The Kansas City Royals have seen their share of ups and downs, and for fans who missed the Dayton Moore era, it's a tale of two decades marked by World Series highs and some frustrating lows. The 2022 season was particularly rough, ending with a disappointing 65-97 record that felt like treading water.
In typical fashion for struggling teams, the Royals became sellers at the trade deadline that year. Their marquee move was sending Andrew Benintendi, a Gold Glove-winning All-Star outfielder, to the Yankees. The hope was to get something valuable in return, but the results have been less than stellar.
On paper, the trade seemed promising. The Royals acquired three pitchers who had previously made it to the MLB Pipeline Top 30 lists for the Yankees. But as time has passed, this deal is shaping up to be another missed opportunity in the latter part of Moore's tenure.
T.J. Sikkema, one of the pitchers acquired, hasn't found his footing in Kansas City.
He was picked up by the Cincinnati Reds in the minor-league phase of the 2023 Rule 5 Draft and remains there on a minor-league deal. At 27, with a career 4.57 ERA mostly in Double-A, the Royals have already moved on.
Then there's Chandler Champlain, who showed potential as "starter depth." He's been reliable in terms of starts, but his performance hasn't matched up.
Entering his age-26 season, Champlain holds a 6.80 ERA and 1.672 WHIP in 223.3 Triple-A innings. While his durability is commendable, he lacks a standout pitch, making his transition to a major-league contributor challenging.
Beck Way is the most intriguing of the trio, recently drawing attention in a Cactus League opener against the Texas Rangers. Despite a scoreless inning, his performance was mixed with a walk and a hit.
His sinker remains a bright spot, yet his first extended Triple-A stint was rough, with a 6.87 ERA and 1.789 WHIP over 38.0 relief innings. As he approaches his age-26 season, his best path seems to be as bullpen depth, provided his command improves.
The Royals have yet to see any significant major-league impact from this trade-no reliable relievers, spot starters, or even fringe contributors. Meanwhile, the Yankees didn't exactly hit the jackpot either; Benintendi's time in New York was cut short by injury, playing only 33 games. Still, they got something, while Kansas City has come up empty.
So, what does success look like now for the Royals? It's a far cry from the original expectations.
At this point, even seeing Way become a serviceable middle reliever or Champlain filling a depth role would be considered a win. It's not what you aim for when trading an All-Star, but in this scenario, something is indeed better than nothing.