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Royals Rumors: Trade for Mike Montgomery felt unnecessary

By Leigh Oleszczak

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 14: Mike Montgomery #38 of the Chicago Cubs pitches in the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on June 14, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 14: Mike Montgomery #38 of the Chicago Cubs pitches in the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on June 14, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
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The Royals rumors are off and running, with Martin Maldonado being the second Royal traded in just two days. In return, the Royals received an old friend named Mike Montgomery. This felt like a trade that was done just to make a trade.

The Kansas City Royals are no doubt in sell mode this summer, already having shipped off two players in trades. The first was Homer Bailey, who was sent to Oakland on Sunday. The second was Martin Maldonado, who is now a member of the Cubs.

The Bailey trade was a good one for the Royals, at least on paper. They traded away a guy on a one-year deal and in exchange, received a former first round pick named Kevin Merrell, who fits what the Royals look for to a tee.

Bailey was going to be a free agent at the end of the season and with how well he’d been performing prior to the All-Star break, it was smart of the Royals to part ways with him while his value was still high. They did well on that deal, at least for now.

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As for the Martin Maldonado trade, it felt like a move the Royals made just to say they made a move. Sure, Maldonado was going to be traded at some point, but this felt rushed and like a “We’ll take anything we can get” type of agreement.

There were several contenders in the market for a backup catcher yet the Royals rushed into things and sent Maldonado to the Cubs in exchange for pitcher Mike Montgomery.

While Montgomery is a polished pitcher in the major leagues, what purpose does he really serve the Royals during their rebuild? The Royals need to be bringing in young prospects who can help the team in the next three to five years, not someone whose better days could very well be behind him.

Montgomery not only had a 5.67 ERA with the Cubs before being traded, but he just turned 30 at the beginning of the month. Why are the Royals trading for a 30 year old pitcher who is under contract through the end of the 2021 season? They already have one of those and his name is Danny Duffy, a player they should strongly consider trading as it is.

While it’ll be nice to have someone who can jump into Bailey’s old spot in the rotation, this was a weird trade to say the least. Several teams would have been willing to give the Royals a young prospect who could help them win in the future, past 2021.

Next. Five Trade Scenarios at 2019 Deadline. dark

The Royals rumors aren’t anywhere close to being done, but Dayton Moore might have whiffed on this one.

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