This Just Isn't Working

I'm a huge Johnny Giavotella fan. However, when the Royals elected to option him to Triple-A this spring I understood the rationale of their decision. Entering camp Giavotella was in a competition with Chris Getz to win the second base job. At the time of the promotion, Chris Getz had outperformed Giavotella.

One tweeter commented that maybe Giavotella should already have been given the job. I can't disagree with this and had he already been given the job, like Moustakas, it would have made me outraged should the Royals have sent him down. Instead two players were competing for a spot, and Chris Getz performed better. I could understand why the team elected to open the season with Chris Getz at second. Unfortunately, one week into the season Chris Getz isn't our second baseman either.

We all hated the Yuniesky Betancourt acquisition. Even the defendants of the signing made comments like "well he's just a utility guy," and "he's only going to get 250 at bats." Let me tell you now, when your primary defense of an acquisition is the fact the guy won't play much, you shouldn't be defending the acquisition.

Robert Ford, whose opinion I respect very much, repeatedly defended the Betancourt acquisition and commented how much better he was at second base and how there was no way he would open the season as the regular second baseman. Seven games into the season, and Yuniesky Betancourt has started more games at second than any other Royal.

Granted, Betancourt is off to a nice start with the bat. He's hitting .357, but has already emphatically shown that he is in fact no better at short stop than he was at second base. Let me just be blunt, I believed that Betancourt would be solid defensively at second base. I was wrong. 


If Betancourt continues to hit .350, I'll put up with his defensive shortcomings. But if Betancourt settles back into his career averages, he'll be hurting this team twofold. When Chris Getz becomes your better option at second, you don't belong on the field. However, at least Getz could help the pitching staff with his glove. (Of course, the ideal solution would be to admit the mistake and recall Johnny Giavotella from Omaha.)

I still think Betancourt could still be a decent piece in the role the Royals allegedly signed him for. As a utility infielder he could back up every spot on the infield and provide some pop. However, as a starter we know what Betancourt brings to the table, do we really want to put ourselves through that again?

That is NOT a Good Idea

 "I think Yuni will start three or four times a week," Yost said. "and we'll be able to keep everybody strong in that infield. I don't think we're going to lose a beat. It's a perfect scenario."

 Perfect? Have I forgotten the meaning of the word? Here's the definition of perfect from dictionary.com:

1. conforming absolutely to the description or definition of an ideal type.
2. excellent or complete beyond practical or theoretical improvement.
3. exactly fitting the need in a certain situation or for a certain purpose.
4. entirely without any flaws, defects, or shortcomings.
5. accurate, exact, or correct in every detail.

Nope. That's exactly what I thought perfect meant. So what does three or four starts a week mean in terms of games for Yuni this season? I counted up the number of weeks that the royals play six or seven games and there are twenty-four weeks. The first couple of days, the All Star Break, and the last day weren't counted, but collectively they would make up another weeks worth of games so let's round it off at twenty-five weeks in the season.

If Betancourt starts three games per week, here's the potential impact on the starts for each of the affected players (I'm going to assume that those starts aren't evenly taken and that Escobar is spelled less often than Giavotella and Moustakas.):

Yuniesky Betancourt: 75 starts

Mike Moustakas: 132 starts

Johnny Giavotella: 132 starts

Alcides Escobar: 147 starts

Here's the breakdown for Betancourt getting 3.5 starts a week or 7 every two weeks:

Yuniesky Betancourt: 87 starts

Mike Moustakas: 127 starts

Johnny Giavotella: 127 starts

Alcides Escobar: 145 starts

Finally, here's the breakdown for 4 starts a week:

Yuniesky Betancourt: 100 starts

Mike Moustakas: 122 starts

Johnny Giavotella: 122 starts

Alcides Escobar: 142 starts

When Betancourt was signed this offseason one of the primary defenses was Ned Yost's use of the bench. He'll hardly ever play. He'll get less than 200 at bats. His impact will be minimal. Let me be blunt here. If Betancourt starts 75 games, his impact will not be minimal. Based off Ned Yost's comments Betancourt is going to be due 350-450 at bats for 2012.

The Brewers may have won the division playing Betancourt every day in 2011, but there is a reason the guy had to accept a bench role in 2012. Betancourt's signing was an annoyance, but most of our annoyance was tied up in the symbolism of the move. We believed that in actuality Betancourt would suffice for a back up infielder.

