The Lester - Meyers trade that wasn't made!

[marklmw]

Late November 2012 there was great speculation that the Sox were going to deal Lester to KC for Minor League OF Prospect Wil Meyers. Meyers has made Baseball America's top 10 prospect list and had put up fantastic power numbers between AA and AAA in 2012. People weighed in on the deal and some were against it. Many were for it. The Sox had not attempted to extend Lester's present contract so the trade speculation seemed plausible. On December 9th the Tampa Bay Rays dealt SP James Shields and Wade Davis to KC for Wil

Meyers and Jake Odorizzi. KC lost once again. I think that KC would have preferred Lester over Shields so did Boston say no to the deal?

 

Meyers only 22 is tearing it up and had another 2 run shot last night and had a walk off single the game before that. Could you imagine the Sox having Meyers & Bogaerts going forward. Could have been our 3 and 4 hitter for the next 10 years. BTW ... this kid Meyers is like something out of the movie - The Natural ... he might be the only player in the majors that does not wear a batting glove ... unlike many players who now wear two. Any thoughts.

[BSN07]

I wanted the trade at the time and now I certainly would have likes them to pull the trigger. But I can also see why they held onto him in hopes he regained his form and helped them win now.

[User Name]

Thought number 1: Most of this is pure speculation. You "think" the Royals would have preferred Lester to Myers, but how does that make sense? Lester was coming off the worst season of his career, and Shields was coming off a vintage season.

 

Thought number 2: Several other players (Evan Gattis immediately comes to mind) do not wear batting gloves.

[mvp 78]

Why would KC want Lester over Shields? Shields has been far better the past few years.

 

Also, Shields has been as good as they could hope for. The trade was fine for KC because they knew what they were giving up and would do it again. The problem with KC is that the rest of the roster might not be good enough.

 

Let's let our resident KC expert chime in...

[marklmw]

Thought number 1: Most of this is pure speculation. You "think" the Royals would have preferred Lester to Myers, but how does that make sense? Lester was coming off the worst season of his career, and Shields was coming off a vintage season.

 

Thought number 2: Several other players (Evan Gattis immediately comes to mind) do not wear batting gloves.

 

Whatever you say ... Yeah I think that KC would have preferred Lester to Shields ... take a good look at the numbers. The remark about the batting glove or lack there of was made to correspond to Robert Redford in the Natural ... When you see Meyers at the plate and in the field he looks like a young Robert Redford. He looks like a natural ... that he was made to play baseball.

[marklmw]

Why would KC want Lester over Shields? Shields has been far better the past few years.

 

Also, Shields has been as good as they could hope for. The trade was fine for KC because they knew what they were giving up and would do it again. The problem with KC is that the rest of the roster might not be good enough.

 

Let's let our resident KC expert chime in...

 

No way in hell would KC make this trade again. Are you crazy?

[sk7326]

Royals made the trade as a win now proposition - not saying it was realistic, but I think the GM had some job saving to do. Trading an elite prospect for a very good if not quite elite starter was easy to explain to his fans I'd think. Tampa is ever opportunistic though. I don't think Boston had as attractive a chip as Tampa did - both in present performance and how much they'd have to pay to extend him. Also, we know on our end ownership can't help themselves from time to time on the PR/marketing front.

[mvp 78]

No way in hell would KC make this trade again. Are you crazy?

 

It's easier to come by a dynamic OFer than an ace pitcher. It was the right move. That's the definition of sanity.

[mvp 78]

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/68985/james-shields-the-silent-ace

 

I agree with much of what this article says.

[User Name]

Whatever you say ... Yeah I think that KC would have preferred Lester to Shields ... take a good look at the numbers. The remark about the batting glove or lack there of was made to correspond to Robert Redford in the Natural ... When you see Meyers at the plate and in the field he looks like a young Robert Redford. He looks like a natural ... that he was made to play baseball.

 

Based on what? Shields has been lights out better the past two years.

 

Shields: 3.15 ERA, 121 ERA +, 477 IP.

 

Lester: 4.17 ERA, 103 ERA+, 397 IP.

 

Give me an actual reason why KC would have preferred Lester to Shields other than "because that'st what i really really really wanted to happen".

[sk7326]

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/68985/james-shields-the-silent-ace

 

I agree with much of what this article says.

 

That is a fair take - Keri is generally excellent. In a vacuum, without external pressures (like a GM's own job security or some need to show fans something for a eleventy million year rebuilding process), the Royals would probably not do the deal. Young, cheap, controllable, all-star talent is extremely difficult to find - and a team like KC needs to hoard as much of that as possible. But all things weren't equal - and a lot of people felt they had to go in for a variety of reasons.

 

For a team like Tampa - who really will never get fan interest, that sort of deal is a much easier proposition.

[mvp 78]

Robert Redford sucked at baseball. He's embarrassing in that movie. Air Bud (the greatest athlete of our time) took better hacks in Seventh Inning Fetch.

[sk7326]

Shields has been very good for KC ... Ervin Santana rose from the dead ... imagine if that team could hit?

[User Name]

Santana's been really helped by Kauffman stadium.

[marklmw]

It's easier to come by a dynamic OFer than an ace pitcher. It was the right move. That's the definition of sanity.

You do realize that Shields becomes a free agent at the end of 2014.

