Jonathan Sanchez recently gave up five runs before he could record an out. I didn’t think anyone could pitch that poorly.

But the next night, Ryan Verdugo did Sanchez one better (or worse) by surrendering six runs in just 1 2/3 innings.

The most horrifying fact of all is that both pitchers were acquired by trading Melky Cabrera to the Giants. That fact doesn’t need to be belabored, as every Royals fan is well aware of it.

So while Cabrera makes a run at an MVP award, the Royals go once again in search of starting pitching.

Dayton Moore needs no one to tell him that he must move to acquire pitching. He knows it. In fact he’s known it, and has been trying to do just that, for about three years now.

Prior to 2010, Moore made a few questionable moves to acquire position players, even trading away a few promising pitchers. But for the past three years, it’s been all about pitching, and he’s made several attempts to trade position players to get pitchers.

But while the Cabrera-for-Sanchez deal is horrifying in its result, the other attempts by Moore to trade for pitching have been nearly as disappointing. Consider the following other former Royals who were dealt for pitching since 2009:

Wilson Betemit: currently hitting .259 for Baltimore with 10 homers and 32 RBIs.

Betemit was traded for two minor leaguers, one a pitcher – Antonio Cruz, who has pitched a total of 18 games at A ball in the Royals’ organization.

Alberto Callaspo: hit .288 with 6 homers and 46 RBIs last season as the Angels’ starting third baseman. He’s still starting, with a little better power numbers this year.

Callaspo netted the Royals Will Smith and Sean O’Sullivan. The Royals have utilized Smith to save their mangled big league staff, but they gave up on O’Sullivan. They dealt him to Toronto for cash. Perhaps he needed the change of scenery. He’s been great for the Blue Jays’ Triple A club thus far.

David DeJesus: started most of the season for the A’s last year, batting .240 with 10 homers and 46 RBIs. This year he’s started full time for the Cubs.

DeJesus brought in a potential starter in Vin Mazzaro. But Mazzaro has suffered some beatings of historic proportions and isn’t trusted much at the big league level. The trade also brought Justin Marks, an average starter at Double A.

Kila Ka’aihue: has split the season between Oakland and the A’s Triple A club. His big league production has been marginal.

The trade of Ka’aihue netted a 25-year-old minor leaguer named Ethan Hollingsworth. He’s set no worlds on fire to date.

Mike Aviles: batted well at the end of 2011 for the Red Sox and continues to succeed as Boston’s starting shortstop. He’s hitting .263 with 10 homers and 47 RBIs.

Aviles supposedly brought the Royals a utility infielder – Yamaico Navarro. Aviles should have been kept in that role with the Royals. Navarro hasn’t done anything yet. The trade did bring the Royals a pitcher in Kendal Volz, who has been solid at the Single A and Double A levels.

Scott Podsednik: has played little, bouncing around with several teams.

The Royals got pitcher Elisaul Pimentel and catcher Lucas May. The Royals gave up on May, and Pimentel is 23 and still laboring along in the minors

Rick Ankiel: chipping in for the first place Washington Nationals.

Perhaps the only good move was when the Royals got Tim Collins as part of a package deal for Ankiel and Kyle Farnsworth.

So Moore can’t be accused of not trying. But for seven big league position players of varying quality, the Royals have gained Tim Collins and some spare parts and minor leaguers. The return has been nothing short of disastrous.

The Royals have tried trading average position players – players who they deemed easily replaceable – and hoped to acquire quality pitchers.

But it appears the exchange rate for a quality pitcher is much higher than expected.

What the Royals have proved is that you must actually trade excellent position players to get passable starters.

They will need to think long and hard about as they attempt to improve their rotation for next year. Do they have the stomach to trade Eric Hosmer, or Wil Myers or some other potential star in hopes of finally acquiring quality starters.

Unfortunately, that may be just what it will take.

On we go, with our analysis of the trades of the Dayton Moore era as General Manager of the Kansas City Royals.  When combined together, the results up until 2010 have not been altogether flattering.  As was mentioned in the previous piece, as we get closer in years to the present day, the data becomes less reliable as many of the players involved in these trades are still in the minor leagues so there are no statistics with which to come up with their WAR.  Due to the number of trades made in the 2010 year, this year will be split into 2 columns with the next and final piece also including the conclusion to this evaluation.  So without any further ado, the GMDM trades of 2010:

May 1, 2010: The Kansas City Royals traded Carlos Rosa to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Rey Navarro (minors).

In 2 forgettable seasons with the Royals, Rosa compiled a 0.3 WAR, which is right around replacement level.  He was clearly expendable, and was out of baseball after the 2010 season.  Navarro spent last season in Double A Northwest Arkansas, and at best, projects out to be a slick-fielding utility infielder who can’t hit.  He will likely spend 2012 in Triple A Omaha.  So while Arizona technically wins this trade on WAR, the Royals have a chance to come out on top still.

