter.com/LookoutLanding/status/277984463030464512" data-datetime="2012-12-10T03:53:55+00:00">December 10, 2012</a>
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<p>Rany Jazayerli is obviously the go-to guy here, both because he's the most outspoken Royals fan and he's really damn smart. But also he's really damn outspoken:</p>
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<p>Sitting here, just wondering whether the Royals have ripped out the future of their franchise to go for it in 2013. Fun!</p>
— Rany Jazayerli (@jazayerli) <a href="https://twitter.com/jazayerli/status/277983684794126336" data-datetime="2012-12-10T03:50:49+00:00">December 10, 2012</a>
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<p>That's probably what every Royals fan is wondering, Rany. Everyone said, "Royals need 3 starters!" Well now you got 'em chumps. Your rotation now looks like this: Shields, Santana, Guthrie, Davis, Chen/Door #5. Your future in right field now looks like this: _____________.</p>
<p>Remember that Myers won the Baseball America Player-of-the-Year Award this season?</p>
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<p>Last 5 position players to win the award: <span>Alex Gordon</span>, <span>Jay Bruce</span>, <span>Matt Wieters</span>, <span>Jason Heyward</span>, and <span>Mike Trout</span>. Wil's close to a sure thing.</p>
— Rany Jazayerli (@jazayerli) <a href="https://twitter.com/jazayerli/status/277985042351931392" data-datetime="2012-12-10T03:56:13+00:00">December 10, 2012</a>
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<p><i>Wil the Sure Thing Myers.</i></p>
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<p>Shields ($10.5M) + Davis ($2.8M) + Hochevar ($4.4M) = $17.7 million, which is more than <span>Anibal Sanchez</span> will make. Savvy!</p>
— Rany Jazayerli (@jazayerli) <a href="https://twitter.com/jazayerli/status/277998156808073216" data-datetime="2012-12-10T04:48:20+00:00">December 10, 2012</a>
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<p>Bernie Pleskoff, former pro-scout for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lookoutlanding.com/">Mariners</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Astros</a> (yeah I know):</p>
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<p><a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Royals">#Royals</a> for the Royals sake, I really hope the Player To Be Named Later is someone of value. If not, the price was really high for Shields.</p>
— Bernie Pleskoff (@BerniePleskoff) <a href="https://twitter.com/BerniePleskoff/status/277997444183248896" data-datetime="2012-12-10T04:45:30+00:00">December 10, 2012</a>
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<p>Enter the they-had-to-do-SOMETHING crowd:</p>
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<p>Considering Royals haven't made playoffs since 1985, longest drought in MLB. They had to make this trade, even if meant losing Myers</p>
— Scot Gregor (@scotgregor) <a href="https://twitter.com/scotgregor/status/277997837596381185" data-datetime="2012-12-10T04:47:04+00:00">December 10, 2012</a>
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<p>Dave Cameron, Fangraphs, Visionary:</p>
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<p>Last year, <span>Gio Gonzalez</span>, <span>Mat Latos</span>, and <span>Michael Pineda</span> were traded for far less than <span>James Shields</span> just went for.Each had 4+ yrs left.</p>
— David Cameron (@DCameronFG) <a href="https://twitter.com/DCameronFG/status/278004707715342336" data-datetime="2012-12-10T05:14:22+00:00">December 10, 2012</a>
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<p>I don't want to get too far down the rabbit hole here, but basically everything is reading just like this. The Royals gave up a can't-miss prospect. But for what? 2 years of a pretty good pitcher. What's the big deal? Because <span>Wil Myers</span> is one of those once-every-10-year types, (supposedly), like Mike Trout or <span>Derek Jeter</span> or good <i>Legend of Zelda </i>games.</p>
<p>The problem that everybody is getting at, eventually, is the problem of the <i>moral hazard</i>. Quickly, a moral hazard occurs when one has a huge incentive to bet the farm but the cost of losing that bet is little more than a job. You see it a lot on Wall Street with megabanks making bad decisions because they know they're so big the Government can't let them fail (or risk taking down the whole economy with it).</p>
<p>Kinda the same thing here, but <i>vastly more important</i>. General Manager Dayton Moore has done just shitty-enough-of-a-job with basically zero expectations that he's pretty obviously close to losing his job. He has no incentive to wait around to 2015, 2016, 2017, and so on to find out if Wil Myers is Derek Jeter or just <span>Alex Rodriguez</span> because he'll probably be fired before then anyway.</p>
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<p>immediate jobs over franchise stability. "@<a href="https://twitter.com/jperrotto">jperrotto</a>: This from a <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Royals">#Royals</a> person: "no more time for waiting." Translated: Jobs on the line."</p>
