KC Royals: Four Years After Trading For James Shields And Wade Davis

Wade Davis Was The Key

At the time, iconic KC Royals blogger Rany Jazayerli believed that Wade Davis was the key to the deal for Kansas City. If Davis succeeded, the trade might work out OK for the Royals. If Davis failed, Jazayerli believed KC front office would come to regret the deal.

Jazayerli turned out to be largely right. It was Wade Davis that turned this deal into a clear win for the Kansas City Royals. However, Rany believed that Davis would need to succeed as a starter rather than joining what he considered a stacked KC bullpen. What Jazayerli didn’t foresee is that Wade Davis would become not just a “good” or even “dominant” reliever. Instead, Davis became the best bullpen weapon in baseball.

Trade Still Benefiting The KC Royals

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Wade Davis turned out to be so good that the Kansas City Royals were able to flip him for four cost-controlled years of young slugger Jorge Soler. The James Shields/Wade Davis trade is still the gift that keeps on giving four years later. If Moore had wanted prospects, he might have been able to demand a package nearly as good as what he gave up to acquire Shields and Davis.

After failing as a starter in 2013, we know that Davis became the best reliever in MLB. Shields also provided two good years in a Kansas City uniform, going 27-17 with a 3.18 ERA. More importantly, Shields helped the young pitching staff gel. Danny Duffy, in particular, cited Shields for teaching him how to temper his internal fire into success on the mound.

Oh, and the Royals selected prospect Nolan Watson as an exit bonus with the draft compensation they received for losing Shields.