KC Royals: Looking back at the worst deadline deal in Royals history
By Cullen Jekel
Before moving on to the trifecta that the Royals acquired in that deal, a quick word on Dotel, the forgotten piece in that three-team trade.
He’d spend one more season in Oakland, though he was limited to just 15.1 innings pitched. Starting in 2006, he’d truly become an itinerant, pitching for another ten teams before retiring in 2013. During that span, there was only one occasion where he pitched two consecutive full seasons with the same team. He left the Astros with a 11.0 WAR*, and collected just 4.8 the rest of the way.
*All WAR in this article comes from baseball-reference.com, so it’s technically bWAR.
Moving on the players the Royals acquired, let’s start with pitcher Mike Wood. Wood was…not good. In three years with the Royals, Wood started 34 games but appeared in another 53.
Throughout those 87 appearances, he went 11-19 with a 5.28 ERA, 5.41 FIP, 1.538 WHIP and two saves in 279.2 innings pitched. He struck out 4.8 hitters per nine innings and his S0/BB was 1.39. He totaled 0.7 WAR, which was, in hindsight, better than his career WAR, which was -0.4.
Then there’s catcher John Buck, who debuted with the Royals the very year they acquired him. Buck would go on to play six of his 11 seasons for the Royals, from 2004-2009.
In true Royals fandom, he made the All-Star team his first year outside of Kansas City, with the Toronto Blue Jays. Then he’d start bouncing around the league before flaming out after just 32 games between the Angels and Mariners in 2014.
His production in Kansas City could be best described with mocking frown and a nonchalant shrugging of the shoulders. He hit 70 home runs, which actually ranks 20th in Royals history and is fourth among catchers. He slashed only .235/.298/.407 with an ISO of .171. His total WAR with the Royals was 2.0. In 2010 with the Blue Jays, his WAR was 1.8.