Greinke's promise nothing new for Royals
So, Zack Greinke is good.
His 6-0 record, 0.50 ERA (yeah, you read that right), 44 Ks and all-around feel-good story have the baseball world buzzing. The success of the baby-faced right-hander is even rubbing-off on the Royals, who are leading the AL Central.
But there's something about this scenario that says it isn't built to last. The Royals have a nasty history of dealing great players in horrible trades. Is Greinke next? Most are saying 'no', but dealing the early Cy Young contender wouldn't be the first bonehead move to go down in the City of Fountains.
Here's six deals that still keep Royals fans up at night:1) Below the Belt-ran
Midway through 2004, the Royals sent OF Carlos Beltran to Houston in a three-team deal in which they received pitcher Mike Wood, third-baseman Mark Teahen and catcher John Buck in return. Teahen and Buck turned into starters for the Royals, but Beltran lead the 'Stros charge to the NLCS that year, hitting 8 HRs and batting .435. He's currently off to a hot start with the Mets, hitting .400 with 18 RBIs.
2) Dealing Big Daddy
After honing is skills in the KC system, Cecil Fielder was dealt to Toronto for Leon Roberts. We know what happened with Fielder (319 career HRs, 1,008 RBIs, spawned an All-Star son), but Roberts? Out of baseball in two years.
3) Do it for Johnny
The Royals dealt Johnny Damon in 2000, the same season in which he led the AL in runs (136) and stolen bases (46). In addition to Damon, KC gave up Mark Ellis in exchange for Angel Berroa and Roberto Hernandez. Berroa won the AL Rookie of the Year in 2003, but quickly slid spending most of '07 and '08 in AAA before he was dealt again. Damon is a two-time All-Star and won a World Series with Boston in 2004.
4) Curl up and Dye
Neifi Perez. Yup, that's who the Royals got when they traded Jermaine Dye in 2001. Dye has hit 300 career HRs, won a Golden Glove and a Silver Slugger and was named World Series MVP in 2005. Perez did win a Gold Glove, but it was before he became a Royal; He hasn't seen major league action since 2007.
5) The Cone Trade
No clever title here, this one is just downright sad. In 1987 Royals sent David Cone to the Mets in exchange for Ed Hearn. Cone was an All-Star in NY and won the World Series with Toronto in '92. Hearn's career didn't last another two years.
6) History Repeating
After returning to KC for the '93 and '94 seasons (he won the AL Cy Young in '94), Cone was promptly shipped back to Toronto, oddly enough. In return the Royals received journeyman Chris Stynes and a pair of prospects that never made it out of the minors. Cone eventually landed in NY again, this time with the Yankees, where he won four World Championships and pitched a perfect game.
Are the Royals cursed? Is Greinke going to end up on this list? Post Game below.