Kansas City Royals: Kelvin Gonzalez traded to Texas Rangers

The Kansas City Royals upset some fans by trading away speedster Terrance Gore. Thursday, it was announced they traded Kelvin Gonzalez of Burlington to the Texas Rangers.

Kelvin Gonzalez was signed by the Kansas City Royals in September of 2015. He played in both the Dominican Summer League and the Arizona League before being assigned to the Burlington Royals on June 18, 2018.

Now, the 20 year old pitcher from Mao, Dominican Republic is headed to the Texas Rangers, and the Royals received International Signing Bonus Pool space in exchange for Gonzalez. According to ESPN, the Kansas City Royals are receiving an allocation of $250,000 from the Rangers for the pitcher.

It was announced that Kelvin Gonzalez has been assigned to play for the Arizona League Royals.

Minor League Statistics

With the Burlington Royals, Kelvin Gonzalez has yielded an ERA of 4.19 through 11 appearances. He’s pitched for a total of 19.1 innings, through which he has struck out 17 and walked 9.

In his career, he has appeared in 36 total games. His overall record sits at 5-5 and he has a career ERA of 3.72. He has so far only played short-season ball. The Rangers seem to have given up quite a bit of money for Kelvin Gonzalez, so they must have seen something in him they really liked.

Was this a smart move by the Royals?

It was. Though he was signed a mere three years ago, having more money allocated for international signings may help the Kansas City Royals to snag one of the top ranked international prospects.

Though it’s likely they would still need to work their way through the system, having the extra money readily available to sign a young, talented international prospect, hopefully multiple, bodes well for the rebuild.

What do you think of the trade? Is the bonus pool space worth trading away a young arm? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!