With the trade deadline tomorrow, the Kansas City Royals are sending relief pitcher Trevor Rosenthal to the San Diego Padres for outfielder Edward Olivares and a Player to be Named Later.
Some Background
With the shortened season this year, players not on a team’s 60-man player pool cannot be traded. The PTBNL is projected to be a low-level relief pitcher not on the Padres’ 60-man roster.
This is the third time in the past three years, and the second time this year, that the Royals have sent a relief pitcher to the Padres. In 2017, the Royals sent left-handed reliever Matt Strahm and two others to the Padres for pitchers Trevor Cahill, Ryan Buchter, and Brandon Maurer.
Flash forward to July of this year as the Royals traded left-handed reliever, Tim Hill for outfielder Franchy Cordero and pitcher Ronald Bolaños. Now, the Royals have sent a third reliever as they send Rosenthal to the Padres.
What the Padres Get
On the year, Rosenthal has a 3.29 ERA in 13.2 innings with 21 strikeouts and seven saves. His average fastball velocity this year is at a career-high, sitting at over 97 mph. Rosenthal hits 100 mph consistently with great command of the heater but has been dominant with his cutter that has become his second go-to pitch.
With Padres All-Star closer, Kirby Yates most likely done for the season, and the struggles of other right-handed relievers, such as Craig Stammen and Emilio Pagan, Rosenthal brings a much-needed boost to the San Diego bullpen. The Padres saw the need to acquire another bullpen arm. They went out and acquired one of the best available on the market. The Padres are in win-now mode and this trade to boost the bullpen shows they are going all-in on this season.
What the Royals Get
In return, the Royals receive outfielder Edward Olivares. According to MLB Pipeline, Olivares is the No. 20 prospect in the Padres loaded farm system. Last year in Double-A in the Texas League, Olivares hit .283 with 138 hits, including 18 home runs, and 77 RBIs with 35 stolen bases. In 34 at-bats this year with the Padres, Olivares hit .176 with one home run and three RBIs.
Royals’ assistant, Rusty Kuntz, was a huge influence in the acquisition of Olivares. Last season, Kuntz was a special assistant last season, scouting the Texas League and saw Olivares. According to Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com, Royals Manager, Mike Matheny said, “When San Diego initially inquired about Trevor, Rusty said if you can get this guy Olivares, that would be great.”
At this time, Olivares has talent but is still a bit raw. If the Royals can continue to develop him, he could become a top prospect in the outfield for Kansas City. The Royals will wait and see who the Padres are sending over as the second prospect.
More Moves Coming?
With this trade, General Manager, Dayton Moore, showed that the Royals are looking to sell some top bullpen arms, which makes it more likely that they trade Greg Holland as well.
Rosenthal had been a huge piece to the Royals bullpen this year. Going into this season, the bullpen looked shaky and was expected to struggle like last year. However, they have surprised and been solid throughout the course of the season. Rosenthal was a huge reason for that as he was one of the best pitchers in the bullpen. The bullpen could see a drop in production with the loss of one of its best arms.
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Main Credit Image: Embed from Getty Images
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