KC Royals: Acquiring Ben Zobrist Finishes Championship Makeover

By John Viril |

The KC Royals acquiring Oakland super-utility man Ben Zobrist on Tuesday puts the cherry on top of Kansas City’s championship makeover.

Now, Kansas City Royals general manager Dayton Moore has done everything he can to position his team for a run at the 2015 World Series title.

Oh, he might have a few corners to fill in: such as finding a second lefty reliever now that he dealt Brandon Finnegan in the Johnny Cueto deal. But, in the hard work is done. The KC Royals have now taken on the form that will attempt to bring home the title that eluded them by one base in 2014.

It’s a great day to be a KC Royals fan.

It’s the day that we stopped making do with manager’s specials. Instead, Papa Dayton brought home a pair of Maine lobsters for a real family feast.

Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist were the two prizes of the 2015 deadline, and BOTH ended up with the Kansas City Royals. Moore added these prime pieces to a team that already has the best record in the American League at 60-38, as well as holding an eight game lead in the AL Central.

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What’s crazy is that Las Vegas oddsmakers Bovada and MGM Grand already had installed the KC Royals as World Series favorites. Their odds went up by landing Cueto on Sunday; and now adding Zobrist figures to create another bump.

Right now, you have to say the Kansas City Royals are a team with almost no weaknesses. With Alex Rios hitting .338 in July and the addition of Zobrist, the lineup doesn’t have a hole. Acquiring Johnny Cueto gave the KC Royals a true ace to ride through the playoffs. Throw in a lockdown bullpen and an air-tight defense, and you have an October monster.

Oh yeah, and remember that the Royals might be the most confident team in baseball.

Ben Zobrist brings a lot to the table. He’s a switch hitter. He’s patient—which will give the Kansas City Royals much needed help in wearing down pitchers. He can play every position except catcher. Now, his defensive metrics aren’t so hot this season at second base (he’s a -2.5 Ultimate Zone Rating at 2B this season). However, we’re talking a small sample size of less than half a season.

Over his career, Zobrist is a plus defender at both second and right field—which is where Kansas City has their primary needs.

What’s great about Zobrist is that now manager Ned Yost has the depth to frequently rest his position players the remainder of the season, without really compromising his chances to win.

Johnny Cueto helps the team mentally. Now they know they can face any ace on an equal footing in October. No more feeling outgunned on the mound and just hoping their starter can hold off the other team long enough to get to the bullpen still in the game.

Rather than driving a souped up Nissan into the post-season against Ferrari’s and Lamborghini’s, Ned has his very own super-car.

Now, go get that title.

Next: Kansas City Royals Trading for Johnny Cueto Shows Growth

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