Well, this is retarded. Is Moore intent on discarding every player Allard Baird ever acquired?

This move can only be redeemed if it is the front end of a deal involving Mike Sweeney. Even then, however, as Garth notes, how many backup DH candidates does a team need? You don't trade for a Gload, you sign him to a minor-league deal and invite him to spring training. Bizarre.

Well, so much for Sisburmac.

While I'm not giddy over the return (Ross Gload?), I'm glad that Sisco's one pitch and questionable work ethic are no longer with the organization. Dayton's making one hell of an effort to eliminate the losing atmosphere around here, and I'm totally down with that.

Gload will be a solid bat off the bench for you guys. I still think he has a couple years of .300/.350/.440 left in him. He's a solid line drive hitter. Plays a good first base. He has decent range in the OF (he can play the corners), but his arm is bad since he had shoulder problems last year. Overall I'd say he's average-to-slightly-below-average in LF and RF.

From a different thread, I posted:

I have voted this the first truly nutso move for Dayton Moore.

-Andrew Sisco had a terrible 2006 granted. But he had a terrific 2005, a terrific minor league record, still throws 93-95 with a decent slider, is still just 24 next season and still has upside. His problems in 2006 are nothing a stint in Omaha this year couldn't fix.

-Ross Gload seems like a decent enough 1B/OF/DH off the bench. He's also 31. He's make a great bench player for a contender. Heck, if we had absolutely no 1B next year, I'd probably be okay starting him for the Royals. But when you already have Ryan Shealy, what's the point? I've heard other Royals fans say Gload can spell Shealy. That's worth giving up Sisco??? Shealy should be playing every day. On the off chance he needs a spell, we have (a) Justin Huber; (b) Mike Sweeney who could still put on a glove on a rare day; (c) Mark Teahen; (d) Alex Gordon.

Gload can also play a corner outfield position, which is great except we already have Mark Teahen, Emil Brown, Reggie Sanders, Justin Huber, Shane Costa, and Joey Gathright all able to play the corner outfield spots, with Mitch Maier, Chris Lubanski and Mitch Maier waiting in the wings.

Sisco has work ethic issues and was utterly hittable in 2006, so if they wanted to trade him, I'm okay with that, but I would have rather traded him for an area of need like shortstop depth or another pitcher, or heck, even a minor league outfielder with upside. The last thing we needed to bring in was a 30 year old 1B/OF/DH type. Ugh, I have flashbacks to Allard Baird.

You don't trade for a Gload, you sign him to a minor-league deal and invite him to spring training. Bizarre.

Except this Gload has hit .323/.366/.472 in his last two full seasons (390 ABs) and plays an excellent first base. That's not "minor-league deal" material.

I disagree with Keith about his outfield skills. I'd say he's to right field what Rob Mackowiak is in center. I think he could handle left field with enough reps, though.

Except this Gload has hit .323/.366/.472 in his last two full seasons (390 ABs)

390 ABs is not even one full season.

You don't trade for a Gload, you sign him to a minor-league deal and invite him to spring training. Bizarre.

Except this Gload has hit .323/.366/.472 in his last two full seasons (390 ABs) and plays an excellent first base. That's not "minor-league deal" material.

I'm not going to go to the mat to defend my flippant response to a dumb deal, but 5 minutes with the Transaction Oracle yields (2007 Zips, thanks Dan):

J Phelps 279/338/486
HS Choi 230/341/411
E Marrero 254/328/450
JR House 282/333/431
C Pena 256/355/474

That's free talent. I'd take any of those guys and Sisco over Gload, who projects at 307/355/481.

Better, but not that much better. Bench bats haven't exactly been holding the Royals back.

Rany has a post up at that other site with more background, explaining this is a Jettison Little Giambi Moment.

I still don't like giving away great talent, even if he is a dumb jock.

If royals fans can't deal with young players not delivering immediantly then they don't deserve a winning team.

Sisco probably won't pan out, most young ptichers don't.
That doesn't mean your $60m payroll team should trade them all for bench players.


Kevin Agree- I'm disapointed, I like your blog a lot but you've become a bit of an apologist for everything Moore and the Royals do.
It's that scout.com influence, I like some of the positive stuff to counter all the negative out there about this team (and they have had some good moves unfairly judged because the Royals made them), but you guys wouldn't criticize Moore if he invaded Poland.

Right of wrong Allard would have been HAMMERED for this move.



And I'm sick of questioning every players ethic and attitude the second they're traded, Bautista, Howell, Burgos, now Sisco? that's weak Nate Bukady-####.
You know, I don't balm ANY player who's been on the Royals the last 6 years for felling lost, it's been a Mickey Mouse organization.

Sorry, this is a weak move by Moore.

390 ABs is not even one full season.

True, but considering he hasn't yet shown any sort of platoon split, I'd take him over a Choi.

True, but considering he hasn't yet shown any sort of platoon split, I'd take him over a Choi.

I would too, but I'd take an essentially free Hee Sop Choi over a Ross Gload that costs us Andrew Sisco.

Or Carlos Pena. Or Josh Phelps. Or J.R. House.

