Look, everyone — a trade! It's much better to go 'round and 'round about a trade rather than the dumb 'ol Gold Gloves.
So, to force everyone to get over Derek Jeter winning gold and Andres Torres/Jay Bruce not winning gold, the Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics have swapped ballplayers.
Hot stove: Flame on!
Escaping the Royals: Outfielder David DeJesus, 31 soon, whose best-ever season was ruined by a thumb injury in July.
Leaving Oakland: Right-hander Vin Mazzaro, recently turned 23, who has a 4.72 ERA, 138 strikeouts and 1.573 WHIP in 213 2/3 career innings. Also coming to KC, minor-league lefty Justin Marks. 22.
Quick analysis: All of the A's outfielders look alike. DeJesus, especially, seems like an older, polished Ryan Sweeney. If he stays healthy in 2011, he probably will be worth two draft picks if he leaves in free agency. He doesn't hit for home-run power like the A's need, but he's good, and Oakland ought to contend for the playoffs.
The A's are positioning themselves to add right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma from Japan, so Mazzaro probably won't be missed.
A's outfielder Coco Crisp, who played with DeJesus in K.C., is esepcially excited about a reunion:
That last comment is not really appropriate, Coco, especially in light of what's premiering tonight on TV in the Bay Area. And while the general attractiveness of the A's outfield cannot be quantified sabermetrically, perhaps it could help put a few more butts in the seats — regardless of fan orientation.
So why didn't the Royals wait to deal DeJesus until mid-season, or just let him go and re-stock? Who knows why the Royals do anything. Best guess: Unlike draft picks or minor leaguers, Mazzaro already has shown the ability to sometimes get major leaguers out. He's a known quantity, to a degree. If everything goes right, he could be a No. 3 starter someday, maybe.
What do you guys think? It's just pretty neat to have a trade, isn't it?
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