The Five Worst Trades in Kansas City Royals History

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2. Jose Bautista for Justin Huber (July 30, 2004)

Imagine how different the past couple of years would have been for the Royals if they had a legitimate power bat in the middle of their lineup. Picture if the Royals had Jose Bautista hitting third or fourth. What kind of a difference would that have made?

The worst part is that the Royals had Bautista. Granted, this was before he turned into the fearsome slugger that Bautista is today, but he had still displayed the potential to be a power hitter in the minors. He was not yet at that point with the Royals, producing a .200/.231/.240 batting line with a double in 26 plate appearances before being sent to the New York Mets for Justin Huber.

Huber had been a top prospect, ranked as the 66th best prospect in baseball by Baseball America prior to the 2003 season. However, he never lived up to expectations, accumulating only 175 major league plate appearances across five seasons. For the Royals, Huber produced a .204/.255/.245 batting line with four doubles.

This trade is definitely one where hindsight reveals the trade as having been a terrible move for the Royals. After all, Jose Bautista did not become a feared slugger until he went to the Toronto Blue Jays five years later. Yet, one has to wonder what the Royals would have been like had Bautista been the Jose Bautista we have come to know.