By CHRIS RASMUSSEN
Two events occurred that serve as a reminder concerning the most critical decision the Royals faced in the previous decade. First, Mike Sweeney’s left knee “locked up” this week, putting an end to his season and perhaps his major-league career. Second, the trade deadline passed – five years ago, the Royals traded away Carlos Beltran a month before the deadline.
There was a point in 2002 where the Royals opted to allocate its limited resources to Mike Sweeney and sign him to a lucrative long-term deal rather than allocate those resources to keep Beltran in Kansas City.
In retrospect, the Royals, when faced with this Sophie’s Choice, made a disastrous decision that still haunts the franchise. Sweeney was a productive slugger, but injuries cost him 50 or more games a season after he signed his contract in 2002. The players most comparable to him are good but not great players – Mike Greenwell, Pedro Gurrero, Richie Zisk, etc….
Beltran? He’s still playing at a high level at the age of 31, still displaying his five tools on a consistent basis at Shea Stadium. Of the 10 most comparable players to Beltran at the age of 30, three are Hall of Famers (Reggie Jackson, Billy Williams and Dave Winfield).
The Royals made the wrong choice. Why? After all, Beltran played a more challenging defensive position and is the rarest of commodities – a five-tool star. Here are some reasons that aren’t often discussed about why they kept Sweeney:
a) perceived "media friendliness"
b) perceived team leadership skills
Yes, Sweeney captained the team, leading his team to a number of last place finishes. Beltran was a enigmatic and sometimes reclusive clubhouse presence during his Kauffman Stadium tenure and it is possible that the Glass family felt that the Royals thought Sweeney a bona fide Face of the Franchise.
The Royals picked perceived leadership over player tools. This is relevant right now when some in the local media seem to prefer 25 hustling-but-ultimately-unproductive players over 25 productive ones who don’t always hustle.
The Royals look for Faces of the Franchise for marketing purposes. They instead need to build a winning team and then market their players, rather than signing players they feel are more marketable.
Showing 1-8 of 8
All the talk about Sweeny V. Beltran, bad drafts, trading Dye and Damon for nothing and the local media giving excuses for it just tell me how bad an owner David Glass is and why he should sell the team to someone who might want to win.
Well, everybody loves a good rumor. Was not aware of that one.
But bottom line: While this is an interesting discussion to have, Carlos Beltran would not have made this team anything close to a contender. Within a couple of years, there would have been talk of him wanting the Royals to sign free agents to play around him ("He's playing GM!") or demanding a trade ("He's a traitor!"). As it turns out, Sweeney left town and the only people who noticed were Jeffrey Flanagan and a couple Christian Rock groups who found themselves with no gigs, while Beltran wanting out would have been a huge debacle. I actually think long term that "mistake" will be a good thing for the franchise.
@ Paul:
"Two, Beltran didn't want to be here. Why do I so often feel the need to explain the basic principle of free agency? He can probably make .5 mil doing a hot dog commercial for a local NY chain, versus 25k for a KC furniture store. Lord knows everybody needs more furniture. News flash: Not everybody thinks KC is the bees knees."
Not true, Paul. Now, I do think that his agent Boras would have preferred he didn't sign here as his free agency became imminent, but I do think at the time of 2002 the Royals could have signed him -- in fact, there are rumors that Baird and Beltran agreed on a deal and the Glass family reneged.
@ Chimpo:
And Ross Gload? He actually might be Kevin Keitzman's favorite player. He hustles and does the little things. Which does not include, say, hitting.
The amusing thing is that now people talk about Beltran being humorous and somewhat of a leader in the clubhouse. I think that has little to do with him being in NY and more to do with Beltran feeling he needed to fall in line behind Sweeney.
Plain and simple, Sweeney is white Christian who appeals to traditional midwest sensabilities, so that's who they signed. Realistically, you'd think Sweeney would have been much easier to replace, but seeing as Ross Gload is going on 40+ consecutive starts, it might just be time to off ourselves.
I'll just point out two things. One, Allard Baird, uber-scout that he was, rated Beltran's arm as below average for CF by 2004, so he didn't consider him a 5-tool guy anymore (let's forget for a moment that he was wrong). Two, Beltran didn't want to be here. Why do I so often feel the need to explain the basic principle of free agency? He can probably make .5 mil doing a hot dog commercial for a local NY chain, versus 25k for a KC furniture store. Lord knows everybody needs more furniture. News flash: Not everybody thinks KC is the bees knees.
That outfield would have been nice. But it is the outfield of dreams, or fairytales. Yeah, they screwed up on signing Sweeney, because he got hurt and was actually an a-hole and hypocrite. But way before that they drafted Dan Reichert, Joe Vitiello, Dee Brown, etc., etc., etc. No franchise can win a lick drafting like that.
Oh and Chris you forgot "c)" - which I am pretty sure would be the third argument supporting your position. I for one am anxious to read it.
Sweeney is a great guy - no doubt. I for one miss asking people, especially girls, who their favorite Royal is, and hearing them say "Mikes Weeney"... but all that aside - what a colossal screw up. We could have had an outfield of Damon, Dye, and Beltran. Also - whose idea was it to move the fences back out to their current dimensions? That one or two years when the fences were in was the most enjoyable Royals baseball since Bo Jackson was here. Dumb asses.
like
dislike
