Royals Lose: Scott Podsednik
This past offseason I was one of many Royals fans that viewed the signing of Scott Podsednik as a blend of a stop gap and a sign and trade option. I approved of the deal at the time, and even more so now that the Royals have been able to flip in for a couple of pieces that should be able to add some depth to the organization.
Podsednik exceeding my expectations this season with the stick, batting .310/.353/.400 in his time with the Royals. He also added 30 steals and played an average left field. Podsednik should be a useful player on the Dodgers roster, but I don't expect him to tip the scales in the NL West.
Royals Acquire: Lucas May & Elisaul Pimentel
Lucas May is a 25 year old catching prospect. He entered the season as the top catching prospect in the Dodgers system, and upon his arrival in Kansas City he will be the most major league catching prospect in the organization. Like other present and former Dodger catching prospects, Lucas May has converted from another position on the diamond. As a result of this he is a bit behind in his ability to block baseballs and his game calling. May is said to be a strong fastball hitter, that can struggle mightily with offspeed stuff. Oh and John Wathan- did I mention that May is a good runner for a catcher? May has a strong arm, but his mechanics are a work in progress.
This season May was hitting .296/.352/.496 in the Pacific Coast League before being traded. However, this is in one of the most hitter friendly enviornments in triple A. I'd like to think that May has the upset of a good obp, decent pop kind of catcher that could provide a great match with the defensive first Manny Pina, until Wil Myers or Salvador Perez are ready to take the throne, however I'm skeptical that his offensive success will translate to the Major League level.
The other part of the deal is a 22 year old righty by the name of Elisaul Pimentel. Pimentel is a mildly intriguing arm, but given his age and the fact that he is only in the Midwest League I'm not overly excited by him. He has averaged over a strikeout an inning this season and he has shown the ability to keep the ball in the ballpark. He should provide some starting pitching depth in the system and probably has the upside of a back end starter or a bullpen guy.
Conclusion:
The Royals did what they needed to do by trading Podsednik. Dayton Moore is initiating the youth movement by creating openings on the Major League roster, while acquiring more depth in the minor leagues. In this deal the Royals acquired a team's top catching prospect and an intriguing arm for the last two months of a 34 year old veteran.
I don't know what other deals were available to the Royals, but it's hard to complain about this one. The haul wasn't overly impressive but then again neither was the player that was being dealt.
No comments:
Post a Comment