‘A great return.’ National observers weigh in on Royals’ haul in Mike Moustakas trade

Perhaps one day this will be known as the Mike Moustakas Trade.

It remains to be seen what impact outfielder Brett Phillips and pitcher Jorge Lopez will have on the Royals, of course. However, many, but not all, national observers believe it was a good deal for Kansas City.

Here is what people are saying about the trade in which the Royals sent Moustakas to the Brewers for Phillips and Lopez.

Mike Axisa of CBS Sports wrote this about the Royals haul: “(T)hey picked up two young players with upside who can step right into their MLB roster. Phillips was capital-B Blocked with the Brewers given all their outfielders and was a prime piece of trade bait. ... He is capable center fielder with a chance to be a power/speed threat. MLB.com ranked Phillips as Milwaukee’s No. 10 prospect before the trade.

“Lopez, 25, has been an up-and-down arm with the Brewers since 2015 and he’s been unable to carve out a role with the team. ... The pitching needy Royals figure to give both Lopez and Phillips an extended run on their roster the rest of the season.”

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports tweeted: “Brett Phillips is certainly a polarizing player (and, as my mentions attest, Milwaukee fans are down on him). But the talent remains, and he’s an excellent upside play for a rental. Jorge Lopez is a major league arm. Two big leaguers for two months of Moose is a great return.”

Dan Szymborski of FanGraphs, who earlier this week had harsh words for the Royals, wasn’t a fan of the deal, particularly since general manager Dayton Moore was looking for players who can help the big-league team.

“This is exactly what I’m talking about with the Royals. There’s no master plan; they’re not playing chess, they’re playing Battleship,” he tweeted.

Wayne Cavadi of SB Nation’s Minor League Ball believes it looks good for KC: “The Royals gave up Moustakas, someone they went back-and-forth with signing this preseason as they searched for the right deal and didn’t seem overenthusiastic in keeping much longer than his 2019 option. In return, they receive two of the Brewers top-20 prospects and one of the top 200 in the game. On paper, that seems like a win. However, both prospects are very much question marks. If either reach their full potential, the Royals win this trade. But with both showing many inconsistencies, it may be awhile before we find that out.”

J.J. Cooper of Baseball America wrote this about Phillips: “This is the second time Phillips has been traded by a contending team to a rebuilding team at the trade deadline. He was sent from the Astros to the Brewers along with Domingo Santana and Josh Hader in a trade that sent Mike Fiers and Carlos Gomez to the Astros in July 2015. Phillips is a big league-ready outfielder who has struggled at the plate this year as he’s yo-yo’d back and forth between Triple-A Colorado Springs and Milwaukee.

“Phillips needs regular at-bats to show what he can do in the majors. He wasn’t going to get that on a contending Brewers team. In Kansas City, he should get the opportunity to play everyday.”

This story was originally published July 28, 2018 at 2:05 PM.