If Betancourt starts 3-4 times a week this no longer is true. That much playing time turns Betancourt from a potentially useful bench piece to a detriment on this team's chances to win the division. It's early in Spring and I want to believe that should Betancourt play like Betancourt he'll quickly see his playing time decrease, but the comments from Ned Yost are scary nonetheless.

Of course the possibility exists that Giavotella, Moustakas, or Escobar totally flounder in 2012, making Betancourt a more viable option, but if this were true contention most likely wouldn't be possible anyway. The Royals absolutely have to maximize their roster in 2012, if they are going to be the surprise of baseball. Starting Betancourt 90 games would absolutely kill the opportunity.

Yunasty Returns to KC

The Royals search for a back up infielder has been their most obvious pursuit this off season outside of acquiring starters for the rotation. The club was specific in looking for a right handed hitter that could back up third and short. You also have to believe that the guy that would be signed would provide both competition and an insurance policy at second base with Johnny Giavotella.

Naturally the Royals filled this void by signing Yuniesky Betancourt this afternoon. Betancourt will return to Kansas City just 366 days after the Royals dealt him to Milwaukee in the Zack Greinke trade. Just a couple of months after starting at short stop for a division champion baseball club, Betancourt appears to have accepted a bench role with the Kansas City Royals- we can only hope.

Of course my initial reaction along with everyone else that closely follows the Royals was one of psychological horror. Rationally I knew that there were surely pros to this acquisition and that getting worked up over a back up infielder was a little over the top. But let me ask you this Royals Nation: Do you think our initial reaction to the Betancourt acquisition was over the top? That's what I thought.

So finally I have reached a point where I can discuss how Betancourt is a good fit for your 2012 Kansas City Royals. Well first off he clears fits the profile that the Royals were looking for in their back up infielder. Right Handed? Yep, Betancourt is right handed. But why did the Royals target a righty? Well, because they wanted to find a guy that could occasionally spell Mike Moustakas against the tough lefty.

So Kansas City needed a hitter that could pound lefties. Naturally the Royals landed on on Betancourt who blistered lefties in 2011 to a .229/.241/.331/.576 line. To be fair Betancourt has been much better against lefties for his career and boasts .275/.308/.421/.729 line. Not terrible numbers there, but does that line really justify hitting Betancourt over Moustakas against a left hander? Not in my opinion. Not only would Betancourt be stealing at bats from Mous but based off of the numbers I expect Mous to be at least the hitter Betanourt is against lefties and likely even better.

So Kansas City needed a guy that could back up both short and third. Naturally they chose Betancourt that hasn't played an inning of third as professional. (Not to mention we already know he can't play shortstop.) It isn't ridiculous to suggest that Betancourt could be a decent fielder at second or third, but at this point we just don't know. For now though the Royals back up third baseman hasn't played an inning at the position since he became a professional.

Finally, the Royals needed to find and insurance policy should Johnny Giavotella fail. This it where it gets scary, because for all the assurance that Dayton Moore has given that Alcides Escobar will start 150+ games at short, there hasn't been much said on the subject of Johnny Giavotella. It's no secret that I'm a big Johnny G fan, but even I think it would be wise to have some quality competition should he falter. I'm just no sure Betancourt is quality competition. If you are a Johnny Giavotella fan like myself you better hope that Gio gets off to a fast start in 2012, or else the organization may be tempted to allow Betancourt's tools on the field on a regular basis.

Betancourt is without a doubt a better fit for the 25 man roster than Chris Getz, but that isn't saying much. There are positives to signing Betancourt, but I'm not sure there are any that wouldn't have been met had the Royals signed any of the other available crop of veteran infielders. Ultimately this is a frustrating move. Yes, it adds competition. Yes, it is only a back up infielder. Yes, Betancourt is a body that can reasonably back up several positions.

The Royals didn't hurt themselves with this move. But given the obviousness that a back up infielder would be signed, they didn't do themselves in favors either. I don't know the terms of the deal, so obviously that will affect my stance a little. For example if it is a minor league deal I would actually be a fan of the move. But if the Royals wind up paying more to Betancourt in 2012 than Edgar Renteria, or Orlando Cabrera wind up making I'll be disappointed.