Rosa: 0.1 WAR with Diamondbacks (2010)

Navarro: 0.0 WAR (has yet to appear for Royals)

Diamondbacks win trade by 0.1 WAR

July 22, 2010: The Kansas City Royals traded Alberto Callaspo to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for Will Smith (minors) and Sean O’Sullivan.

At the time this trade was made, the consensus was that the Royals sold high on Callaspo and made out well.  O’Sullivan was pegged as a solid, young back of the rotation starter, and Smith was a lower level minor leaguer with a little more upside.  A year and half later, the consensus is that O’Sullivan isn’t very good, Smith is still a few years away, and Callaspo has continued to be an effective player for the Angels, sporting a stellar .366 OBP and 4.5 WAR (near all-star level) in 2011.  However, at the time he was traded, the Royals needed to find a way to get Wilson Betemit in the lineup, and knew they had Mike Moustakas coming up soon, so Callaspo needed to be dealt while his stock was high.  While O’Sullivan has shown some flashes, he has been more bad than good.  He is however, still just 24 years old so it is possible he could turn the corner and become a useful major league pitcher.  Smith is just 22 and pitched at Northwest Arkansas in 2011.  He will likely make the jump to Omaha in 2012.  He is not currently on the 40-man roster, but is slated to be a non-roster invitee to spring training.  Just going by the numbers and the productivity that each team has received at the major league level up to this point, this trade qualifies as the single biggest fleecing of the Dayton Moore era…and not the kind of fleecing you want to see if you’re a Royals fan.

Callaspo: 5.0 WAR with Angels (1/2 of 2010 and 2011)

Smith: 0.0 WAR (has yet to appear for Royals)

O’Sullivan: -2.0 WAR with Royals (1/2 of 2010 and 2011)

Angels win trade by 7.0 WAR

July 28, 2010: The Kansas City Royals traded Scott Podsednik to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Elisaul Pimentel (minors) and Lucas May.

When Moore signed Podsednik as a free agent prior to the 2010 season, the best case scenario would have been for Pods to play at a high level for half a season, allowing the Royals to flip him at the deadline for some useful pieces for the long-term.  And that is exactly what happened.  Podsednik, at the age of 34, was in the midst of putting up statistically the second best season of his lengthy career with a line of .310/.353/.400.  Moore then predicatbly found a taker for him at the deadline in the Dodgers.  In return the Royals received Pitcher Elisaul Pimentaul and Catcher Lucas May.  Pimentel spent 2011 at Double A Northwest Arkansas and has yet to establish himself as anything more than organizational depth.  May appeared with the Royals in 2010 for an uninspiring 39 plate appearances, before being dealt in 2011 to the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Podsednik did little for the Dodgers after this trade, but judging off of WAR, the Royals once again came out on the short end.

Podsednik: 0.0 WAR with Dodgers (1/2 of 2010)

Pimentel: 0.0 WAR (has yet to appear for Royals)

May: -0.6 WAR with Royals (1/2 of 2010)

Dodgers win trade by 0.6 WAR

July 31, 2010: The Kansas City Royals traded Rick Ankiel and Kyle Farnsworth to the Atlanta Braves for Gregor Blanco, Jesse Chavez and Tim Collins.

What was said above about best case scenario for Podsednik, can also be applied to the signing of Rick Ankiel.  However, it ends there as Ankiel was far from effective in his half-season with the Royals.  In fact, at times it seemed he might be attempting his best Juan Gonzalez impersonation with all of the time he spent on the DL.  It was a miracle the Royals were able to unload him on anyone.  Farnsworth was brutal in 2009, his first year with the Royals.  However, in 2010, he bounced back in a big way making himself a very attractive chip at the trade deadline.   Of the 3 players the Royals received in exchange for these 2, Tim Collins is the only one still with the Royals and will be battling for a spot on the 2012 opening day roster pitching out of the bullpen.  With him being the only player in the entire trade still on the roster of the team they were traded to, this trade could get even better for the Royals as time goes on.

Ankiel: 0.3 WAR with Braves (1/2 of 2010)

Farnsworth: -0.3 WAR with Braves (1/2 of 2010)

Blanco: 0.4 WAR with Royals (1/2 of 2010)

Chavez: -1.0 WAR with Royals (1/2 of 2010 and 2011)

Collins: 1.1 WAR with Royals (2011)

Royals win trade by 0.5 WAR

Please come back next week for the conclusion of this evaluation.  So far, it is not looking good for Dayton…

On the eve of the Winter Meetings, the biggest baseball buzz in Kansas City centers around the pitching staff – and, in particular, ace Zack Greinke.

