Quote:
Originally Posted by CaliforniaChief
Rany's blog post about the Valencia trade was interesting to me. Basically to sum up his books, he said that talent-wise the trade favors the Orioles. He also said that Valencia's really only going to help against LHP (which we already knew), but that would be a loss because then Moose isn't producing.
However, he said that if the Valencia acquisition has sent a message to Moose and that he's been working and in shape and ready to crush this year, that even if Valencia doesn't play much the trade was beneficial for KC because it lit a fire "in his ass" (Rany's words).
|
I agree.
If you're just looking at talent and value in a vacuum, the Orioles come out ahead.
However, if you start examining and considering what makes the 2014 Royals better, I see why Valencia is a better fit.
Lough had no spot in KC following the acquisition of Aoki. Heck, either Dyson or Maxwell - both of whom offer more rare talents to KC than Lough - is going to have a tough time finding a spot on the roster if they carry Valencia.
With Valencia, the Royals have an insurance policy at 3B they can use at least part of the time in case of injury/continued suckage from Moose. Without having to commit Bonifacio there full-time. Improved versatility is important.