You know those fanciful trade ideas where you take a player who was just designated for assignment and spin him into something useful? The Braves just did that at the expense of the Royals.
The Royals have done some inexplicable things over the last 15 or so years. This one is right up there, which I didn't think was possible when it came to trading Lopez.
Completely agree. I mean we are both on record griping about A LOT of Royals moves. This though? The process is just fucking baffling. You can't even fathom the rationale behind the move because the guy they got was literally available for anyone in baseball to roster at no cost in terms of players given up to get him. Like if it was for a fungible league-minimum middling reliever who's on the shuttle between AAA and the bigs you could at least see where it was just to save money in a disastrous season. It'd be an awfully cheap move, but that could make sense if given a "we must cut payroll NOW" dictum from up top. They got one with more service time who's making a little less but has never been particularly good at anything and again could have been had without parting with an asset of negligible but not entirely imagined value. Mind-numbingly stupid.
His MLB strikeout percentage is 8.6 in 229 innings. His AAA strikeout percentage this year was 12.4. In 2021, he pitched 104 MLF innings and had ERA+ of 95.
It wouldn't surprise me a bit to see Maikel Garcia be the next to go. So far he's been a much much better version of Lopez, which means that he doesn't fit in at all with this putrid bunch. Perhaps they'll be able to get two used socks for him instead of the one they got for Lopez.
I'm already looking forward to the next change of GMs, but that will probably take another two or three years. I have absolutely zero confidence in Dayton - er, um, I mean JJ. It's so easy to confuse those two. Under JJ's "leadership" I find it difficult to imagine that this team will be any more interesting next year than it has been this year.
Look, if the Royals win out, they'll have 87 wins, which should take this weak division. They need pitching depth for the playoffs, not a utility infielder. This trade makes PERFECT sense.
Also, the Royals needed to dump some salary so Sherman can afford to send a bottle of Dom Perignon to Manfred to say "congrats!" on his contract extension.
I will never spend another dime on the Royals. As cheap a team as there is. That said JJ really needs to go. Didn’t like him being moved up to begin with. Take Sherman with you. Royals have ZERO player development strategies, hence they have no top level prospects at all. And have drafted at the top end of draft for years.
It's becoming apparent the scouting department needs a major overhaul. This isn't sustainable in any way. The Royals are going to be right back in the same spot next year. And the next year. And the next year...
I've tried to give JJ the benefit of the doubt but this deal sadly seems to indicate that he's Dayton Moore 2.0. Could somebody please teach the Royals braintrust what the heck a "prospect" actually is!?! 😪🤬
They weren’t going to get a true “prospect” for Nicky, but I’m completely confounded by the direction they chose. I’m not sure even Moore would’ve gone that route.
Not a great trade, but they got a 29 year old "prospect" who might contribute in 2024 and/or 2025, in exchange for an expensive utility guy with very little value to Royals.
Jul 31, 2023·edited Jul 31, 2023Liked by Craig Brown
Like you, I was willing to give JJ the benefit of the doubt, mainly because people who supposedly know said he was no DMGM clone - even though when the turnover happened I kept flashing back to hearing him talk about things like "the good face" in interviews.
I wasn't impressed with the return on the Chapman trade, & this one just makes zero sense no matter how you look at it. He literally went to a used car lot, saw the price "$3999" written on the windshield, & told the salesman "Tell you what...I'll give you $4999 for it. Take it or leave it!!!".
Combined with his comments about what their plans are for this week ( spoiler - there doesn't seem to be one. He literally contradicts himself in recent quotes, sometimes within the same paragraph ), I'm thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis close to thinking they just need to clean house in the offseason. Because now I'm wondering about Sherman's abilities to make the right decisions as well.
I was one of those very outspoken about giving Picollo time and that I didn't feel he was GMDM 2.0. I still believe that, but this move has shaken whatever conviction I once had in his ability to do the job.
The Chapman return felt light, but Cole Ragans is the kind of guy the Royals should be targeting—and upper level to major-league ready arm with control and upside and the ability to start games. You can't say that about Hearn. You weren't going to get a Ragan's type of return, but that's the profile you go for, even if it's a long-shot.
And yeah, his quotes leading up to this week's deadline were a bit...underwhelming. Add it all up and here we are. Disappointment city.
You talk about a bummer after a nice weekend sweep of the Twins. Hope that doesn’t put a damper on what little momentum they got from winning three games in a row for the first time. Bye-bye Nikki, hope you hit .350 the rest of the year and get a World Series ring.
I loved Nicky Lopez! I think his value extended to the clubhouse, where I believe he was a respected fun guy. I have no idea what The Process or Plan is this time around.
I'm in the minority here. I just don't think a no hit utility infielder that isn't getting paid league minimum has any value at all. Lopez wasn't a DFA at the end of the season candidate, he was a DFA right this second candidate. It's only this shit show of a roster and team that makes Royals fans think he has any value at all, even as someone to root for. I'll be surprised if he's on the Braves post season roster.
I think Lopez brings plenty of value as a solid clubhouse guy and, on a team that will use him correctly, his versatility is huge. It's a bit like Jarrod Dyson to me...Lopez wouldn't make sense on a last-place team, but he can find a role on a contender. He has a couple of months to prove that value to Atlanta.