According to the latest rumors, General Manager Dayton Moore is not opposed to trading Greinke this off-season, and in fact seems to be fielding offers from a handful of interested teams, including the Texas Rangers and, most recently added to the rumor mill, the Toronto Blue Jays.

According to Ken Rosenthal over at Fox Sports, Greinke is apparently willing to waive his no-trade clause, which, Rosenthal reports, is made up of 15 teams (including the Blue Jays).

Rosenthal says the Jays could possibly get the deal done if they part with “right-hander Kyle Drabek, outfielder Travis Snyder and another minor leaguer or two.” That deal could be attractive to Dayton Moore, who is apparently hoping for a starter to replace Greinke in the rotation and a corner outfielder to replace David DeJesus.

The Kansas City Star on Sunday also broke down the Greinke situation as it pertains to the upcoming Winter Meetings.

But Greinke is not the only Royals pitcher to make headlines this week. Dayton Moore also told the Kansas City Star that he’s considering internal options first if rotation spots open up.

If the 2011 season started tomorrow, the Royals’ rotation would probably look like this: Greinke, Luke Hochevar, Kyle Davies, newly acquired Vin Mazzaro and Sean O’Sullivan. Greinke (if he stays) and Hochevar are locks, and Davies is an innings-eater and a known commodity. Mazzaro is untested, though, and O’Sullivan was unimpressive in a handful of starts last year after being acquired in the Alberto Callaspo trade from Anaheim. Mazzaro and O’Sullivan both have minor league options remaining, so their job in the rotation is by no means guaranteed. Moore mentioned minor leaguers Everett Teaford (who won more games than anyone else in the organization in 2010) and Danny Duffy as possible replacements. Look for some stiff competition in Spring Training next year.

That being said, the Royals are still linked to free agent starter Kevin Millwood – although Moore downplayed the possibility of a signing.

Elsewhere on the diamond, the Royals inked contracts with catcher Brayan Pena and infielder Wilson Betemit, both of whom should have a significant chance to win a starting position next year, and decided to go to arbitration with Billy Butler, Alex Gordon, Hochevar, Davies and Robinson Tejeda.

Speaking of Tejeda, the reliever name came up this week as a possible trade chip. Tejeda pitched well in 2010 as closer Joakim Soria’s primary setup man. Moore has been willing to trade relievers in the past, but with limited success: he traded then-setup man Leo Nunez to Florida for Mike Jacobs, and (again) then-setup man Ramon Ramirez to Boston for Coco Crisp. Both of those trades were busts for the Royals and steals for the Marlins and Red Sox.

Elsewhere on the Web:

• Will McDonald over at Royals Review says he should have appreciated Brian Bannister more while he was here.
• Rany On The Royals makes an argument that Carl Crawford would be a great fit in Kansas City.
• Right here on I-70 Baseball, Bill Ivie makes a pitch for Buck O’Neil to be in the Hall of Fame. My opinion? Buck O’Neil is too good for Cooperstown. The Hall of Fame could have honored O’Neil before he died, but they chose not to. To go back now and induct him would be insulting. The Baseball Hall of Fame doesn’t deserve Buck O’Neil.

Matt Kelsey is a Royals writer and the content editor for I-70 Baseball. He can be reached at mattkelsey14@yahoo.com.

2010 marked the pulling of the parachute on Alex Gordon as a third baseman. The guy many saw as a franchise cornerstone at the hot corner when drafted in 2005 was relegated to the outfield in AAA Omaha after only nine starts at third.

This opened up a merry-go-round at third, which seven different players saw during the season.

Here’s a quick look at home the Royals’ third basemen production stacked up against the rest of the AL.

Alberto Callaspo saw the majority of the time at third. Callaspo moved across the infield from second as Mike Aviles became a steady performer at second base. Before being dealt to Anaheim, the switch hitting Venezuelan played as expected. He hit .275/.308/.410, 19 2B, 8 HR, and 43 RBI in 88 games with Kansas City. Callaspo was a solid and consistent stick for the Royals. He also committed 6 errors, fielding only .968 while in Kansas City.

Callaspo’s production was a microcosm of what happened at third all season. The Royals supplied many options with competent hitting abilities and suspect defense.

Overall Royals third basemen landed smack in the middle of both the AL (7^th) and MLB (15^th) in WAR, at 2.6. They posted nice offensive numbers, .286/.339/ .457, 24 HR, 92 RBI, and created aroubt 15 runs more than the league average. There offensive production was good enough make up for the supreme lack of leather. Only four other clubs were worse defensively at third in 2010, White Sox, Rockies, Astros, and Marlins.

