When Will the Big Trade Get Done?

It seems inevitable at this point that a big trade involving the Royals and another team is going to get done.  What players will be involved and will GMDM be able to get enough quality pitching back is the only question at this point.  With teams like the Rays and Mariners looking to add offense while in possession of plenty of pitching there seems to be a nice natural fit with Kansas City while the usual suspect, the Atlanta Braves, likely not far behind.

Could the Hos era be over already?

All players seem to be on the table for Kansas City as MLBTR reported that the Royals are listening on Alex Gordon, Billy Butler, Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Wil Myers.  The Royals are likely pushing a Hosmer trade to Tampa Bay who with their intelligence would possibly be in favor of Myers who they would be in control of longer and could push for the typical Rays longterm deal.  General manager Andrew Friedman is as good as it gets in the game and he probably knows that the he’ll only have to part with James Shields or Jeremy Hellickson for either Myers or Hosmer.  For the Royals Shields would be a nice pitcher to have this season and next but not quite the difference maker they need.  Of the two I prefer Hellickson who improved his K rate, walk rate and ground ball percentage while also having four years of team control left.  He doesn’t have the #2 ceiling of Shields but he’s cheaper, looks to be a solid #3 with a chance to be a paper #2 at the K in the AL Center for the longterm and as a Iowa boy could be open to a deal that gives the Royals a couple extra years.

While the Rays could be targeting any number of Royals it seems that the Mariners have their eyes more on Butler as they covet a middle of the order consistent bat they can stick in the middle of the lineup and forget about.  Of the two teams the Rays have the most ready to contribute pitching now but the M’s may have the higher ceiling considering the Rays probably aren’t willing to part with David Price or Matt Moore.  Do the Royals part with Billy, who has committed to the team until 2015 for a young starter in AA like Taijuan Walker and another piece maybe even another starter who has yet to break into the majors?  It seems unlikely that would be the play for the franchise and owner who want to win today.

Jurrjens to the Royals seems inevitable.

If GMDM is afraid of a Friedman fleecing and doesn’t think he can hang onto his job while waiting on the M’s pitchers he could turn to his old stomping ground and friends in Atlanta.  The Braves have been looking for a trade partner for Jair Jurrjens and Tommy Hanson but what would they be looking for in return?  They obviously aren’t in need of a first baseman with Freddie Freeman under team control, nor would third base look to be a spot for them as they have Dan Uggla until 2015.  This seems to be where Alex Gordon would come into play as the Braves are in need of a bit more offense.  That seems like a pretty reasonable trade for the two teams, the Royals get Hanson, a Boras client and control for three arb years while also filling a starting rotation roster spot in Jurrjens.  The ownership would get to save money on Gordon’s contract while filling two holes in the rotation on paper.  This move would likely send the Royals blogosphere in an all out tail spin with the loss of Gordon and the acquisition of Jurrjens and yet another Braves trade so it is probably the most likely scenario.

At this point the only trade I would like GMDM to make is a Hosmer for Hellickson deal while also trying to get Friedman to toss in something IF he can.  Lets face it, Hosmer isn’t signing longterm and the Royals need to add a cheap starter.  The Royals can call up Wil Myers to player right-field, stick Frenchy at DH and play Butler at first, improve their rotation with Hellickson and resign Jeremy Guthrie.  The team could be improved significantly in the outfield, offensively at 1b and in the rotation while still hanging onto the longterm plan.  It’s not the flashy move that some want but it is a nice stable move that gives the team continued flexibility, doesn’t take away offense and should help them get to .500.  We’ve been told it’s a process well if that is true lets not sell off after one year, let the guys from TJ surgery come back and continue to make progress on the farm.

Regardless of what gets done it seems a trade is inevitable and we will see a move made before the end of the winter meetings.