It is true that Lopez is a good fielding utility infielder who could provide some value to a contender down stretch and in playoffs. He effectively is a two month rental because Braves will non-tender him rather than pay $4,000,000. For Royals, he provides almost no value because they have Taylor and others as good or better at about 20% of the cost. Other teams know that Royals have no reason to keep him, so he has little trade value.
This guy is more like a lottery ticket with five of the six spots already scratched off. Maybe that sixth spot will match one of the others! But probably not.
Nicky wasn't going to be around next year and the trade to the Braves was a "Thank You" severance package, gave Nicky a chance to play for a winner and a chance for a ring, which he would never have here.
I don't especially like trade, but it is not hard to understand. Lopez had very little value to Royals. He will be replaced by Taylor or others as good or better at about 25% of the cost. He would have been non-tendered this winter. Other teams know that. He also has little value to new club. He essentially is a two month utility player rental to the new team, because the new team will non-tender rather than pay about $4 million in arbitration.
I would have preferred a low minor prospect, but JJ is not going to do that because he needs to make the team a contender by 2025. So, Hearn essentially is a 29 year old lottery pick who might contribute in 24/25, more desirable to JJ than an 18-20 year old lottery pick who might contribute in 26-28.
Yes, Royals could have outbid Braves for him last week (how much?), but with trade, in exchange for low value Lopez, they get:
Hearn for at least two years
About $900,000 in salary relief this year - Lopez versus Hearn
About $3,000,000 in salary relief next year - Lopez versus Taylor or whoever else takes over utility role
Hope Lopez wins WS Game 7 with 65 MPH liner to left.
If JJ is trying to make this team a contender by 2025, I’m reminded of Dayton’s quote about a three year plan turning into a five year plan which turns into a ten year plan which becomes no plan.
Future non-tender or not, this trade was made by a team with no plan.
JJ likely needs to turn team into contender (or at least near contender) or loses his job. Do you think Sherman would have kept him on last year if JJ told him team was 4 or more years from contention?
What a dumb, dumb, dumb move. Giving up literally anything for a guy who was there for the taking a week ago is utterly indefensible.
The Royals have done some inexplicable things over the last 15 or so years. This one is right up there, which I didn't think was possible when it came to trading Lopez.
Completely agree. I mean we are both on record griping about A LOT of Royals moves. This though? The process is just fucking baffling. You can't even fathom the rationale behind the move because the guy they got was literally available for anyone in baseball to roster at no cost in terms of players given up to get him. Like if it was for a fungible league-minimum middling reliever who's on the shuttle between AAA and the bigs you could at least see where it was just to save money in a disastrous season. It'd be an awfully cheap move, but that could make sense if given a "we must cut payroll NOW" dictum from up top. They got one with more service time who's making a little less but has never been particularly good at anything and again could have been had without parting with an asset of negligible but not entirely imagined value. Mind-numbingly stupid.
His MLB strikeout percentage is 8.6 in 229 innings. His AAA strikeout percentage this year was 12.4. In 2021, he pitched 104 MLF innings and had ERA+ of 95.
It wouldn't surprise me a bit to see Maikel Garcia be the next to go. So far he's been a much much better version of Lopez, which means that he doesn't fit in at all with this putrid bunch. Perhaps they'll be able to get two used socks for him instead of the one they got for Lopez.
I'm already looking forward to the next change of GMs, but that will probably take another two or three years. I have absolutely zero confidence in Dayton - er, um, I mean JJ. It's so easy to confuse those two. Under JJ's "leadership" I find it difficult to imagine that this team will be any more interesting next year than it has been this year.
I was more than willing to give JJ the time to prove himself. He's quickly worn that out within the year. These are troubling days at The K.
Confounding. On par with Eduardo Villacis Day for clear mismanagement of a situation.
Nice callback!
Maybe on his way out, they can give Nicky the Eduardo Villacis Memorial WTF Award.
Look, if the Royals win out, they'll have 87 wins, which should take this weak division. They need pitching depth for the playoffs, not a utility infielder. This trade makes PERFECT sense.
Also, the Royals needed to dump some salary so Sherman can afford to send a bottle of Dom Perignon to Manfred to say "congrats!" on his contract extension.
I am on my way to Fanduel right now to place some bets. I'll get a bottle of Dom for myself with the winnings.
I will never spend another dime on the Royals. As cheap a team as there is. That said JJ really needs to go. Didn’t like him being moved up to begin with. Take Sherman with you. Royals have ZERO player development strategies, hence they have no top level prospects at all. And have drafted at the top end of draft for years.
It's becoming apparent the scouting department needs a major overhaul. This isn't sustainable in any way. The Royals are going to be right back in the same spot next year. And the next year. And the next year...
Perpetual losers at this point.
If Picollo is fired and then ends up with the Braves, where he started his career as a scout, then we’ll know what’s up.