The Royals third sackers were so defensively inept; they gave up 45 more runs than league average performers would according to UZR.

One of the biggest contributors to both the resurgence on the offensive side and poor defensive play was Wilson Betemit. The Royals signed Betemit under the radar almost a year ago to date, November 13, 2009. After Callaspo was dealt, Betemit saw most of the time at third and was a pleasant surprise. Betemit started 51 games at third, and hit .297/.378/.511, 20 2B, 13 HR, 43 RBI, good enough for a 2.7 WAR. Considering the Royals signed him to a minor league contract and didn’t call him up until halfway through the season, they got a steal. It is hard to ignore the fact he played abysmal defense, he committed eight errors on 113 chances, a .929 fielding clip.

Considering his BABIP was nearly 100 points higher (.410) than his career average (.333), it would be a shock to see similar numbers to the ones he put up in 2010.

Betemit is arbitration eligible for 2011. His highest salary to date was $1.3 million, with arbitration the Royals can expect to pay him $2-2.5 million. This makes him affordable for a switch hitter who saw time at third base, second base, first base, and designated hitter last season.

Third base is most likely waiting for a guy who has never worn a Kansas City jersey, Mike Moustakas. The Royals will probably start him out in the minors and bring him up after the first month to gain an extra year of team control before he becomes arbitration eligible. The Pirates (Pedro Alvarez), Giants (Buster Posey), Nationals (Stephen Strasburg), Rangers (Justin Smoak), and many others treated their high profile prospects similarly in 2010.

Considering Betemit’s 2010 performance he will most likely get the nod at third for Opening Day. When Moustakas does hit the scene, Betemit will be a valuable commodity because of his ability to play multiple positions. It is also a benefit the switch hitter plays better against lefties (.312/.398/.532 vs. LHP, .291/.370/.503 vs. RHP), since Ned Yost will most likely give Moustakas days off against southpaws.

Look for Josh Fields to compete for a roster spot as well during the 2011 Spring Training. Fields was part of the Mark Teahen deal, along with Chris Getz. Arthroscopic surgery on a torn labrum in his hip, the same surgery Gordon had the previous season, cost Fields’ most of 2010.

He only got 49 minor league at-bats during his rehab stint and 49 at-bats during September with Kansas City. He hit .306, 3 HR, 6 RBI in limited action. In his only extended time on the big league level in 2007, Fields his .244/.308/.480, 17 2B, 23 HR, 67 RBI with Chicago. Fields is another guy who is a below average fielder, but rakes against lefties.

Five different Royals players spent time at second base in 2010. Although that number sounds high, second base was actually one of the more stable positions for Kansas City this season. That speaks to the fact that 2010 was a transition year for the team – hopefully, a transition from bad baseball to good.

Chris Getz

Let’s start with the 2010 Opening Day starter at second, Chris Getz. Getz came over in a trade from the White Sox along with Josh Field for Mark Teahen. None of those players had particularly good seasons, so the trade really had no winners. Getz ended up playing 64 games at second (59 starts) for KC, and he played above average defense. Offensively, on the season Getz batted a pedestrian .234 with a .302 on-base percentage.

Most teams don’t expect much from offensive production from their two-bagger. But the guy who played the most at second for the Royals in 2010 – Mike Aviles – actually had a pretty good year at the dish.

Aviles batted .304 on the season, not quite matching his .325 clip during his 2008 rookie campaign, but Aviles is becoming more patient at the plate. His power numbers are developing as well – Aviles has quietly bashed more than a few dingers as an infielder.

Wilson Betemit also played a couple games at second in 2010, and the now-departed Willie Bloomquist and Alberto Callaspo also spent time there.

What happens at second for the Royals in 2011 will actually depend a lot on what develops at third base. Many fans are hoping minor league sensation Mike Moustakas will be ready to take the reins at third to open the season, but now – mostly for financial reasons (giving the team an extra arbitration year) – it looks as though Moose will start the season in the minors. That means Aviles could be shifted to third.

Mike Aviles

If that happens, look for Getz to repeat as the starter at second base in 2011.

The Royals’ recent acquisition of Joaquin Arias could provide some competition in Spring Training. However, Arias projects more as a backup.

But, actually, Getz does, too.

Here’s a better option: give Betemit, who had a breakout season in 2010, a chance to finally start in ’11. He plays capably at the hot corner. Then let Aviles take ownership of second base.

When Aviles is healthy, he’s the most productive hitter on the team. It’s time to let him settle into a position. And most acknowledge he’s the long-term solution at second, even though he’ll be 30 on Opening Day 2011.

For good measure, Getz and Arias can battle it out for the backup job. Maybe they both make the roster, maybe not. Essentially, they serve the same purpose.

