The Rays Tank: More Trade Talk

More articles about the trade poured in yesterday afternoon, as if there wasn't enough coverage already. Let's take a look at a few of them.

Over at Grantland noted Royals blogger Rany Jazayerli shares his opinions on the deal and...they're not kind. His basic stance, which is shared by many people, is that the team isn't close enough to contention to make this type of trade. The killer last paragraph:

And if they don't win, well, at least there won't be any doubt about whom to blame. It's not owner David Glass, not with the Royals poised to have a payroll north of $80 million. Moore didn't just push all his chips into the pot — he pushed in his job security as well. If his gamble fails, and if it turns out that Moore sacrificed the Royals' future for an illusory present, Royals fans can only hope that someone else will be able to pick up the pieces.

The great Joe Posnanski feels the same way, as you can tell by the title of his piece: "A Desperate Grab for Hope". Needless to say, he likes the deal for the Rays

The one unquestionable thing about this trade from a Royals fan perspective is this: They won't have to wait five years to find out if it was a good one. If the Royals are 15 games back and wallowing in fourth place in July, it was an absolute disaster. And jobs will be lost.

OK, that's about 2,400 words on the Royals' side of the trade. Here are 38 for Tampa Bay fans: You got one of the game's best prospects and three other potential prospects, for a 31-year-old starter who was only under team control for two more seasons, and a bullpen piece. Yeah, a good day's work.

NBC Hardball Talk's Craig Calcaterra said something about the trade I really enjoyed. He likened it to the Doyle Alexander for John Smoltz trade of 1987. The Tigers traded for a pitcher they felt could help them make the playoffs that season. That's exactly what Alexander did, starting 11 games and winning 9 of them with a 1.53 ERA as the Tigers won the American League East by two games over the Blue Jays. The trade was a success for the Tigers, no matter how Smoltz's career turned out.

If Shields and Davis help lead the Royals to the playoffs then I don't think they'll care if Wil Myers turns into a perennial All-Star.

Links:

-Over at FanGraphs, Mike Newman writes about Tim Beckham's struggles. I know many Rays fans didn't care for this piece. What do you all think?

-New Phillie Michael Young says he had no relationship with the Rangers front office. Can't say I blame the front office, seeing as how whiny Young had been after having his playing time reduced to accommodate better players.

-The Twins signed starting pitcher Kevin Correia to two year contract. The Twins signed a high contact, low strikeout pitcher? Get out of here.