[marklmw]

Robert Redford sucked at baseball. He's embarrassing in that movie. Air Bud (the greatest athlete of our time) took better hacks in Seventh Inning Fetch.

 

I am also a big fan of Air Bud. You must admit the scene with the lights exploding was pretty cool.

[marklmw]

Shields has been very good for KC ... Ervin Santana rose from the dead ... imagine if that team could hit?

The team will never hit if they deal a controllable asset who happens to hit

[marklmw]

That is a fair take - Keri is generally excellent. In a vacuum, without external pressures (like a GM's own job security or some need to show fans something for a eleventy million year rebuilding process), the Royals would probably not do the deal. Young, cheap, controllable, all-star talent is extremely difficult to find - and a team like KC needs to hoard as much of that as possible. But all things weren't equal - and a lot of people felt they had to go in for a variety of reasons.

 

For a team like Tampa - who really will never get fan interest, that sort of deal is a much easier proposition.

 

I would hate to be the manager that made that deal ... especially when Shields leaves KC in 2015 and Meyers is being announced at the All Star Game

[marklmw]

Late November 2012 there was great speculation that the Sox were going to deal Lester to KC for Minor League OF Prospect Wil Meyers. Meyers has made Baseball America's top 10 prospect list and had put up fantastic power numbers between AA and AAA in 2012. People weighed in on the deal and some were against it. Many were for it. The Sox had not attempted to extend Lester's present contract so the trade speculation seemed plausible. On December 9th the Tampa Bay Rays dealt SP James Shields and Wade Davis to KC for Wil

Meyers and Jake Odorizzi. KC lost once again. I think that KC would have preferred Lester over Shields so did Boston say no to the deal?

 

Meyers only 22 is tearing it up and had another 2 run shot last night and had a walk off single the game before that. Could you imagine the Sox having Meyers & Bogaerts going forward. Could have been our 3 and 4 hitter for the next 10 years. BTW ... this kid Meyers is like something out of the movie - The Natural ... he might be the only player in the majors that does not wear a batting glove ... unlike many players who now wear two. Any thoughts.

 

Everything is speculation until the paperwork is signed ... but just maybe it was KC who approached Boston for Lester. Maybe just maybe the KC management thought they could turn Lester around, put him in a more friendly pitchers park, maybe just maybe the dopes who would trade Meyers were stupid enough to think that Lester was superior to Shields. All speculation for sure ... just remember that Shields at his best was never ever as good as Lester at his best.

And Remember this .... when Lester is wearing another uni in 2015 Meyers will be crushing the ball for Tampa. We will get to watch him play 19 times a year.

[Bellhorn04]

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/68985/james-shields-the-silent-ace

 

I agree with much of what this article says.

 

The oddest quote in that article for me is where he calls Jeremy Guthrie a 'horrific signing'. Isn't that a wee bit over the top? Guthrie's numbers look just about right to me for a guy making 25 million over 3 years.

[mvp 78]

I am also a big fan of Air Bud. You must admit the scene with the lights exploding was pretty cool.

 

Don't try to butter me up with Air Bud talk, mister!

 

I bet you're the type of guy who thought the ending of World Pup was reasonable...

[mvp 78]

You do realize that Shields becomes a free agent at the end of 2014.

 

Yup Lester's deal is up when?

[italstallianion]

Yup Lester's deal is up when?

 

This year but with an option for next year?

[User Name]

Everything is speculation until the paperwork is signed ... but just maybe it was KC who approached Boston for Lester. Maybe just maybe the KC management thought they could turn Lester around, put him in a more friendly pitchers park, maybe just maybe the dopes who would trade Meyers were stupid enough to think that Lester was superior to Shields. All speculation for sure ... just remember that Shields at his best was never ever as good as Lester at his best.

And Remember this .... when Lester is wearing another uni in 2015 Meyers will be crushing the ball for Tampa. We will get to watch him play 19 times a year.

 

Yeah, and we won't care, because there was never even the framework of a Lester-for-Myers deal other than in the minds of Red Sox fans who wanted to dump Lester.

 

Also, it doesn't matter if Shields at his best was "never as good as Lester at his best" (which is flat out false, because none of Lester's seasons even sniff Shields' 2.82 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 249 IP 2011) because Shields had been much better than Lester in the immediate past. You are grasping at straws to form an argument where there is none.

[sk7326]

I would hate to be the manager that made that deal ... especially when Shields leaves KC in 2015 and Meyers is being announced at the All Star Game

 

I think Moore was afraid he would be the ex-general manager who didn't make that deal.

[Bellhorn04]

KC giving up Myers for Shields would seem to reinforce that we did pretty well getting Peavy for Iglesias.

[sk7326]

KC giving up Myers for Shields would seem to reinforce that we did pretty well getting Peavy for Iglesias.

 

Especially with the additional year of control.

[mvp 78]

Especially with the additional year of control.

 

Peavy and Shields have the same contract length, I believe.

[User Name]

Shields, however, is a better pitcher and was acquired before the season. So that gave the Royals two full seasons of control, instead of the one and a third we get for Peavy. Then again, the Peavy deal is still a steal for the Sox.

[Palodios]

If Garza netted the Cubs Olts and Edwards... I'm not completely convinced Lester won't still be worth a solid prospect next offseason. Especially since he is almost a complete lock for an extra draft pick at the end of 2014.