Kansas City Royals: Potential meaning for the Royals trade

The Kansas City Royals seem to have been busy since the end of Royals FanFest on Saturday. Late Monday night, the Royals made a trade to send Brandon Moss and Ryan Buchter to the Oakland Athletics for pitchers Jesse Hahn and Heath Fillmyer. But something could be hidden behind this trade.

News broke late Monday night that the Royals had made a surprising traded. First basemen/designated hitter Brandon Moss and relief pitcher Ryan Buchter were sent to the Oakland A’s for pitchers Jesse Hahn and Health Fillmyer. The Royals are sending $3.25 million to the A’s to help with the remaining $8.25 million on Moss’ contract. Essentially, the Royals dumped another contract and will be saving $5 million.

Royals have traded LHP Ryan Buchter and DH/1B Brandon Moss to Oakland for right-hander Jesse Hahn and Minor League right-hander Heath Fillmyer. This could clear some payroll space for a certain free-agent first baseman you know.
— Jeffrey Flanagan (@FlannyMLB) January 30, 2018

When looking at the return, one player the Royals are getting is a low-risk-high-reward type player in Jesse Hahn. Hahn had a solid 2014 and 2015 but struggled in 2016 and 2017. The hope most likely is that Hahn will compete for a rotation or bullpen opening this year.

Dayton Moore told me newly acquired right-hander Jesse Hahn will compete for a rotation spot this spring. The Royals were also happy to clear $5 million of Brandon Moss's salary. "The economic part of it is very real to us," Moore said.
— Rustin Dodd (@rustindodd) January 30, 2018

They also received Heath Fillmyer. He has been a very solid starter in the A’s farm system. Last year in Double-A he posted a 3.49 ERA over 29 starts. The assumption would be that he may contribute to the team in two-plus years, depending on how he performs this year in the minors.

I am a fan of new Royals prospect Heath Fillmyer. Command needs work, but when he's at his best, you see three above-average pitches. Could easily see him being a solid mid-rotation guy if he throws enough quality strikes.
— Christopher Crawford (@Crawford_MILB) January 30, 2018

All-in-all it seems like the Royals got a decent return for two players that did not perform very well last year. But perhaps there is a deep meaning to the trade.

What the trade could mean

The Royals were heading into Spring Training with one first baseman on the 25-man roster. With Moss now in Oakland, they do not have a legitimate first baseman on the MLB roster now. They have options, but none that have legitimate time at the position in the big leagues.

So who could the Royals have playing first base in 2018?

It seems as if the trade could have open the door completely to Eric Hosmer returning to Kansas City. The Royals seemed to have dumped salary with the past two trades to help open the teams payroll enough to allow for a Hosmer type contract.

Dayton Moore was asked about the trade and the potential of Hosmer returning to Kansas City and here was his response.

I asked Dayton Moore about the speculation that will surely occur about Eric Hosmer after this trade: "It would be inappropriate for me to comment about a free-agent right now," Moore said. "(But) I"ve been very clear what our thoughts are about Eric Hosmer."
— Jeffrey Flanagan (@FlannyMLB) January 30, 2018

Moore did a great job giving an answer that at the surface does not give much value. However, if you dig deeper you could find a response that either makes you happy, or mad.

Final Thoughts

The idea of Hosmer coming back to Kansas City seems to be more likely to happen then not after the trade. Regardless of whether or not Hosmer does return, we should all be happy that Moss will no longer be in the Royals line up, and the $8.25M contract that the Royals seemed almost certain to pay is no longer a thing.

So what do you think Royals fans? Do you like the trade? Do you think the trade has a deeper meaning? Could a Hosmer return be in the near future? Let us know your thoughts!

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