NFT: Royals Sweeney trade value?
 

Lifetime Chiefs fan here, living in OC Cali I'm also a diehard Angels fan so I want to get a feel for what the Royals fans see as the trade value of 1B/DH Mike Sweeney and what the Royals might be looking for.

The reality of the teams situations are the Angels are hoping at going deep into the playoffs, where the Royals are looking more into the future, where Sweeney would likely be gone by then.

Consider the Angels minor league depth and having too many quality OF'ers on the big league roster, their recent lack of offense, the built in expectations here, Sweeneys local roots , one might think a trade would make some sense.

I know he's on a BIG contract and has been injury prone the past couple of years, but he is a quality hitter who would fit in at DH on this roster between Vlad and Garrett Anderson.

All things considered, do you Royals fans here think a package of a young pitching prospect like a Steven Shell or Joe Saunders together with an outfielder like Juan Rivera or Jeff DaVannon spark an interest?

until Sweeney can prove that he can stay healthy for more than 60 days straight his value is jack and squat ... with the emphasis on squat.



:shake:

He has very limited trade value. Not many teams are going to want to pay $10 million to a guy who pretty much has to be a DH and isn't a power hitter. Any contending or bigger market team that spends money probably already has offense built into the 1B and DH spots. Plus, he's got back problems, and those do not usually go away with age.

Probably less pitching and more OF.

I think that sounds like a fair deal, we would need a quality pitching prospect and a high quality OF that can hopefully step in and play sometime this year.

I like Steven Shell a lot, I think he is a future stud, but I am not that sold on either Rivera or DaVanon.

Would the Angels play him at 1B or DH? Isn't Erstad still at 1st base?

Agreed. I wouldn't be against trading Sweeney if we got a couple of outfielders who can run well, play good defense and have occasional power. Oh, and they need to be able to play in the big leagues now.

Of course, if/when we trade Sweeney, I'll participate in the meltdown with my fellow Royals fans. He's the only big threat in our lineup right now.

I doubt we could get more than one top-level, cant miss guy for him. It isn't like we get two or three players of the future for him like with Beltran. I would send him away for a higher-level corner outfield prospect who can hit for power. We could get another guy or two thrown in, but I don't think his asking price will be all that huge, and we need to sell high on him before the injuries come back in June and July.

I don't think we should feel like we have to trade him, he is the best player on our team and is locked up for the next few years. I wouldn't trade him unless we received a high quality pitcher and OF, if no one offers that then we keep him.

Why should we feel like we have to trade him? Getting rid of Sweeney guarantees that Harvey will be in the lineup every day, something I really don't want to see.

There should be no gripping from the fans if this happens. IMO, a trade makes all the sense in the world, given the direction of this team. If Sweeney wants out of KC (and deep down, I think he really does), he might be willing to restructure his contract in order to make a more pallatable deal from the other team. Highly unlikely, but who knows. I actually think a more likely suitor for Sweeney is NYY. Giambi's a mess, and Tino Martinez is a dinosaur. I'd take a look at Mike Vento, Kevin Reese and Mitch Jones in their AAA organization. They are all about 27 yrs old. In their AA org, I'd take Kevin Thompson - a 25 yr old OF with great speed and good power..Matter a fact, I'd want Thompson in any deal we'd do with the Yanks.

Bottom line, and I agree, we have to get OF prospects in any deal for Sweeney. Pitching is always nice, but we need OF's in the worst way. I also agree that they need to be major league ready. I want guys cutting their MLB teeth right now, and be ready to contribute in 2006.

I'm pretty sure the player's union doesn't allow contract restructuring. I know they didn't allow ARod to do it when he was trying to get traded.

I would rather not trade Sweeney to the Yanks, I would hate to see him play for Steinbrenner. I would much rather keep him give him to NY.

I agree with you from a baseball/business standpoint. Sweeney is our most "negotiable asset." He doesn't truly fit in to the long-term strategy, and we can make the ball club better with the right trade. But as a fan, I would hate to see him go. I realize those two viewpoints are incompatible, but there it is. I felt the same way about Beltran. Knew we couldn't keep him. Knew trading him made the best sense for the future of the ballclub. Hated it when it happened.

I don't think that makes any sense at all. You trade him to whoever you can get the best value from. Who cares if he's playing part time for the Yankees for a couple years?

I hate the Yankees and their farm system sucks.

Again, why do we have to trade him? You would rather see Harvey out there every day?

Yeah, you are correct on the contract restructure. I forgot that about MLB......

I'd have no problems trading Sweeney straight up to the Yanks for Kevin Thompson. The kids a player. A look at your 2006 Royals OF

Thompson in LF (plus, he is a legit leadoff hitter) 25 yrs old
David DeJesus in CF (Now, he can bat 2nd) 25 yrs old
Cory Aldrige (Can bat 3-5, but has to get the K's down) 25 yrs old

I don't think we have to trade him right now. But I think he is signed through just next season or the following. It is a similar situation to Beltran. Sweeney will more than likely go at the end of his contract. If you can get some quality young players when he leaves, then it makes sense to do it. We should at least consider it.