Matt Kelsey is a Royals writer and the content editor for I-70 Baseball. He can be reached at mattkelsey@i70baseball.com.

Defense, or lack thereof, ended up being the deciding factor in the latest match up between the Royals and the Mariners. The Royals offense sputtered as well but one error on Sunday is what ultimately decided the fate of this series. The pitchers stepped up in the second two games of the series allowing only 4 runs, while Greinke was shelled by the Mariners for the first time this year.

The Royals will be back in California for the next three games to face off against the Angels. Last week when the Royals were in California they lost 2 out three to Oakland. However in the series against the Angels just before the All-Star break the Royals took two out of three from the Angels even though they were outscored 14-6. Monday’s game will be the first game between the two teams that Sent Alberto Callaspo out and brought Sean O’ Sullivan in.

Game 1: Sean O’ Sullivan (0-2) vs. Ervin Santana (10-8)

The magic number for O’ Sullivan in this start is going to be six. Six innings that is. In his last start he was cruising until the bottom of the sixth against the Athletics. In fact he held the A’s scoreless up to that point. The Royals need him to go six solid frames in order to allow his team to compete. If he shuts them out for six innings, that’s a bonus. Getting his first win against his former team will be must if the Royals want to go for .500 or better on this road trip.

Ervin Santana has had mixed results against the Royals over his career. He is 4-4 with an ERA of 4.47. He has had some success against most of the current Royals batters. Six of the Royals have an average around .260 or below. On the other hand, despite only .267 against him, Billy Butler has three jacks in fifteen at-bats in his career versus Santana. In his start against the Royals on July third, he went 8.1 innings pitched but took the loss after giving up four earned runs. He is looking to redeem himself for that loss and his most recent one against Baltimore. Against Baltimore he only lasted 3.2 innings while giving up twelve hits and nine earned runs.

Game 2: Bryan Bullington (0-1) vs. Dan Haren (7-10)

Bryan Bullington is replacing Bannister in the rotation for this start and will have a chance to start for the first time since 2008. Bullington has yet to win a game in the majors but was the number one overall pick in the 2002 draft. In three out of his last four appearances out of the bullpen, he did not give up an earned run. At this point in the season, he could be battling for a spot in next year’s rotation.

Haren was one of the players brought to Anaheim to help them catch the Rangers. Since coming over from Arizona he is 0-2 with losses to Boston and Texas while taking a no-decision at Baltimore. His best performance out of these three starts was against Texas. He pitched the complete game but lost it by a score of 2-1. Despite playing in the National League, most of the Royals hitters have faced him at least three times. As a team, they have batted .328 against him but only have two extra base hits.

Game 3: Zack Greinke (7-11) vs. Jered Weaver (11-7)

Greinke’s success against the Mariners this season ran out this past Friday night. The Seattle Mariners came in eager to break his streak of holding them scoreless. He gave up ten hits and six runs. If he is to get back on the winning track he is going to have to do it against a team that he has struggled against in the past. He is 1-4 against the Angels with an ERA of 4.20. On top of that five of the Angels players are batting .300 or better in their career against him. When he is on, he ranks right up there with Sabathia, Lee, and Carpenter. However, staying on from start to start has been trouble for him nearly all year. He faces the ace of the Angels and will need to bring his “A” game in order for his team to have a chance.

Weaver has been one of the most consistent performers on the entire Angels’ roster. His ERA is 2.96. He has allowed three or fewer earned runs in his last five starts. Despite this fact he is only 3-2 during this span. In his last start he looked very solid against the Tigers. He struck out nine in seven innings while giving up only one earned run. In his career against the Royals he is 4-4 with an ERA of 2.88. This record includes his win in June against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. He threw seven scoreless innings while giving up only four hits.

Offense:

During this road trip the Royals team average has dropped to .276, which is four points lower than it was at the beginning of the trip. This mark is still nearly twenty points better than the Angels current team average of .257. The Angels do make it up in another category though. They have hit 112 home runs compared to the Royals measly 73.

Defense:

The Royals have lived or died by their defensive play so far this season. An error cost them the Mariners series. Take that error away and they would have been tied 2-2 going into extra innings. The Angels are also familiar with errors being costly. They are coming home after a rough 2-4 road trip that saw them being swept by the Orioles. Like I said in the last series, the defense that makes the least amount of mistakes will give their pitcher the chance to put the game away.

Pitching:

The Royals pitching staff performed well for the most part during the series in Seattle. The starters need to be able to go six or seven solid innings. Greinke and Sullivan have proven they can go that far lets see if Bullington can do the same. The Royals pitching staff was successful last time they were in Anaheim so let’s hope for a repeat performance.

