Some trade musings

[Royals]

I've been a busy dealer the first month of '11 so I thought I'd take some time and put down some thoughts on my various deals.

OUT: Adam Dunn, Brandon McCarthy
IN: Chris Archer, Travis d'Arnaud, Robbie Ross, Michael Ynoa

This was the first trade that I completed in exactly one year. My last trade was 1/8/2010 and also involved Brandon McCarthy.

Jake came in guns blazing with a serious, well-thought out offer. Something we all appreciate receiving instead of the usual dancing many of us (including myself) tend to do.

Two things I loved about this deal. First, it brought in a catcher who can hit as opposed to a hitter playing catcher. Quality catching prospects can be tough to get involved in deal. Second, Archer is a quality, polished pitcher with some plus stuff. Ross is a guy who may not stick in the rotation, but should provide value in the pen if he doesn't.

The inclusion of Ynoa was the clincheras I was going back and forth on a couple deals. While he's a huge gamble, he's a huge gamble with a potentially huge payoff. If Ynoa pays off, the rest of this deal will be icing. If not, Archer and d'Arnaud are both fairly safe bets to even things out.