Unless there is a subsequent move to lighten the load at the left end of the spectrum, this deal reeks. Unless lots of folks turn out to be incredibly wrong, the Moore adminstration appears to be hell bent on continuing the descent of the Royals franchise. And I thought we had hit rock bottom.
Whats the deal with offloading all of the "talent"? Other than Gordon, Butler, and the disfavored Huber, Moore has chucked off Burgos, Sisco, Murphy, McDougal, JP Howell, Affeldt, etc.... yeah, some of these guys hadn't proved they could be ML ave, but they were all young, rushed, or afflicted with various other maladies or mismanagement that seemingly are part and parcel of being in the Royals organization. And generally speaking, I assume lots of the guys Moore has jettisoned would have made the top 10 list of Royals prospects under 25. What we've gotten in return doesn't seem good enough. Time will tell, but the early returns are damn depressing. What's next, Billy Butler for a back up catcher. Maybe they can get Stairs back just in case. Why a team as woeful as the Royals plinks around for depth at 1b and C is beyond me. Aren't there several guys who can give you approx that kind of production for a lot less cost? Dang.

Unless there is a subsequent move to lighten the load at the left end of the spectrum, this deal reeks. Unless lots of folks turn out to be incredibly wrong, the Moore adminstration appears to be hell bent on continuing the descent of the Royals franchise. And I thought we had hit rock bottom.
Whats the deal with offloading all of the "talent"? Other than Gordon, Butler, and the disfavored Huber, Moore has chucked off Burgos, Sisco, Murphy, McDougal, JP Howell, Affeldt, etc.... yeah, some of these guys hadn't proved they could be ML ave, but they were all young, rushed, or afflicted with various other maladies or mismanagement that seemingly are part and parcel of being in the Royals organization. And generally speaking, I assume lots of the guys Moore has jettisoned would have made the top 10 list of Royals prospects under 25. What we've gotten in return doesn't seem good enough. Time will tell, but the early returns are damn depressing. What's next, Billy Butler for a back up catcher. Maybe they can get Stairs back just in case. Why a team as woeful as the Royals plinks around for depth at 1b and C is beyond me. Aren't there several guys who can give you approx that kind of production for a lot less cost? Dang.

I would too, but I'd take an essentially free Hee Sop Choi over a Ross Gload that costs us Andrew Sisco.

Or Carlos Pena. Or Josh Phelps. Or J.R. House.

plus, you have to consider that the Royals' already have the position filled and a surplus of talent behind that.

The questioning of Sisco's work ethic/general attitude isn't a new thing. It's been going on since the Cubs drafted him, and is pretty much the only reason he was left off the Cubs' 40 man roster.

Gload seems like a fine player. I just don't see the need for him.

It would be interesting to see Moore's mental depth charts at 1B/DH/corner outfield. Trading for Gload would seem to indicate that he wasn't very satisfied with the set of players he had. Looking at the Royals' current roster, you'd have to think that there are several upcoming moves to clarify these positions, wouldn't you?

On the other hand, we seem to have a very complex logjam at 1B/DH anyway. Mike Sweeney, Justin Huber, Billy Butler, Emil Brown/Reggie Sanders and now Ross Gload might be competing for spots at backup/starting DH/1B[...]

Oh, and I forgot to mention Ryan Shealy -- doy.

you guys wouldn't criticize Moore if he invaded Poland.

Neither would I. Russia and Germany practically agreed to cut Poland in half because they were that easy to conquer. What's that, you say? I missed the point? Also... "We were invited. Punch was served. Check with Poland."

But, a little more seriously, I think what Kevin's saying has some merit. Moore has stated several times in several places that he is trying to replace the very essence -- the very nature and attitude -- of the Royals with a "winning" one, whatever that means to him. And many, myself included, think that isn't a bad thing. Now, if he goes too far to get that done, then I have a problem with it.

Gload seems like a fine player. I just don't see the need for him.

That describes nearly perfectly how I feel about this trade.

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Does this deal allow Moore to move Emil Brown or Reggie Sanders with more confidence?

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Also see:
Newsblog
Trans. Oracle

Stolen from a poster on FanHome:

The Royals have turned over 25 spots on the 40 man roster since Moore was hired:

Released/Left on Waivers
A. Guiel
K. Robinson
K. Snyder
S. Andrade
C. Booker
B. Madristch
M. Wood
A. Bernero
J. Cedeno
R. Hernandez
(12/15) P. Phillips

Departed Free Agents
J. Diaz
P. Bako
M. Redman
D. Mienkewicz
S. Etherton

Traded
M. Stairs
J. Affeldt
D. Bautista
E. Dessens
M. MacDougal
R. Gotay
D. Murphy
A. Burgos
(12/16) A. Sisco

We might have to give Moore a little more leeway for occasionally trading from a weakness to a strength or for addressing some positions before others that would seem to cry out for improvements. When you're turning over 15 percent of your roster every month(!) for six months, you have to take what's available.

I mean to say, turning over 10% of the roster per month, or getting rid of 15% of the Baird leftovers per month. Actual turnover is somewhat higher, since some of the new additions were presumably also moved.

The bottom line is wins and losses. Moore has an idea about how to improve the Royals in that department that involves changing the attitude around the team. After some of the effort I've seen from the team in the last 10 years, I'm all for that, even if it costs us some young talent. I'm willing to try anything and not judge Moore until these moves bear results (good or ill). If I thought his "plan" was the same as Allard's I wouldn't be so patient, but it's clearly different.