X-Factor:

Both teams are traveling but the Angels are traveling all the way from Detroit. The aces of the staff will face each other in the series finales, which should prove exciting. The Angels’ manger is still playoff hopeful. The Angels lead the season series 4-3 going into this series. In each of those wins, the Royals have held Anaheim to three runs or less. In the four losses, the Royals failed to hold them under five.

Incoming Players/Former Team:

Sean O’Sullivan/Angels
The Royals needed a starter. If front office believed they were in contention at the All-Star break, like Coach Yost did, they would have pursued Roy Oswalt or Cliff Lee. He has not proven to be a part of the solution to the Royals rotation problems; instead he has allowed eight earned runs in eleven innings pitched. Both Oswalt and Lee are solid veterans with post-season experience. O’Sullivan is nil in both categories. Since Lee was traded, he has pitched three complete games and the other start he went 8.1 innings. Oswalt is having an off year due to a sickness called lackofrunsupportitis, but his career winning percentage is still .633. Grade: F

George Blanco/Braves
The Royals needed an outfielder to replace the departure of Podsednik, Ankiel, and the currently injured DeJesus. Filling in with utility players and backups is not the making of a championship caliber team. Blanco, in his limited action has had success this season. His average in the national league was .310 in thirty-six games. Grade: C

Jesse Chavez/Braves
He’s young and is capable of going for more than one inning when required. However, he has not been nearly as effective as the man he was traded for (Farnsworth). He is young and energetic. Maybe some of Soria’s success will rub off on him and the rest of the bullpen. It certainly helped Farnsworth out. However, it is my opinion that the Royals should have kept Farnsworth who has proven to be a solid reliever. Grade: D

Key Players leaving/ New Team:

Rick Ankiel/ Braves
Injuries and inconsistencies led to his early departure. The Braves are looking to improve for their post-season push. The Royals thought they were getting at least an average player when they brought him in; disappointment is the best way to describe his performance while wearing blue and white. Grade: B

Scott Podsednik/Dodgers
This is the biggest mistake they made. He was the best player the Royals traded away, period. He is an All-Star caliber talent in the outfield with speed that the Dodgers wanted to replace the turtle-like Ramirez. As mentioned in one of my previous articles, if he would have stayed the Royals would have had the makings of a solid offensive core. Grade: F

Alberto Callaspo/ Angels
Because of his lack of production on both sides of the ball and the fact that the Royals needed a pitcher in their rotation that can give them solid innings (with Gil Meche not making progress towards pitching for the rest of the season). If he was not traded now he would have been cut due to the costly errors he has made during the season. Grade: B

Kyle Farnsworth/Braves
This was expected to happen but instead of keeping the bullpen somewhat solid in Kansas City, the Braves will now have the benefit of one of the best setup/relievers in the league this season. If the Royals bullpen had been just he and Soria the Royals might be in at least wildcard contention. Grade: F

The Royals did trade for some “prospects” some of these players do have some potential but if the coach wanted to contend and win this season the front office should have backed him up by pursuing top tier players on the trading block. They did give Coach Yost a two year contract however for his “success” so far this season. A very poor consolation prize if you ask me. A good coach, one that I believe we have now, would have rather had a chance to compete for a title than a nice contract. We will never know what kind of success he could have had if they would have given him some more solid pitching and gotten rid of all of the negative influences. Jose Guillen and Ankiel for a Lee or Oswalt would have been acceptable. Throw in a top prospect or two. But that’s because I believe winning is the bottom line in this game, not the profit margin.

Our editor on this site has a famous quote from the movie Field of Dreams on his signature line on the messages he sends us:.

“Man, I did love this game. I’d have played for food money. It was the game… The sounds, the smells. Did you ever hold a ball or a glove to your face? … I used to love traveling on the trains from town to town. The hotels, brass spittoons in the lobbies, brass beds in the rooms. It was the crowd, rising to their feet when the ball was hit deep. Shoot, I’d play for nothing.”

Joe Jackson may not have said those exact words in real life. But he did say this:

“When I was up there at the plate, my purpose was to get on base anyway I could, whether by hitting or by getting hit.”

He wanted to win no matter the personal cost or injury. That’s the kind of players the Royals need. Those are the players they didn’t pursue. You don’t need an all-star team to win, just a team of players who are willing to win by exerting maximum effort every single inning. Overall GPA/grade: 1.29 (D)

Last week Alberto Callaspo was traded to Los Angeles Angels and David DeJesus had season ending surgery. This week Scott Podsednik was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Rick Ankiel was traded to the Atlanta Braves. The Royals travel to Oakland and Seattle for a three game series this week. Finding quality fantasy help on the Royals is getting harder to find.

