Affeldt wasn't even a quality #4 starter as a Royal.

He really just isn't too good as a starter. And whenever he got hot in relief, nimrods wanted to put him back in the rotation. Forgetting the fact that Affeldt has awful endurance.

As well, Affeldt is going to get murdered in Coors Field. He doesn't strike people out and he has awful control.

Denny Bautista is a heck of a thrower, but not much of a pitcher.

Bautista's definitely taken about 3 steps back this year (Bautista turned out to also be included in this trade, for those unable to read between the lines).

The Rockies should've traded Helton. No, really.

DM has traded

P J.P. Howell
2B Ruben Gotay
P Mike MacDougal
P Elmer Dessens
IF Tony Graffanino
1B Matt Stairs
P Jeremy Affeldt
P Denny Bautista

And received
OF Joey Gathright
2B Jeff Keppinger
P Tyler Lumsden
P Daniel Cortes
P Odalis Perez
P Blake Johnson
P Julio Pimenthal
P Jorge de la Rosa
P Joselo Diaz
1B Ryan Shealy
P Scott Dohman

And $8 million in cash. And they actually have a winning record since he took over. Not a bad few weeks.

The only potentially bad trade Moore has made is the Gathright deal. Most of these more recent moves have rid the Royals of the guys who lost consistently. Though the haul might not be incredible, at least these guys provide the Royals with some fresh lifeblood.

The Rockies should've traded Helton. No, really.

Probably so, with Shealy keeping the position warm this year, then a Koshansky/Shealy platoon, then Koshansky taking over in 2008...

Remember when Affeldt and Elveys flipped a coin to see who'd be the opening day starter?


Bottom line, Love having moore as a GM, looking forward to the future. Not thriled with this trade or the Gathright one.

The Royals strengths are coner IF/OF and DH's hitters, and a great CF.

They're easily the most pitching starved team in baseball.

So Moore trades the teams two best shots at turning into average/above average ML pitchers for a risky CF and a poor fielding 1B/DH.

(Howell wasn't great, but he's assured of having a ML career, and he had a great presense and attitude. I like the idea of riding the team of guys w/ losing mentalities, but JP wasn't one.)

I tell myself it's good he is removed enough to make deals based just on superior talent, not need, but I'm not sure if that's the case in either of these.

I feel bad for guys like Bautista and Gotay, I'm almost sure in a well-run organization they'd both have worked out better and reached their potential. Now they're facing an uphill battle after years of being Royaly dicked around.



I'm going to repost my thoughts from the other Affeldt/Shealy thread, because I'm so fukcing relavant:


It's kinda ridiculous for the Royals to go out of their way to create positions for a their surplus of corner players/DHs when they are in such desperate need of pitching.

I don't see anybody in the Royals system who isn't more than a longshot to be anything greater than a back of the rotation guy.
For that matter, they're pretty dry when it comes to middle infielders and guys who can catch the ball (useful to have if all your pitchers' upside is 'average').

[I don't think too highly of Moore's recent aquisitions, they're nice for depth, and it'd be hard to get more for who he traded, but none of these guys looks better than org filler with an outside shot at success].

At some point the Royals are going to have to deal from their stash and make a trade for quality pitching. Whether Moore does it now while they're still prospects,. or waits until players establish themselves ro flop remains to be seen.
My guess is that Huber's gone soon, though personally I'd commit to Gordon and Butler, while letting Shealy and Teahen build trade value in the majors.


I guess that's why I'm frustrated with this trade, sure Bautista had control issues, and injury problems (though I'd point out he's been mismanaged and coached by the royals for two years now), but he was the Royal with the best shot at being a above average starter.

He was raw, and wild and injury prone, but so are all of Moore's latest aquisitions. I just don't understand how a team as desperate for pitching, and as flush with young corner hitters would make this trade.

It's probably just a simple case of trading a prospect who 'll probably fail for more of a sure thing.

PS

-Glad to get rid of Affeldt.

-Ain't it funny how Shealy (3 years older than Huber, probably a worse hitter, also w/ a bad 1B glove) gets traded, and he's instantly on the team and will be starting at first.
Huber couldn't buy a start at DH his time up here, and doesn't even get called up when Stairs gets traded and Minky goes down.
Anyone Believe Shealy > Huber?

-Any Rockies fans (are there any here?) want to comment on shealy's glove? BP and BA sound really down on it.

Oh and if I was an AL GM this past month I would have been calling KC about Huber and German, they can both PLAY and for some reason KC is down on them both.

They'd have probably come cheap too.

I think Huber's conversion to the OF is final now, I don't think we should expect to see him at 1B much anymore.

2008
2B German/Keppinger
LF DeJesus
3B Gordon
DH Butler
RF Huber
1B Shealy
C Buck
CF Gathright/Lubanski
SS Who the hell knows?

I'm guessing Teahen will get traded for pitching within the next year or so. I like the looks of that.

Craig Counsel is a Free Agent next year.

I'm anxious to see Shealy's D.