Kansas City Royals: The Math Isn’t There
By Paul York
Kansas City Royals pitcher Greg Holland (56) Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
So, where does that leave our Royals for this year? Does it really matter? To be blunt, it really doesn’t matter. We all know it was playoffs or bust this year. We all know the infamous Wil Myers for James Shields trade was made with a 2 year playoff window in mind. That window has shut, folks, and it is time to move on.
Locally, that means we shift our attention to grown men practicing football in St. Joseph, MO. In the baseball world, that means the Royals should become very active sellers as we near the July 31st trading deadline.
Who goes, and who stays?
Obviously, I’m not the GM, but the two obvious guys that should be dangled in trade talks should be James Shields and Greg Holland.
The Royals aren’t re-signing Shields next year, and it’s not worth having/paying an elite closer like Holland if the team doesn’t have a realistic chance to win. This is a lesson that should be learned from the Joakim Soria days.
Obviously, I’m not the GM, but the two obvious guys that should be dangled in trade talks should be James Shields and Greg Holland.
I would expect both to yield nice returns. However, I think the Royals could get something truly special if they found that contender that needed rotation and bullpen help (not named the Detroit Tigers). Dealing Shields and Holland together makes some sense in that regard.
If it were me, I’d be looking at teams like the LA Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals. More specifically, I’m looking at top prospects Joc Pederson (Dodgers) and Oscar Taveras (Cardinals).
Obviously, the expectation is that the Royals would be receiving more than just the one prospect, but those would be the guys I’d covet. Both are big-time outfield prospects, and the Royals don’t have an outfield prospect anywhere close to being impactful at the MLB level.
Some other guys I’d be selling: Wade Davis, Omar Infante, Jarrod Dyson, Billy Butler.
I think it’s an either/or game with Wade Davis. If Holland goes, Davis stays, or vice versa. One of the two is your 2015 closer, in my opinion.