The 2018 Major League Baseball trade deadline will be remembered for just how many selling teams there were, and the various prices that were paid for "rental" players. By rental players, we mean players with contracts that are expiring at the end of the season. Of the many "rental" transactions we've seen, the trade of third baseman Mike Moustakas to the Milwaukee Brewers may be one of the most interesting.

The "Moose" on the move!

Mike Moustakas was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers by the Kansas City Royals late on July 27, 2018. The return was outfielder Brett Phillips and right-handed pitcher Jorge Lopez. What's interesting about the return is unlike many other rental trades, these are not minor leaguers with upside, but rather once highly-thought of prospects that have already graduated to the Major League level. Of course, neither Phillips or Lopez has lived up to their billing.

The "Moose" has had a fairly good season for the Royals, even though he has a rather ugly batting average and an on-base percentage around .300. His power output is about what we've come to expect and his defense at third base is solid if not spectacular. His baserunning has been dismal, but not unexpected. But, on only a $5.5 million contract for the season, plus a $1 million buyout on a mutual option that will quite likely be declined by the player, the Brewers are assuming minimal financial risk.

BUT, don't the Brewers have a third baseman?

Before we get to the return for the Royals, which is quite interesting itself, let's talk about the implications of the Brewers acquiring Moustakas. The power of Moose's bat is quite welcome. The issue is that the Brewers already have a fine third baseman in Travis Shaw. Of course, Shaw can reliably handle first base as well, but the Brewers have a fine first baseman already in Jesus Aguilar. So, where do all the pieces fit?

The trouble with the Brewers is second base. They've gotten well-below average production from the position in 2018, with Jonathan Villar leading the way as a below-average hitter. But it's highly unlikely you would see Moose playing second base. That leaves only Travis Shaw to be on the move to the keystone. While Shaw isn't your typical second baseman, he's shown defensive versatility in the past. So, we'll see how the Brewers' creativity works out. As a team trying to win the National League Central, solidifying their power output at the cost of a few potential runs on defense seems like a good trade-off, especially as Moose is fine at the hot corner.

We'll see how Shaw actually fares at second for the rest of 2018. But, on paper, this is a move the Brewers really needed to make.

What About the Guys the Royals Got?

Once a top prospect, Brett Phillips did fine in his first MLB action in 2017. But in 2018, he's struggled. He's even been below average at AAA with the bat. He's fine defensively, though, actually above-average. He had 8 Defensive Runs Saved in only about 200 innings in the outfield in 2017, and 2 DRS in only 42 innings in 2018. So, if he hits anywhere near league average, he's going to be a useful outfielder for the Royals. He's still only 24 and has years of control left.

Jorge Lopez has shown potential in the past, although like Phillips, he's had a down 2018 with only a few appearances in the Majors. But this is a guy who throws in the mid-90's with his fastball, has a good curveball, and a serviceable change-up. Whether he becomes a fourth or fifth starter or just a middle reliever for the Royals remains to be  seen, but he needs to get the walks under control.

Really, if the Royals end up with a fourth outfielder and a middle reliever for two months of Moustakas, they made out pretty well. The Moose gets to be in a pennant race and potentially set himself up for a nice contract in the offseason.

For the Royals, they shed a few dollars in payroll and receive two players that can play on the Major League team right now. Phillips could still be a starting outfielder and Jorge Lopez could still be a useful pitcher for them. The Brewers weren't really going to miss them, but when you're a team that's doing as poorly as the Royals, any controllable reinforcements are always welcome.

Dan Quisenberry, better known as "Quiz," was an ace relief pitcher for the Kansas City Royals for 10 seasons (1979-1988). During that time, he compiled 24.9 WAR, for an average of nearly 2.5 WAR per season, an incredible feat for a relief pitcher.
Then again, during the eighties, relievers often pitched over 100 innings a season. Quisenberry was the Royals designated closer for 5 of those seasons, compiling at least 33 saves in each of those years and topping out with 45 in 1983. He saved 37 games for the World Champion Royals in 1985.

