The trade had to happen. Sooner than the later Kansas City Royals general manager Dayton Moore was going to hit the "accept" button and send Zack Greinke packing. The trade talk was becoming tiresome, so on Sunday, the deal was made. Not with the New York Yankees or the Texas Rangers or even the Washington Nationals or Toronto Blue Jays. Zack Greinke is a Milwaukee Brewer.
Who did the Royals get? A collection of four players that casual baseball fans have probably never heard of, including two pitching prospects.
Here's the deal: the Royals get shortstop Alcides Escobar, outfielder Lorenzo Cain and pitching prospects Jake Odorizzi and Jeremy Jeffress. In the exchange, the Royals shipped off shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt and cash considerations.
ESPN's report says the move makes the Brewers a contender next season, although they "gutted their farm system" to get Greinke. As for the Royals, the package of players has already been called "a little meager" and "Mark Teixeira Lite," a nod to the prototypical deal Moore was trying to pull off. Sitll, Moore told reporters that the expectation is "to be competitive next year."
So a guy who "struggled at the plate," a guy who merely showed up for work, a top minor league pitcher and a guy TWICE suspended for smoking the reefer.Escobar was the Brewers' primary shortstop last season but struggled at the plate, batting .235 with 41 RBIs. Cain played 43 games for the Brewers last season, batting .306 with 13 RBIs.
Jeffress made 10 appearances for the Brewers last season, going 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA. He has been suspended twice under baseball's drug policy.
Odorizzi was perhaps the Brewers' top minor league pitching prospect, and agent Jason Wood said the team tried "very hard" to keep his client out of the deal.
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CB - I like your optimism regarding what the Royals are getting in return, though I think it's human nature to overvalue one's own possessions.
Brewers fans are saying we're getting a great haul, but most baseball people say there's not a potential star in the bunch.
Royals fans think we've given away some futuristic biological hybrid of Pedro Martinez and Greg Maddux, but the reality is that his superhuman 2009 season was likely more of an aberration than his exactly-league-average performance in 2010.
My prediction (worth approximately nothing) is that Greinke will be above average but not elite in Milwaukee. And I think the Royals will be somewhere between mildly disappointed to mildly pleased with what they got when it's all said and done. For now, they improve at SS and CF immediately but forfeit their only attendance draw.
Also, they will now go into Spring Training without a single average major league starting pitcher.
KC is getting some excellent prospects. Escobar's numbers might be a little frightening, but he's going to be an excellent defensive shortstop, and when he gets on base, he's a huge threat to steal. If the batting coach can work on his plate presence, he will be a star infielder for years to come.
Cain might have "showed up to work", but he filled a hole in centerfield better than anyone could have asked. He made several defensive plays (one in particular that had him running full force into a fence while still making the catch) that made my jaw drop. He's already dangerous in the batting box, and on the bases, much like Escobar, will be a huge threat to steal. He shows glimpses of possessing a powerful bat, and will likely be capable of hitting ~10-15 homeruns a season, and will consistently get on base. As a Brewers fan, this was probably the biggest loss to me. Watching him play at the end of last season was electrifying, and I might have just become a KC fan so that I can continue to watch him develop as a player. He has the potential to be a Carl Crawford-like player.
Jeffress will no doubt need to be kept on a short leash... I think marijuana laws are ridiculous, but they are laws nonetheless, and he needs to abide as a player in the MLB. That being said, he's going to be an excellent reliever with a fastball that will hit 100 consistently.
and finally, I don't know much about Odorizzi other than he was the Brewers most promising prospect. He's no doubt going to be starter quality in the years to come for KC, and I know for many, this was the biggest loss to Brewers fans. He's worth cultivating in the extremely deep KC farming system.
The trade was dead even. KC got some of the Brewers best prospects, and the Brewers got a big arm in their starting rotation that immediately puts them in playoff contention. As I mentioned earlier, I'm a Brewers fan, but will no doubt be cheering for KC in years to come... you guys gained some of my favorite prospects.
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