Royals' trade with Rays shows win-now mentality
BY DAVE SKRETTA Associated Press
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
12/11/12 at 5:29 AM
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - When James Shields broke into the big leagues with Tampa Bay, the Rays were no better than the Kansas City Royals.
They lost more than 100 games his first season, and fared little better the following year. But by his third season as a starter, the Rays had finally turned the corner, many of their prized prospects forming the nucleus of a team that upstaged AL East stalwarts Boston and the Yankees and advanced all the way to the World Series.
Now, after a blockbuster deal that sent Shields and fellow right-hander Wade Davis to the Royals late Sunday, the former All-Star pitcher believes everything is in place for Kansas City to replicate the Rays' success.
"The Royals are definitely on the right track," Shields said Monday. "They definitely remind me of our '07 season going into our '08 season in the Rays organization, and I think there's a good possibility we can step in that direction."
The Royals struggled to a 72-90 record and a third-place finish in the weak AL Central last season. It was their ninth consecutive losing season, and extended to 27 the number of years it's been since the franchise last played in the postseason.
The biggest reason for the lousy finish was a dearth of starting pitching, and that's something that general manager Dayton Moore has been aggressively trying to resolve this offseason.
Along with acquiring Shields and Davis in arguably the biggest move during his tenure, Moore also re-signed Jeremy Guthrie to a $25 million, three-year deal and acquired Ervin Santana and his $12 million salary from the Los Angeles Angels. That means Kansas City's top four starters next season weren't on their opening day roster this past year.
"Our goal is to add as much pitching depth as we can as every organization tends to do, especially this time of year," said Moore, adding that Bruce Chen, Luke Hochevar and Luis Mendoza could compete for the final job in spring training.
"It looks like a good mix of people, I think, with Shields and Santana - I've seen Guthrie pitch for a couple years with the Orioles," Davis said. "I'm not a 10-year veteran or a coach, but I think it's a good mix of people."
The Royals certainly mortgaged their future to put it together.
Tampa Bay's biggest prize in the six-player swap is undoubtedly outfielder Wil Myers, widely regarded as the top prospect in the minors.
The 22-year-old hit .314 with 37 homers and 109 RBIs last season, and he starred during the All-Star Futures Game hosted by Kansas City, putting together a pair of hits and driving in three runs.
Associated Images:
The Kansas City Royals hope James Shields, shown pitching for Tampa Bay last season, helps the team end its 27-year run without an appearance in the postseason. Associated Press file
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