Rays trade James Shields, Wade Davis to Royals

The Tampa Bay Rays have traded starting pitcher James Shields and relief pitcher Wade Davis to the Kansas City Royals, getting top prospect Wil Myers in return. According to Fox Sports reporter Ken Rosenthal, other prospects are involved in the trade.

Shields has been one of the top pitchers on the trading block this summer and posted a 15-10 record in 2012 with the Rays. The 30-year old has been one of the top starting pitchers in baseball the past two seasons and posted a 3.52 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 227.2 innings, a year after setting a career high with 225 strikeouts and 11 complete games in 2011.

Davis appeared in 54 games in a relief role with the Rays in 2012, posting a 2.23 ERA in just 70.1 innings. Davis was a starter in 2010 and 2011 yet was found to be much more effective out of the bullpen this past season.

21-year old outfielder Wil Myers is generally considered one of the top prospects in baseball, splitting time between Double-A and Triple-A baseball in 2012. In 134 games, 99 with Omaha of the Pacific Coast League, Myers had 37 total home runs and 109 RBIs while hitting .314/.387/.600.