Would've gotten to this the other day, after Jorge De La Rosa's start at Kauffman Stadium Tuesday if not for Ramon Ramirez's new-found control problems and the scary moment with the maple bat and home plate umpire.
But we have time today, with De La Rosa's start still fresh in the memory. He was incredibly De La Rosa on Tuesday, dominating the first few innings before going wild and inconsistent for a couple innings, the damage enough to cancel out the good start and leave him with the loss.
He's left-handed, throws hard and has electric stuff, so he's exactly the kind of guy who will always get chances. But I can't imagine there's any Royals fan out there upset that GM Dayton Moore dumped him for Ramirez.
De La Rosa wasn't going to make the Royals' rotation, so you look at Ramirez as a substantial bullpen upgrade from what DLR would've provided. And while we're here, it's another sign of another small step that DLR wouldn't have made the Royals rotation but is starting for the National League champs, bad as they are this year.
Anyway, this trade sure looks good for the Royals right now (and did at the time it was made), so with the trade deadline approaching, the Royals having some pieces to deal and some needs to fill, I thought this might be a good time to analyze the 10 biggest moves Moore's made in two-plus years as the Royals' GM.
DLR for Ram-Ram is one. Here are four more, with the rest coming tomorrow.
June 20, 2006. Acquired OF Joey Gathright from Tampa for LHP J.P. Howell. Feeling at the time was good about this one, because Howell seemed to be going nowhere, and the Royals desperately needed speed.
Howell always had the look of someone who'd make a good transition to the bullpen, and he's 6-0 with a 2.90 ERA and might make the All-Star team depite throwing like an old man.
Meanwhile, Gathright has improved defensively every year and has a better arm than you'd expect, but, except for an extended hot streak last year, has mostly struggled at the plate. He's hitting .240 with a .287 on-base percentage, and his 17 steals can't make up for that.
Current judgment: Bad trade.
July 24, 2006. Traded RHP Mike MacDougal to the White Sox for LHP Tyler Lumsden and RHP Dan Cortes. I loved this trade at the time because closers are expendable on bad teams, and Lumsden was supposed to turn into a stud. MacDougal's impact with the White Sox has been minimal, and Lumsden is going on two years of scuffling.
But Cortes, the secondary prospect in that deal, is emerging as one of the organization's best pitching prospects. He's grown and filled out since the trade, his peripherals are very good, and I don't know of a scout who's seen him who doesn't gush.
At best, MacDougal would be a 7th or 8th inning guy, the right-handed power arm to get to Soria. At worst, he'd be hurt or stunting Soria's growth.
Current judgment: Good trade, possibly terrific if Cortes continues to improve.
July 31, 2006. Traded LHP Jeremy Affeldt and RHP Denny Bautista for 1B Ryan Shealy and RHP Scott Dohmann. Seems like a long time ago now, but this one looked terrific for the Royals when it was made and for the rest of that season.
Shealy was one of the better power-hitting prospects in the minor leagues, stuck at Class AAA because he could only play 1B and the Rockies had Todd Helton. He hit .280/.338/.451 with seven homers and 36 RBIs in 51 games for the Royals in 2006, and then-manager Buddy Bell fell in love.
Shealy was considered a possible cornerstone of the future both for his bat and the way he carried himself and was viewed by his teammates. He was even better than expected defensively.
And then 2007 happened, a nightmare combination of injuries and slumps. In just slightly fewer plate appearances than the year before, Shealy hit .221/.286/.308 with three homers and 21 RBIs. His OPS+ went from 102 to 55. He's not hitting .254/.325/.460 with 10 homers and 25 RBIs in 189 at bats in Omaha.
Affeldt became a valued member of the Rockies' bullpen last year as the team went to the World Series. He's now a perfectly league average reliever in Cincinnati.
Bautista struggled in Colorado and pitched well for a while in Detroit before being designated for assignment last week upon the return of expert Guitar Hero player Joel Zumaya.
The Tigers traded Bautista yesterday to Pittsburgh for a minor league pitcher in what Pirates GM Neal Huntington called "another low-risk" acquisition.
Current judgment: Not a great trade for anybody, least of all the Royals.
Dec. 6, 2006. Traded RHP Ambiorix Burgos to the Mets for RHP Brian Bannister. Other than Burgos blowing out his arm, having a year's salary's worth of gold chains stolen from his hotel room, and pitching in only 17 games for the Mets, he's worked out pretty well in New York.
Meanwhile, Banny has developed into every saberfan's wet dream and is the object of a man-crush from a certain sports columnist.
Wins are overrated, but I do think it's worth noting that he's above .500 this year and was last year for a team that's been a combined 31 games under .500.
Current judgment: Absolutely terrific trade.
To JT's comment about fairweather: I'm all in on Guillen. Have been since he was signed. And personally LOVE it when he speaks his mind. For me having spent the last 10 years sitting at the K and watching this team wilt by August, its refreshing to see someone with venom spit a little once in a while.