Kansas City Royals: Did the Kelvin Herrera trade set a standard?

The Kansas City Royals traded Kelvin Herrera to the Washington Nationals in mid-June. With other relievers starting to be on the market, especially closers, did his haul set the standard for relievers all over the MLB?

When the Kansas City Royals traded Kelvin Herrera for outfielder Blake Perkins, third baseman Kelvin Gutierrez, and RHP Yohanse Morel, it was still early. It was thought that after this trade between the Royals and the Washington Nationals, the market would move much more rapidly than it did last year. That hasn’t really been the case.

But, another reliever just went off the market. Saturday, it was announced that the New York Mets had traded reliever Jeurys Familia to the Oakland A’s. In return, the Mets received prospects, Triple-A right hander Bobby Wahl and an A ball third baseman in Will Toffey. In addition, the Mets received $1 million in their international signing bonus pool allotment.

Comparing Familia to Herrera

Kelvin Herrera has yielded a 1.98 ERA on the season. His career MLB ERA sits at 2.79 in eight Major League seasons. This season, his K/9 rate is currently 7.93, with a BB/9 rate of 1.98. That averages out to a K/BB of 4.00.

Jeurys Familia, on the other hand, has made appearances in seven seasons at the Major League level, all with the New York Mets. This season, he appeared in 40 games, where he yielded an ERA of 2.88. In 2018, his K/BB rate has so far been 3.07. His career ERA sits at 2.66.

How do the hauls compare?

The haul for Kelvin Herrera was larger than what the New York Mets received by trading away Familia. Most of that is probably because the Herrera trade was so early. What that means is that because Herrera was first, and so early, the Kansas City Royals were able to get a slightly greater haul.

Next: Another trade with the Washington Nationals

Granted, Herrera’s numbers seem to be better than Familia’s. Because Herrera was the first to go, he yielded the greatest haul for his old team. With just over a week left before the trade deadline comes to a close,