Here’s what the Royals accomplished before the July 31 trade deadline
Royals manager Ned Yost sat behind the desk in his cozy Guaranteed Rate Field office and heaved a sigh of relief.
Baseball’s non-waiver trade deadline had passed an hour earlier, at 3 p.m., and Yost’s team was one of two in the American League Central Division that didn’t have to fret much over it. Neither the Royals nor White Sox made last-minute, trade-related changes to the lineup.
“I mean, it’s not like the deadline is staring you in the eye,” Yost said. “Can forget about it now.”
In fact, the only moves made shuffled pieces on the Royals roster: They placed outfielder Brian Goodwin on the disabled list because of a left groin strain and transferred Cheslor Cuthbert, who has been inactive since May 19 because of a lower back strain, to the 60-day disabled list to clear room on the 40-man roster for the arrival of Class-AAA Omaha first baseman Ryan O’Hearn.
O’Hearn, who was ranked the 14th-best prospect in the Royals’ farm system by MLB.com Pipeline last season, made his debut in the Royals’ lineup as their designated hitter, batting seventh for the series opener against the White Sox.
The quiet Tuesday afternoon did not bother Royals general manager Dayton Moore. Players with expiring contracts — first baseman Lucas Duda and pitchers Jason Hammel and Wily Peralta among them — remained on the roster. But Moore was pleased with what the Royals accomplished in the trade market in the months leading up to the deadline.
They turned closer Kelvin Herrera into a three-player haul that included two prospects who entered their organization’s top 30 list; they flipped outfielder Jon Jay for two pitchers; and they acquired two major-league ready players from the Brewers in exchange for third baseman Mike Moustakas late Friday night.
All three transactions allowed the Royals to increase depth in a farm system that entered the season ranked 29th out of 30 teams by Baseball America. Should an opportunity arise to trade anyone else before the end of the season, the Royals would consider the transaction as a means to further that end.
“I think we’ve been very proactive knowing that we needed to fill our pipeline, add prospects to our system at various levels,” Moore said in a conference call with reporters. “And that includes players that can be a part of our future that we control for a long period of time.”
Among those under long-term control are the players the Royals received in various trades this summer. None of them have entered MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospect list, but they’ve impressed the Royals during their short time in the organization.
Acquired June 18 from Nationals for RHP Kelvin Herrera
Blake Perkins, OF, 21 years old
Prospect’s organizational ranking: 16
Stats at Wilmington (Class A-Advanced/Carolina League): 35 G, 34 R, 6 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 32 BB, 33 K, .279/.439/.369
Of note: One year after leading the low-Class-A South Atlantic League in runs scored (105) and walks (72), Perkins is on his way to doing the same in the Carolina League. Entering Tuesday, his 73 runs scored outpaced Orioles prospect Ryan McKenna by 13. Perkins’ 74 walks this season led Red Sox prospect Bobby Dalbec by 15.
Kelvin Gutierrez, 3B, 23
Prospect’s organizational ranking: 18
Stats at Northwest Arkansas (Class AA/Texas League): 32 G, 10 R, 6 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 24 RBI, 4 BB, 20 K, 6 SB, .254/.283/.385
Yohanse Morel, RHP, 17
Prospect’s organizational ranking: NA
Stats at Surprise (Rookie/Arizona League): 0-1, 4.74 ERA (13 ER in 24 2/3 IP), 6 G/5 starts, 1 HR, 3 HBP, 6 BB, 29 K, .277 opponents’ average, 1.32 WHIP
Acquired June 6 from Diamondbacks for OF Jon Jay
Elvis Luciano, RHP, 18
Prospect’s organizational ranking: 24
Stats at Burlington (Rookie/Appalachian League): 0-4, 7.03 ERA (25 ER in 32 IP), 7 G/7 starts, 3 HR, 4 HBP, 12 BB, 32 K, .305 opponents’ average, 1.59 WHIP
Gabe Speier, LHP, 23
Prospect’s organizational ranking: NA
Stats at Northwest Arkansas: 0-0, 4.96 ERA (9 ER in 16 1/3 IP), 16 G, 1 HBP, 5 BB, 13 K, .373 opponent’s average, 2.02 WHIP
Royals also acquired…
In exchange for Moustakas, the Royals received Brett Phillips, a left-handed hitting outfielder who made his Royals debut Sunday at Yankee Stadium. He didn’t get a hit, but he flashed his defensive abilities in right field, saving starting pitcher Burch Smith a few runs.
Jorge Lopez also came over in the deal and was optioned to Class AAA Omaha. He was activated Tuesday afternoon.
Goodwin, 27, was acquired from the Nationals in exchange for minor-league pitcher Jacob Condra-Bogan on July 22. He will be eligible to be activated from the disabled list on Aug. 8. In five games with the Royals, he batted .471 (8 for 17) with one double, one homer and four RBIs.
This story was originally published July 31, 2018 at 8:39 PM.