— ctrent (@ctrent) <a href="https://twitter.com/ctrent/status/278005060670197761" data-datetime="2012-12-10T05:15:46+00:00">December 10, 2012</a>
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<p>Moral hazard FTW.</p>
— Joe Sheehan (@joe_sheehan) <a href="https://twitter.com/joe_sheehan/status/278005248746999809" data-datetime="2012-12-10T05:16:31+00:00">December 10, 2012</a>
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<p>I do admire the Royals’ courage. For them to say this is a success, they have to make the playoffs in ’13 and/or ’14. Quite simple.</p>
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) <a href="https://twitter.com/jonmorosi/status/278007111244472320" data-datetime="2012-12-10T05:23:55+00:00">December 10, 2012</a>
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<p>There's no doubt Royals will be significantly better next year with Shields, Santana and Davis in rotation. But what about 5 years from now?</p>
— B.J. Rains (@BJRains) <a href="https://twitter.com/BJRains/status/278004817228619777" data-datetime="2012-12-10T05:14:48+00:00">December 10, 2012</a>
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<p>Why the fuck not trade your #1 prospect away, squeeze a couple years more out of the old ebeneezer in Arkansas (that's David Glass for you non Royals fans), and throw it all in? My immediate reaction is that either GMDM knows something we don't about Myers, he seriously believes the Royals can contend in 2013 and 2014, or he's playing with house money and wants to burn the place down on the way out. My money's on the latter two.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/mlbdailydish"><img alt="Mlbdd-twitter-insert_medium" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1795637/MLBDD-twitter-insert.png" width="100%"></a></p>
https://www.mlbdailydish.com/2012/12/10/3749532/royals-rays-trade-wil-myers-james-shields-wade-davisJustin Bopp2012-12-07T12:35:36-05:002012-12-07T12:35:36-05:00Royals still want starters
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<figcaption>Mike Stobe</figcaption>
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<p>KC still has their sights set on trading for a top-tier starting pitcher.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Kansas City Royals</a> are still in the market for a top-tier starter -- <span>R.A. Dickey</span>, <span>Jon Lester</span>, <span>James Shields</span> and <span>Jeremy Hellickson</span> among the potential targets -- but have different ideas about who they are willing to offer in return for each, reports Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star:</p>
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<p>Keep getting questions on whether <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Royals">#Royals</a> are interested in R.A. Dickey. Yes. Seem very interested. But not for <span>Wil Myers</span>.</p>
— Bob Dutton (@Royals_Report) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals_Report/status/277070199608467456" data-datetime="2012-12-07T15:20:57+00:00">December 7, 2012</a>
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<p>There's probably a stealth target or two, but names I heard this week didn't change: Shields, Lester, Dickey and Hellickson...</p>
— Bob Dutton (@Royals_Report) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals_Report/status/277070936023388161" data-datetime="2012-12-07T15:23:53+00:00">December 7, 2012</a>
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<p>The Royals have already added two pitchers to their rotation this offseason -- right-handers <span>Ervin Santana</span> and <span>Jeremy Guthrie</span> -- but still want that big-name starter to anchor the rotation. The club has been tied to several of the above-named starters in the past few weeks, but nothing has come close to being completed.</p>
<p>The Royals' unwillingness to part with Myers does not mean they cannot work out a deal for the knuckleballer -- who is still trying to work out an extension with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">Mets</a> -- but it will probably make things much more difficult. Shields has also been tied to the <a href="http://www.mlbdailydish.com/2012/12/5/3730800/mlb-winter-meetings-rumors-indians-rays-rangers-dbacks-blockbuster-trade" target="_blank">swirling blockbuster trade rumors</a>, which could potentially put any talks with the Royals on hold.</p>
<p>It seems strange that the Royals are willing to offer top outfield prospect Wil Myers for two years of an expensive starter like Shields but not for one year of the significantly cheaper Dickey who -- <a href="https://twitter.com/jazayerli/status/277070926447792130" target="_blank">as Rany Jazayerli of Grantland points out</a> -- just won the NL Cy Young award, but that is where the club stands at the moment.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/mlbdailydish"><img alt="Mlbdd-twitter-insert_medium" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1795637/MLBDD-twitter-insert.png" width="100%"></a></p>
https://www.mlbdailydish.com/2012/12/7/3740114/mlb-rumors-royals-dickey-lester-shields-hellicksonNate A.