One Season Post Greinke

Yesterday morning I received the following text from a friend and fellow Royals' diehard:

"Now that the Brewers are in the NLCS and Zack Greinke and Yuniesky Betancourt are doing well, would you reassess the trade? Jeremy Jeffress and Lorenzo Cain hardly saw time and Alcides Escobar is really all we had to show for it."

I told my friend that instead of attempting to answer this question in a text, I would reply to him in the form of a blog post, so here we go.

Before saying anything else, at the time of the trade I commented that there is no way Yuniesky Betancourt should be the starting shortstop for a team expecting to win rings. Now though, the Brewers are doing everything they can to prove me wrong. Betanourt, despite posting a .252/.271/.381 line, has retained the starting shortstop job throughout the season.

In the playoffs Betancourt has upped that line to .278/.316/.444 and has came up with a couple of timely hits. With that being said I don't believe that Betancourt's line in any way could make this trade look worse from a Royals perspective. The fact that the Brewers are in the NLCS seems to have come in spite of Yuniesky Betancourt not as a result of his performance.

Zack Greinke on the other has been huge in the Brewers' magical run this season. His era is 3.83 and he has a 16-6 record. But looking even closer he has posted the highest K rate of his career at 10.54, with a walk rate of just 2.36. His xFIP is 2.56 and it wouldn't be hard to make the argument that this is the best season of his career outside of 2009.

Really though Greinke is doing exactly what we expected him to do this season, dominate. Well until the postseason, where he has had trouble staying low in the zone and has become a bit home run prone.

So what about for the Royals? As my friend stated Jeffress and Cain hardly saw time. This is true. Jeffress's stock definitely took a hit as he proved ineffective in the Major League pen and after transitioning to the rotation in Northwest Arkansas saw his control totally fall apart.

Jeffress's stuff is still there and I expect him to refine his command enough to be a useful piece in a Big League pen. However, his season was definitely a big disappointment.

Cain on the other hand did nothing to cause his stock to drop. He didn't receive hardly any big league time, because of the unexpectedly outstanding play of Melky Cabrera, not because he under performed.

In fact, with another season in the books I'm much more excited about Lorenzo Cain then I was at the time of the trade. Reports are his defense was absolutely spectacular in Omaha, all while hitting .312/.380/.497 with 16 home runs and 16 steals.

The outfield's performance in 2011 was obviously a huge plus for the Royals. They now have four viable solutions entering 2012. Should they trade Cabrera, Cain can step in and if they don't they can have depth while also controlling inventory and pushing Cain's arbitration and free agency back another season.

My friend is correct in stating that Alcides Escobar was all we had to show for the trade in 2011. Escobar was excellent defensively and thanks to an incredibly hot streak in the middle of the season, was passable on the offensive side of things. Moving forward Escobar has provided the Royals with at least a temporary solution at short stop and if the offense can continue to progress he could be a cornerstone.

Of course there is one more piece to this trade that has been totally forgotten here. This isn't the first time that I have discussed this trade with a friend and they have forgotten about the Royals' fourth piece: Jake Odorizzi.

Out of all the players involved in the trade, Odorizzi raised his stock more than anyone in 2011. If he can fix his problem with elevating his pitches in the zone he will be a front of the rotation guy in short order. Odorizzi is on the short list of prospects that can be argued for the top spot in the system.

At the time of the trade I believed that it could truly work out great for both parties. It was obvious the Royals HAD to move Greinke. Shelving a pitch in mid-August, threatening to no show for Spring Training, and who knows what else behind close doors. He had to be moved.

The trade was made by the Brewers to better contend in 2011 and 2012. The Trade was made by the Royals to better contend in 2013 and on. Obviously the Brewers should look like they have won the deal after 2011. But nothing that happened in 2011 would suggest that the deal is any worse for the Royals moving forward.

Major League Baseball trades are designed to be wins for both parties. It isn't fantasy football when one guy/girl is most likely getting ripped off when the deal occurs. Just because the trade has worked out awesomely for the Brewers, doesn't mean that it can't wind up being a win for Kansas City as well. It is simply way to early to tell. For now though, the trade looks just as good from Kansas City's perspective as it did when it was completed.