March 23rd:
The Move: Royals trade Kevin Hart to Brewers for Nyjer Morgan.
The Bottom Line: Moved Nyjer for Craig Breslow, and I'd do Breslow for Hart any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
March 23rd:
The Move: Royals trade Juan Silverio, Brad Hawpe, and Michael Young to Reds for Jose Valentin, Joe Thatcher, and Alfonso Soriano.
The Bottom Line: I got the best player in the deal, but pretty sure I lose this one. Young and Hawpe are far less injury prone, and better defensively than Soriano. The later Soriano trade doesn't make this one any better.
March 27th:
The Move: Royals trade Victor Martinez and Jason Pridie to the Red Sox for Travis Hafner and Chris Snyder.
The Bottom Line: Hindsight being 20/20...I kicked this deal's ass, as Hafner ended up going for Dunn and Holland.
April 1st:
The Deal: Royals trade Michael Wuertz and Geoff Geary to the Braves for Ty Wigginton.
The Bottom Line: I got my ass handed to me on this one.
April 4th:
The Deal: Royals trade Chris Young to the Cubs for Jair Jurrjens and Joe Saunders.
The Bottom Line: When I finally win my first division title, I'm probably going to have this deal to thank. Everyone lambasted me on this one, but I found two guys I wanted, and the instincts paid off (which really doesn't happen often).
April 7th:
The Deal: Royals trade Carlos Villanueva and Chris Duncan to the Pirates for Milton Bradley and Xavier Paul.
The Bottom Line: Milton Bradley ended up being better than anyone could have imagined, and Villanueva and Duncan were ok and bad. In that order. In the words of Mortal Kombat - 'Zalaski Wins.'
April 17th:
The Deal: Royals trade Matt Chico and Melvin Mora to the Cubs for Daric Barton.
The Bottom Line: Who the fuck knew Melvin Mora would find the Fountain of Youth? Although I did make out ok, as I sold high on Barton to get Kelvim Escobar.
April 18th:
The Deal: Royals trade Daric Barton and Jarrod Washburn to the Pirates for Josh Barfield and Kelvim Escobar.
The Bottom Line: Another good one for me - I got to sell high on Barton, and would move Barfield and Escobar for pieces that will help me going forwards.
April 27th:
The Deal: Royals trade Travis Hafner to the Reds for Adam Dunn and Derek Holland.
The Bottom Line: April was a pretty good month for me, and this was a hell of a way to end it. Although I did ultimately sell low on Holland, Dunn was a MASSIVE upgrade over Hafner.
May 20th:
The Deal: Royals trade Todd Helton and John Bale to the Yankees for Sean Casey and Randy Johnson.
The Bottom Line: Considering Helton was pretty worthless at Kaufmann, ending up with Doug Davis, via Johnson, was a pretty good deal for me.
June 10th:
The Deal: Royals trade John Raynor and Jesse Carlson to the Dodgers for Greg Maddux.
The Bottom Line: While it looks like a loss on paper, Maddux went for Litsch, and I'd do Raynor and Carlson for Litsch in a heartbeat.
June 19th:
The Deal: Royals trade Fausto Carmona, Kelvim Escobar, Jorge Cantu, and Sean Casey to the Pirates for Chris Carpenter, JD Drew, James Loney, and Ramon Ramirez.
The Bottom Line: Would have been tough to have guessed Carmona's fall-to-earth, so this deal isn't as bad as it looks now. For me, I got rid of two pitchers who I couldn't use, and picked up the pitcher who would get me Volquez, a very solid reliever, and a bat that will anchor the top or middle of my lineup. Very good deal for me.
July 9th:
The Deal: Royals trade Derek Holland, Alfonso Soriano, and Eric Stults to the Pirates for Alexei Ramirez, Jon Rauch, and Oliver Perez.
The Bottom Line: Yikes, JP definitely got me back here. The upside is that Ramirez and Perez were both moved to upgrade the team, so not truly the total disaster it looks. But still a disaster.
July 31st:
The Deal: Royals trade Alexi Ramirez and Chris Carpenter to the Braves for Edinson Volquez.
The Bottom Line: It helped get the B's into the playoffs, and it got me Volquez. Pretty solid all around.
July 31st:
The Deal: Royals trade Eric Hull and Joe Thatcher to the Dodgers for Jesse Carlson.
The Bottom Line: Traded two spare parts for an excellent left-hand pitcher. That will be a huge help to me next year.
July 31st:
The Deal: Royals trade Ty Wigginton to the Twins for Ryan Sweeney.
The Bottom Line: Not truly my best work, but Sweeney fills a big need for me, and is an exciting young talent.
August 1st:
The Deal: Royals trade Aaron Heilman to the Yankees for Charlie Zink and Chris Britton.
The Bottom Line: Score one for Zalaski over the Evil Empire.
August 1st:
The Deal: Royals trade the 3rd round draft pick to the Rays for David Eckstein and the 4th round draft pick.
The Bottom Line: Solid deal for me. Eck can back up a few positions and get on base from time to time, and I lose 15 draft spots.