Zach Greinke is not the quality pitcher he was in 2009 but he has pitched much better as of late. In July he posted a 4.09 ERA while striking out 34. He only had one poor outing in July which he allowed eight runs against Minnesota. Greinke is scheduled to pitch Friday at Seattle. This season against Seattle he is 1-0 in two quality starts with 14 strikeouts, two walks, 0.00 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, through 14 innings pitched. With those stats he should active in all fantasy formats. Joakim Soria has been one of the most reliable closers so far this season. He recorded his 29^th save against the Orioles on Sunday. His last blown save was on May 6^thwhile converting 29 of 31 save chances. Since Soria has converted his last 22 save opportunities, he should be active in all fantasy formats. Billy Butler had his worst month of production in July. He batted .274 with two home runs and nine RBI. He hit his first home run Saturday in over two weeks. Since the All-star break, he is batting .253 with one home run, six RBI, and scoring seven runs in 16 games. The time has come to consider sitting Butler until he can turn it around.

Jose Guillen had a horrible July. He batted .207 with two home runs and 10 RBI. There could be a sign he could have a decent August. Guillen batted .304 in April, .202 in May, .340 in June, and .207 in July. He still has a respectable season so far with 16 home runs and 61 RBI. At the moment he is a borderline option for mixed leagues. Watch his production over the next week. Alex Gordon has had a slow start since being called up to the big leagues. He is batting .190 with 2 home runs and 5 RBI. Even though Gordon has not had a great start, this is no reason to forget about him. His upside is tremendous and worth hanging onto in deep mixed leagues.

Fantasy Minor League Profile of the week:

The Fantasy Profile of the Week is Mike Montgomery. He was selected in the 1st round (No. 36 overall) of the June 2008 First-Year Player Draft. Montgomery is currently a starting pitcher in the Rookie Arizona League. He was put on the Disabled List back in June with elbow soreness. The Royals are going to take it easy with him for the remainder of the season. Montgomery was rated as the Royal #1 prospect going into the season by Baseball America and was projected to reach the big leagues in 2013. He is worth a roster spot in deep keeper leagues with a potential to front line any rotation.

David DeJesus is out for the year with an injury to his hand. He was the Royals’ number one trading chip going into the deadline but his recent injury has guaranteed that he will not be leaving the club this season. He has an option for next season which will most likely be picked up by the team after the Alberto Callaspo trade.

The Callaspo deal gives the team enough money to keep DeJesus next year even at a price tag of $6 million. Replacing DeJesus for less than that might be a hard thing to do so it is safe to say he will be in blue next year.

His trade value may go down some next year but if he can regain his form after his hand heals, DeJesus will still be a good deadline pickup for a contending team this time next season. The Royals will have two options in my mind with DeJesus during the offseason. The first is to just pick up his option for next year, letting him play out the contract and trading him at the deadline if they are blown away by an offer. The second is to pick up his option in the summer to turn around and trade him before the season starts. I personally like the idea of letting him play the season out. Kansas City could get off to a good start and they might not even want to trade him them.

One good thing about DeJesus’ injury is that it allows the team to try out new players as an everyday outfielder for the remainder of the season. This can mean bringing up AAA talent or letting a bench player earn his way into the starting job for next year.

The second reason that DeJesus getting hurt is good for the team is because it has now put more focus on Jose Guillen and Scott Podsednik. The trade value for these two players is not as high as DeJesus but getting rid of these two players is a better move for the team. Podsednik was the first to move from the outfield yesterday after being traded to the Dodgers. The fact that Podsednik was moved just furthers the point that DeJesus being on the DL is actually a good thing.

Guillen will more than likely follow Podsednik out the door in the next few days. The market for serviceable outfielders has increased after injuries to DeJesus, Corey Hart, and Shane Victorino and gives KC the upper hand as teams such as the Giants are scrambling for a deadline move.

The past three days the Royals took a beating. It was as if Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali, Evander Holyfield, and Joe Louis were all in town. The Royals pitching staff made mistake pitch after mistake pitch and paid for it in high ERA ratings and three more tallies in the loss column. The Twins must have been watching the trailer for the most recent action-star packed movie, The Expendables. For those of you that don’t know this movie features almost every major action movie actor for the past thirty years. There will be lots of blowing stuff up, shooting, and beating up bad guys. As I have mentioned before in previous articles, the average runs per game for the entire MLB is around 4.2. This equals about thirteen runs per three game series. The Twins scored nineteen…in game one. In games two and three they scored another seventeen. That’s an average of twelve runs a game.

The Royals now have lost four straight games this week and have managed to only average around 3.25 runs per game and 8.25 hits during this most recent skid. This has dropped the Royals team offense in the rankings from number 1 to number 2 in hits and team batting average. The good news for the Royals pitching staff is that they are going into the weekend facing a team that has been worse off than the Royals have been this season.

