Royals History: KC lands James Shields, Wade Davis in controversial trade on this day in 2012

Exactly 12 years ago, the Kansas City Royals made a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays that would change the team's culture and trajectory for years to come. In a move that helped catapult the club toward their World Series win just three seasons later, the Royals acquired pitchers James Shields and Wade Davis, and infielder Eliot Johnson from the Rays on December 9, 2012, sending outfielder Wil Myers, third baseman Patrick Leonard, and pitchers Mike Montgomery and Jake Odorizzi to Tampa Bay in return.

MLB analysts and KC Royals fans pummeled team for loss of William Myers

When the Royals-Rays trade was announced, fans across Kansas City reacted with anger and confusion, while baseball experts and analysts publicly blasted the Royals for the decision. Myers was a top prospect in MLB at the time, and it was hard to understand why the Royals — who were largely considered to be years away from any sort of contention conversation — would sacrifice a future star under at least six seasons of club control for pitching depth that they likely could've found in free agency.

MLB pundits were brutal, with some even suggesting that the move was simply a last-ditch attempt by general manager Dayton Moore to ensure he wouldn't be fired by team owner David Glass.

"The deal reeks of a GM feeling pressure to improve short-term performance to keep his job," wrote journalist Keith Law the day after the trade, "which is a terrible situation for any executive both personally and for the way it can inhibit his ability to make rational decisions."

With the 91st overall pick of the 2009 MLB Draft, the Royals selected Myers as a catcher, and he made his professional debut that year with the team's Rookie-league affiliate. Over the next few seasons, Myers worked his way up through the minor leagues, earning a selection to the Midwest League All Star team in 2010. In 2011, the then-20-year-old was transitioned from catching to the outfield, and a year later, he appeared in the All-Stars Futures Game.

During the 2012 season — his last in the Royals organization — Myers had 522 at-bats split between the Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals and the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers. He posted a .314/.387/.600 line with 37 home runs and 109 RBI.

While Myers was making his mark in the minor leagues, the rebuilding Royals were failing to impress in the majors. The 2012 season saw Kansas City finish with a disappointing 72-90 record, and nobody expected the turnaround that the team's trade with the Rays would set into motion.

Shields and Davis were crucial to KC Royals winning era

When Moore made the trade on December 9, 2012, he was looking to give the Royals an ace — and he did. In the two seasons Shields was in Kansas City, he threw over 220 innings each year at the top of the rotation, posting ERAs of 3.15 and 3.21 in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Far more lasting, though, was the culture-shift Shields brought to the Royals' clubhouse, moving the team's outlook from that of a rebuilding franchise to that of winners.

Davis' impact on the Royals was less expected. In 2013, the right-hander accumulated a career-worst 5.67 ERA in 24 starts, and at the end of August, the team sent him to the bullpen — and that's when things changed.

In 2014, Davis posted a 1.00 ERA and 0.85 WHIP with 109 strikeouts in 72 innings of work, finishing eighth in AL Cy Young voting. The following year, he took over as the Royals' closer after Greg Holland was injured, and finished the regular season with a 0.94 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, and 78 strikeouts in 67.1 innings. He recorded 17 saves in 18 opportunities that season, finished sixth in AL Cy Young voting, earned his first All-Star selection, and closed out the 2015 World Series.

After posting a disappointing 72-90 record in 2012, the Royals turned around their trajectory. In 2013, the team finished the season at 86-76, and in 2014 and 2015, they secured back-to-back World Series appearances. When the Royals won the 2015 World Series, it was the franchise's first title in 30 years. The acquisition of Shields and Davis was a huge part of what set that era of winning into motion, even if Shields — who became a free agent after the 2014 season — left the team before the big finish.

Looking back 12 years later, Moore's December 2012 trade is one of the most important in Royals history — even if at the time, nobody could see the potential but him.