BALTIMORE - It was December 2010, and Dayton Moore had a problem. As the general manager of the woebegone Kansas City Royals, Moore was used to problems. But this one also offered an opportunity. By seizing it, Moore set the Royals on a path to this American League Championship Series.
That was hardly clear back then, though, when the Royals controlled the contract of an unhappy Cy Young Award winner for two more seasons. They had drafted him, nurtured him and helped him through growing pains. But Zack Greinke was tired of losing, and becoming expensive. A trade was inevitable.
'It was the right thing to do for Zack and for us,' Moore said Thursday at Camden Yards, in the Royals' dugout before their workout. 'It was just a win-win for everybody - if we could execute the right type of deal.'
Greinke was the best pitcher in the American League in 2009, going 16-8 for a team that lost 97 games. He slumped in 2010, when the Royals fell to last in the A.L. Central, but at 27 years old, he remained a popular target for teams on the verge of contending.
The Washington Nationals tried first, offering an irresistible package: infielder Danny Espinosa, catcher Derek Norris, reliever Drew Storen and starter Jordan Zimmermann, who was then just 4-7 in his career. The catch was that Greinke had to agree to a contract extension. Unconvinced of the Nationals' direction - especially after their willingness to sacrifice so many pieces for him - Greinke declined.
Moore told Greinke he would make a deal only if it made sense for the Royals, and he had specific positions in mind. Moore had always valued defense at Kauffman Stadium, where the outfield has the most square footage in the majors, and he needed a center fielder to build around. He also needed a shortstop and pitching depth.
In Doug Melvin, the general manager of the Milwaukee Brewers, he found common ground. Melvin asked for a private meeting with Moore at the winter meetings in Orlando, Fla., and to show he was serious, he immediately offered center fielder Lorenzo Cain and shortstop Alcides Escobar.
'We were looking for a guy at the top of our rotation,' Melvin said by telephone. 'We had gotten Shaun Marcum from Toronto for Brett Lawrie, and Prince Fielder was going to come back and be with us in his last year. So we said, 'Let's go for it.' We could get Zack Greinke and have him for two years.'
Moore and Melvin liked dealing with each other. Each had a scouting background and tended to trust traditional scouting methods more than advanced analytics.
'I have nothing against numbers, but everybody has the same numbers,' Melvin said. 'When you're talking about scouting and player development, that's risk-taking. If Escobar's hitting .170, that's probably not a good deal for them. Same with Cain. But they did a nice job in the last years of their development.'
The teams completed the deal a few days later; Melvin worked on it for hours while visiting his parents in western Ontario. The Brewers also got Yuniesky Betancourt, a veteran shortstop, and included two pitchers in their package for Kansas City - Jeremy Jeffress, a hard-throwing reliever who had served a suspension for recreational drug use, and Jake Odorizzi, a former first-round pick who was still in low Class A.
The deal paid off quickly for the Brewers, whose deep roster persuaded Greinke to accept the deal. Milwaukee reached the National League Championship Series in 2011, with Greinke going 16-6. He pitched well again the next season, but the Brewers fell from contention and dealt him to the Los Angeles Angels for shortstop Jean Segura, an All-Star for the Brewers in 2013.
Meanwhile, the Royals waited.
'We didn't expect returns, necessarily, right away,' Moore said. 'But with another 1,000 at-bats or so, we felt we could have some well-rounded players, with plus defense being the commonality that both of them shared.'
Escobar was 24 when the Brewers traded him and had just hit .235 in a regular role. His offense has been inconsistent since, but this year he batted .285 with 31 steals and a terrific glove at shortstop. Melvin, watching from afar, called Escobar the A.L. version of Andrelton Simmons, the Atlanta Braves' defensive wizard.
Escobar said he started playing baseball at age 3 or 4 in Venezuela, idolizing Omar Vizquel, and he signed with the Brewers at age 16 for $35,000. Cain was another case altogether. He grew up in Florida and paid no attention to baseball. His father died when he was 4, and his mother worked two jobs. Cain said he did not want to burden her with sports.
But at 6 feet 2 inches (and just 160 pounds) in ninth grade, Cain tried out for his high school basketball team. He was cut and swore off the sport, turning the next year to baseball, with no training other than a few casual games in the backyard.
'I didn't have a glove or anything,' Cain said. 'I came out there with a collared shirt and tennis shoes and said, 'Let's go.' '
He gave up third base quickly, after too many balls off his chest, but found a natural fit in the outfield. Hitting confounded him at first, but he took extra swings after practice and picked it up well enough to be drafted in the 17th round after his senior season.
This year was Cain's best, with a .301 average, 28 steals and defense that took center stage in the Royals' division series. He is still 6-2, but has filled out to 205 pounds.
'Considering how big of a guy he is,' right fielder Nori Aoki said through an interpreter, 'even when he dives for a ball, he's still able to get under the ball and extend his range. I'd say that's what impresses me the most.'
As for the pitchers, Jeffress made little impact for the Royals and now plays again for Milwaukee. Odorizzi became part of the package that Moore sent to Tampa Bay in December 2012 for his ace, James Shields, and the shutdown setup man Wade Davis. With Odorizzi, Moore had the depth to keep his other top pitching prospect, Yordano Ventura, who is now the Royals' No. 2 starter.
'We wouldn't be here without that trade,' said Billy Butler, the Royals' longtime designated hitter. 'That's why Dayton has the job of a G.M. We, as players, can't look at that trade off the bat and see what that does. But he can look at the long-term plan of one of those deals and how it translates into other deals. Dayton did a great job on that one.'
Moore and Melvin made another trade last December, with the Royals dealing from their pitching depth to send the left-hander Will Smith to the Brewers for Aoki.
It was another good deal for both teams. Smith led the Brewers in games pitched this season, striking out almost 12 per nine innings, and Aoki's departure created a spot for Khris Davis, who hit 22 homers. Aoki is a Kansas City spark plug, and Melvin said he was happy for the Royals' success.
'The best way to make a deal is to not be out there to hurt the other guy,' Melvin said. 'Some guys feel like they have to win the deal. But I've always thought it's better to be happy to see the guys do well.'
Melvin's Brewers held a playoff spot most of this season, but lost it with a rough September. He fired two coaches Friday, but was looking forward to watching the Royals and the Orioles that night.
'A lot of G.M.s say they're not watching it if they're not in it,' Melvin said. 'I watch it because this is the business we're in and I love the game. And I know how tough it is to get there.'
As for Greinke, he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers after the 2012 season for six years and $147 million, a contract the Royals and the Brewers could never have afforded. He said during the Dodgers' division series that he watched the Royals' playoff games whenever he could.
'It is exciting,' Greinke said. 'They've got the best defense in the history of baseball, maybe, so that would always be good to pitch with that behind you. It's been fun watching them play.'
Posted by Unknown on Saturday, October 11, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
0 comments "How a Disgruntled Ace Gave the Royals a Full House"
Post a Comment