The Orioles have lost five straight games including the last two the Minnesota Twins and three straight to the Toronto Blue Jays. They travel in to Kansas City just before the trading deadline and this may cause some changes in the line up for both sides. The Royals just traded away Scott Podsednik to the Dodgers. The Dodgers did need a left fielder but the Royals outfield will now be in shambles for the rest of the season due to his departure and DeJesus’ injury. The Royals did receive two minor leaguers in return.

Game 1: Matusz (3-11) vs. Davies (5-6)

Davies would love nothing more than to get to .500 as a starting pitcher. He will have a very good chance in doing so against Matusz, who has only one win under his belt since June 1st. The Royals managed quite a few hits against the Orioles but only seven runs. The lack of timely hits and/or extra base hits is an issue that needs to be addressed by the Royals front office soon. I know people have been hurt and one of the Royals best hitters just recently traded but those that are playing need to step up and beat a pitcher that has struggled all year.

In his start against the Orioles earlier this season, Davies gave up seven hits, two runs, two stolen bases and a walk. He did pitch well enough for the win though. The Orioles may have just activated a few players from the long-term DL but Davies should be able to keep the game close for the offense to get back on track and win.

Game 2: Arrieta (3-3) vs. O’ Sullivan (1-1)

Arrieta is a mid-season call up for the Orioles and so far has performed fairly consistent since his debut on June 10th. He is averaging around five to six innings a start and but only went 4.1 innings against the Twins. He allowed seven hits, four walks, and allowed five earned runs. Overall this season, he has seven more walks than strikeouts. The Royals need to take pitches and force him to throw pitches that they can hit.

O’Sullivan, who was acquired in a trade with the Angels (for Callaspo), is glad to see he’s not pitching against the Yankees. His previous two starts were against the Bronx Bombers due to the trade. This will be his first start versus the Orioles. He will need to throw strikes and let his defense work behind him. In his eighteen innings so far this season, he has held his opponents to an average of .209.

Game 3: Bergesen (3-9) Greinke (6-10)

Greinke had some more humble pie in his previous start against the Twins. He lasted only four innings but that was enough to increase his season ERA to over four. He allowed eight hits, walked two, and eight earned runs. He needs to take advantage of one of the poorest hitting teams in baseball on Saturday. He needs to finish strong the last two months of the year otherwise everyone in the baseball world will see his Cy Young win as a fluke. In his start against the Orioles earlier this year, he gave up only four hits and one walk while striking out six. Despite all this effort, he earned a no decision to Sunday’s probable starter for the Orioles, Kevin Millwood thanks to a bullpen collapse.

Bergesen didn’t have such luck against the Royals in his start this season. He was shelled for ten hits and four runs as he made an early exit. The only two Royals not to hit him were Maier and Kendall but still managed a .345 team average for the game. Bergesen is also another Orioles pitcher that has struggled with control this year. The Royals will also need to force him to throw strikes before taking a hack.

Game 4 Millwood (2-10) vs. Chen (5-5)

Millwood is just off the DL to salvage what remains of his season. He, like Greinke for the Royals, has been a victim of poor run support at times. Also, he has made too many bad pitches to win games he should have won. He is capable of keeping the games close but if his teammates don’t hit well, he won’t win. In eight of his starts this year, the Orioles were held to two runs or less. That’s asking a lot out of your pitcher, I don’t care how good he is.

Chen hasn’t won a game since July 3rd. At one point he had more victories than Greinke. He looked like a rookie against the Twins on Tuesday. He gave up eleven hits, three walks and six earned runs in only 5.1 innings pitched. Last season in his only appearance against the Orioles, he gave up eight hits, three runs, two walks, and two stolen bases.

Offense:

The Royals offense has sputtered recently due to an injury to one of their .300+ hitters and trading another. The Royals need to be patient at the plate and get something they can hit. The Orioles offense has sputtered all season which is good news for the Royals pitching staff. The Royals also lost their chief stolen base threat as well.

Defense:

The Royals lost another solid defensive player in the trading of Podsednik, thus weakening their overall team defense even further. But if they play mistake free baseball behind their pitchers, anything can happen. The Orioles are one of the few teams in the league that have played poorer defense than the Royals this year.

Pitching:

The Orioles are ranked near the bottom or at the bottom in most major pitching categories this season. So are the Royals. As bad as the Royals have been though, the Orioles have been even worse at times.

X-factor:

When two teams with poor pitching come together, the hitters are licking their chops. Whichever side has the patience to wait and not force things to happen will win this series. I wouldn’t expect a lot of fireworks in Kansas City over the next four games but it will be interesting to see who can pick themselves back up, dust off, and finish the season on a better note than what it has been so far.