KC Royals trade for underrated A's reliever and slugging White Sox infielder

KC Royals fans worried Tuesday afternoon that the club might be finished with the MLB trade deadline after acquiring pitcher Michael Lorenzen from Texas Monday can put their fears to rest.

Striving to help their bullpen and boost their offense., the Royals struck two deals as the clock ticked ominously toward the 5 p.m. CT deadline for making major-league level deals.

The club is reportedly getting right-handed reliever Lucas Erceg from Oakland and slugging infielder Paul DeJong from the White Sox.

Lucas Erceg may be underrated, but should be effective for the Royals

Erceg wasn't frequently linked to Kansas City, but Kings of Kauffman's Jacob Milham included him in his analysis, published just yesterday, of relief pitchers the Royals could target during the trade deadline's final hours. Erceg is the quintessential under-the-radar acquisition, someone with the misfortune to work for a team that doesn't command a lot of attention.

And that's too bad. He's good — in 38 games for the A's this season, he's 2-3 with a 3.68 ERA and three saves. He's also fanned 41 batters in 36.2 innings. Erceg broke in with Oakland last year and went 4-4, 4.75 in 50 games.

Per MLB.com Royals beat writer Anne Rogers, Kansas City will send pitchers Will Klein and Mason Barnett, and outfielder Jared Dickey, to Oakland. Because Klein was recalled from Triple-A Omaha yesterday to take injured John Schreiber's on the major league roster, the Royals won't have to make any other moves to create space for Erceg.

The KC Royals nabbed power with Paul DeJong

Taking advantage of their present visit to Chicago for a three-game series, the Royals hooked up with the Sox off the field to land eight-year big league veteran infielder DeJong. Although he's hitting only .228 this season and his .275 OBP is far less than desirable, he's bashed 18 homers and driven in 41 runs in 102 games for the worst team in baseball. He'll bring much-needed power to the KC lineup.

DeJong is primarily a shortstop, but definitely won't supplant Bobby Witt Jr. at that position; he can also play second and third, the kind of versatility Kansas City general manager J.J. Picollo likes. He's played for St. Louis, San Francisco, Toronto, and the Sox.

The Royals have announced that Jarold Rosado will be the price Kansas City pays for DeJong, and John McMillon has been designated for assignment. The latter move makes room for DeJong on the 40-man roster.

Unlike other moves the Royals could make, these two trades are deals they can definitely risk. We'll have more on these two deals soon.

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