Royals 2014 FanSided Faux-Winter Meetings Update

Collins appears shocked as he is told he is being moved to the Cubs. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

Trade One: Tim Collins to the Cubs for Bijan Rademacher (minors)

I imagine the reaction to this move is something akin to “Why?” Well, there are a couple of reasons as to why I decided to move Tim Collins. First, he did not exactly inspire confidence with his performance last season, and given that he would likely be receiving an increase in pay in arbitration, it seemed best to see if I could get anything for him. Second, with the signing of Masterson above, Brandon Finnegan would be sent to the bullpen. I would rather trust Finnegan, or the other lefty who I am working on signing, more than Collins.

In Rademacher, the Royals would be getting back a corner outfielder with a little bit of pop and the potential to get on base at a decent clip. Overall in his minor league career, Rademacher has .284/.353/.416 batting line with 16 home runs. While the power numbers do not seem impressive, he hit ten home runs and 22 doubles last season for the Daytona Cubs, while hitting at a .281/.363/.448 rate.

Bijan Rademacher has alternated between left and right in his time in the minors, and may project as a fourth outfielder at the major league level. He would likely be far more of a doubles hitter than a home run hitter, and may not prove to be anything special. However, considering that Rademacher could be an interesting player to develop, that is not a bad return for someone that I considered non-tendering.

Now for the second trade….