I've tried to give JJ the benefit of the doubt but this deal sadly seems to indicate that he's Dayton Moore 2.0. Could somebody please teach the Royals braintrust what the heck a "prospect" actually is!?! 😪🤬
They weren’t going to get a true “prospect” for Nicky, but I’m completely confounded by the direction they chose. I’m not sure even Moore would’ve gone that route.
Not a great trade, but they got a 29 year old "prospect" who might contribute in 2024 and/or 2025, in exchange for an expensive utility guy with very little value to Royals.
Like you, I was willing to give JJ the benefit of the doubt, mainly because people who supposedly know said he was no DMGM clone - even though when the turnover happened I kept flashing back to hearing him talk about things like "the good face" in interviews.
I wasn't impressed with the return on the Chapman trade, & this one just makes zero sense no matter how you look at it. He literally went to a used car lot, saw the price "$3999" written on the windshield, & told the salesman "Tell you what...I'll give you $4999 for it. Take it or leave it!!!".
Combined with his comments about what their plans are for this week ( spoiler - there doesn't seem to be one. He literally contradicts himself in recent quotes, sometimes within the same paragraph ), I'm thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis close to thinking they just need to clean house in the offseason. Because now I'm wondering about Sherman's abilities to make the right decisions as well.
I was one of those very outspoken about giving Picollo time and that I didn't feel he was GMDM 2.0. I still believe that, but this move has shaken whatever conviction I once had in his ability to do the job.
The Chapman return felt light, but Cole Ragans is the kind of guy the Royals should be targeting—and upper level to major-league ready arm with control and upside and the ability to start games. You can't say that about Hearn. You weren't going to get a Ragan's type of return, but that's the profile you go for, even if it's a long-shot.
And yeah, his quotes leading up to this week's deadline were a bit...underwhelming. Add it all up and here we are. Disappointment city.
You talk about a bummer after a nice weekend sweep of the Twins. Hope that doesn’t put a damper on what little momentum they got from winning three games in a row for the first time. Bye-bye Nikki, hope you hit .350 the rest of the year and get a World Series ring.
New post on Bobby's weekend just dropped! No way was I going to pass over the opportunity to write about that.
I loved Nicky Lopez! I think his value extended to the clubhouse, where I believe he was a respected fun guy. I have no idea what The Process or Plan is this time around.
Same on Nicky. Just an easy guy to have on the team. A pro on and off the field.
And it feels like some people at One Royal Way don't know what the plan is this time around, either. Kind of alarming.
There is simply no excuse or rationale for this trade. It’s the end of the line for JJ. It’s like he’s trying to get fired.
I'm in the minority here. I just don't think a no hit utility infielder that isn't getting paid league minimum has any value at all. Lopez wasn't a DFA at the end of the season candidate, he was a DFA right this second candidate. It's only this shit show of a roster and team that makes Royals fans think he has any value at all, even as someone to root for. I'll be surprised if he's on the Braves post season roster.
I think Lopez brings plenty of value as a solid clubhouse guy and, on a team that will use him correctly, his versatility is huge. It's a bit like Jarrod Dyson to me...Lopez wouldn't make sense on a last-place team, but he can find a role on a contender. He has a couple of months to prove that value to Atlanta.
It is true that Lopez is a good fielding utility infielder who could provide some value to a contender down stretch and in playoffs. He effectively is a two month rental because Braves will non-tender him rather than pay $4,000,000. For Royals, he provides almost no value because they have Taylor and others as good or better at about 20% of the cost. Other teams know that Royals have no reason to keep him, so he has little trade value.
This guy is more like a lottery ticket with five of the six spots already scratched off. Maybe that sixth spot will match one of the others! But probably not.
And if you win, you win $5. Or whatever the cost of the ticket. Hardly worth it.
Nicky wasn't going to be around next year and the trade to the Braves was a "Thank You" severance package, gave Nicky a chance to play for a winner and a chance for a ring, which he would never have here.
jim fetterolf
I don't especially like trade, but it is not hard to understand. Lopez had very little value to Royals. He will be replaced by Taylor or others as good or better at about 25% of the cost. He would have been non-tendered this winter. Other teams know that. He also has little value to new club. He essentially is a two month utility player rental to the new team, because the new team will non-tender rather than pay about $4 million in arbitration.
I would have preferred a low minor prospect, but JJ is not going to do that because he needs to make the team a contender by 2025. So, Hearn essentially is a 29 year old lottery pick who might contribute in 24/25, more desirable to JJ than an 18-20 year old lottery pick who might contribute in 26-28.
Yes, Royals could have outbid Braves for him last week (how much?), but with trade, in exchange for low value Lopez, they get:
Hearn for at least two years
About $900,000 in salary relief this year - Lopez versus Hearn
About $3,000,000 in salary relief next year - Lopez versus Taylor or whoever else takes over utility role
Hope Lopez wins WS Game 7 with 65 MPH liner to left.
If JJ is trying to make this team a contender by 2025, I’m reminded of Dayton’s quote about a three year plan turning into a five year plan which turns into a ten year plan which becomes no plan.
Future non-tender or not, this trade was made by a team with no plan.
JJ likely needs to turn team into contender (or at least near contender) or loses his job. Do you think Sherman would have kept him on last year if JJ told him team was 4 or more years from contention?