August 1st:
The Deal: Royals trade the 1st round draft pick and Rich Hill to the Pirates for Taylor Buchholz and Jorge Cantu.
The Bottom Line: Losing the 1st round pick hurts, but Cantu and Buchholz will play major roles on my team next year, and Hill has a long way to go to regain his effectiveness.
August 2nd:
The Deal: Royals trade Randy Johnson and the 4th round draft pick to the Reds for Doug Davis and the 5th round draft pick.
The Bottom Line: If Johnson's back, it may hurt a little next year, but Davis will be a good 6th pitcher for me in the long run (or until Zink or Kontos grab that spot).
August 2nd:
The Deal: Royals trade Jeff Kent to the Twins for a 2nd round draft pick.
The Bottom Line: Kent will struggle to be effective next year, if he's around at all.
August 2nd:
The Deal: Royals trade Chris Snyder and Brian Wilson to the White Sox for Ryan Theriot and the 3rd round draft pick.
The Bottom Line: Good deal for both of us - Theriot performs a crucial role for me as shortstop and a top of the order presence, while Wilson and Snyder are both above averages at their positions.
August 4th:
The Deal: Royals trade the 2nd round draft pick and Josh Barfield to the Giants for Shawn Camp and David Aardsma.
The Bottom Line: While a draft pick and Barfield will not help me next year, and Camp might, Aardsma is not the pitcher I thought he was. He still has a great arm, but the production may never come.
August 6th:
The Deal: Royals trade James Loney and CJ Wilson to the Rangers for Xavier Nady and Lou Marson.
The Bottom Line: As I've always stated, if the deal's done to fill a hole, I'll overpay every time. Marson is my catcher of the future (and probably of the now as well), and Nady was a good trade piece down the line (selling high on his career year). While Loney is a great young player, and CJ Wilson still has a tremendous arm, I think this deal made me better.
August 7th:
The Deal: Royals trade Xavier Paul and Ryan Franklin to the Pirates for Matt Brown and the 4th round draft pick.
The Bottom Line: Paul, with Schumaker and Sweeney, and Franklin, with a stacked bullpen, got me Brown, a corner infielder with power - so a good deal for both squads.
August 8th:
The Deal: The Royals trade Royce Ring to the Reds for Doug Waechter.
The Bottom Line: The fact that I got anything for Ring is a big, big win for me. Waechter, in fact, has the potential to help me out next year - which is even better.
August 12th:
The Deal: The Royals trade Greg Maddux to the Phillies for Jesse Litsch.
The Bottom Line: I thank God everyday for bringing me Jesse Litsch. Does that make me a Republican?
August 13th:
The Deal: The Royals trade Chone Figgins and Brian Bruney to the Cubs for Martin Prado and Skip Schumaker.
The Bottom Line: Both Bruney and Figgins are very solid players, but Prado and Schumaker give me good defense, obp, and a lot of positional versatility. A great pick-up for me to help overcome my history of injury problems.
August 13th:
The Deal: The Royals trade the 5th round draft pick and Nyjer Morgan to the Dodgers for Craig Breslow and the 5th round draft pick.
The Bottom Line: Needed another lefty in my pen, and I got a very, very solid one that should help me greatly next year. Morgan is a pretty solid player though.
August 16th:
The Deal: Royals trade Bob Cramer to the Blue Jays for the 4th round draft pick.
The Bottom Line: Cramer, a total sim anomaly, had much more value to someone else than he did me.
August 18th:
The Deal: Royals trade Chris Britton to the Diamondbacks for Luis Exposito.
The Bottom Line: I dealt from a position of strength (bullpen), to get a position of needed depth (catcher), and I got a very solid power-hitting young catcher.
August 19th:
The Deal: Royals trade Mike Lamb to the Rangers for the 5th round draft pick.
The Bottom Line: Yikes, Mike Lamb needed a change of scenery.
August 22nd:
The Deal: Royals trade Xavier Nady, Chris Smith, and the 2nd round draft pick to the Dodgers for Cory Wade, Casey Weathers, and the 1st round draft pick.
The Bottom Line: This deal worked out well for me. Weathers has solid potential as a MLB closer, once over injury, and Wade is better than I could have imagined. I think I sold high on Nady.
August 27th:
The Deal: Royals trade the 1st round draft pick to the Yankees for Mike Gonzalez and the 2nd round draft pick.
The Bottom Line: This deal helped get me Masterson, so I'm good with it.
October 17th:
The Deal: Royals trade Kevin Pucetas, Mike Gonzalez, and Oliver Perez to the Brewers for Justin Masterson.
The Bottom Line: I overpaid, but I had the depth to do it, and I significantly upgraded my rotation. I'm just fine with the deal, thank you very much.
A Year in Trades
Moderator: Yankees
I'm not sure if the Dunn deal stings or not. On one hand, it does, because I also have up Holland, an original find of mine and now one of the best prospects in the game.. On the other hand, I was going for it all and hafner was a monster for me.. It didn't pay off.. But we won 114.. Can't complain too much. I don't know, I'm torn on that deal. Some days I wish I had it back.
"Hating the Yankees is as American as pizza pie, unwed mothers, and cheating on your income tax."
