Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star put together one of the best overall reads (and assesssments) of the recent trade between the San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals that brought Jonathan Sanchez over to the AL to help anchor a young rotation that will need his championship experience. In particular, Mellinger says it was a "terrific trade" for Dayton Moore and is exactly the kind of move the team needs to make in this stage of planning.
"In the simplest read, the Royals just made a terrific trade. Sanchez is left-handed, turns 29 this month, has more strikeouts than innings, and two years ago boasted a 3.07 ERA in 33 starts while pitching for the World Series champion Giants. A nasty slider and shooting fastball have always impressed scouts, and opponents have hit no higher than .221 against him in any of the last three seasons."
Mellinger isn't blind to the issues that Sanchez faces, but he's right when he describes the deal: "The Royals sold high on a player they can easily replace and bought low on big-potential help in an area they’re desperate to improve." It's about playing the market and the Royals did very well here to use their investments in such a way to bring back a high yield return.