Pundits and analysts across baseball largely pummeled the Kansas City Royals front office for the deal. KC gave up super-prospect Wil Myers, pitchers Jake Odorizzi and Mike Montgomery, along with rookie league player Patrick Leonard. But, most analysts thought the Royals weren’t close enough to contending to make such a deal and that general manager Dayton Moore was merely trying to prevent owner David Glass from giving him the axe.
Former Toronto Blue Jays exec turned baseball writer Keith Law said:
“The deal reeks of a GM feeling pressure to improve short-term performance to keep his job,” Law wrote, “which is a terrible situation for any executive both personally and for the way it can inhibit his ability to make rational decisions.