Quisenberry was a three time All-Star, being selected in 1982, 1983, and 1984. His best season was in 1983, when he compiled 5.5 Baseball-Reference WAR, saving 45 games with a 1.94 ERA in 139 innings. His tough arm angle and devastating sinker made up for the fact that he rarely struck out any batters (3.3 K/9 career). He didn't walk too many batters, though, either (1.4 BB/9 career). He also didn't give up many home runs (only a 0.5 HR/9 career mark).

He started burning out in 1988. That year, the Royals decided to release him after 20 only OK games. The Royals knew something was up, because when he signed later that season with the Cardinals, he was awful, posting a 6.16 ERA in 33 games (-0.7 WAR). He recovered a bit in 1989 for the Cardinals, however, when he posted 0.9 WAR in about 78 innings. But in 1990, he got into only 5 games with the Giants. In most of them, he was bombed. That was the career for Dan.

While Quisenberry isn't a Hall-of-Famer, he had quite a great career as one of the best relief pitchers of the 1980's. He was a part of the truly great Royals teams of the 80's and was a kind of pitcher we may never see again. Also, he's a published poet!

Sadly, Quisenberry passed away in 1998 of a brain tumor. He left behind his wife Janie and two children. His wit and humor will be greatly missed, but he left behind a lot of great memories.

Eight games. Eight wins. The Kansas City Royals have won every single game that they have played this postseason: the Wild Card Game against the Oakland Athletics, three straight games against the Los Angeles Angels in the American League Division Series, and now four straight against the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Championship Series. After winning Game 4 by a score of 2 to 1, the Royals are going on to their third world series in team history, and their first since their victory in 1985. That team included the likes of George Brett and Bret Saberhagen. Most people expected some resistance from each the Angels and the Orioles, but the Royals extremely underrated pitching staff – which carried them to 89 wins during the regular season – came through when it mattered most.

Of course, the bullpen trifecta of Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis, and closer Greg Holland was a bit part of why the Royals won all of these games. Anytime you only need six solid innings from your starter, and you go into the seventh inning with a lead with those guys in the bullpen, you’re not going to lose many games. Most people picked the Orioles to win this series, but you can’t win any series without producing offense. As Pedro Martinez pointed out in the TBS pre-game show, the absences of Chris Davis, Manny Machado, and Matt Wieters – three of their best hitters - truly did show when their line-up needed them the most. Machado and Wieters suffered season-ending injuries early on, and Chris Davis was suspended late in the 2014 season for the use of amphetamines – after already not having one of his better years.

It helps that the Royals had some offensive stars during the postseason on a team that isn’t known for their hitting prowess. Eric Hosmer led the way with a 1.370 OPS coming into today’s game (.462/.563/.808) with two home runs and seven runs batted in in 26 at-bats. But it’s been team speed (13 stolen bases in the post season against only 3 times caught stealing) that’s been the big difference. Also, the Kansas City defense, though it committed over 100 errors during the regular season, have shown their true prowess throughout the series with outfielders Alex Gordon and Lorenzo Cain and shortstop Alcides Escobar leading the way with fantastic plays.

While the Orioles were basically in every game, the Royals bullpen was simply too much. As the TBS commentators pointed out at the clinching game’s conclusion, power pitching beats power hitting, and the meat of the Royals bullpen is all power. The Orioles lost Game One 8-6 (in a surprising slugfest), Game Two 6-4, and Game Three 2-1. Every game was decided by two runs or less, an area which is something that the Royals have excelled in all season.

At this time, Game 4 of the National League Championship Series between the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals is yet to be played. Both would make a great matchup for the Royals who will be opening the World Series at home in Kauffman Stadium, due to the American League winning the World Series home field advantage during the 2014 All-Star Game. The Royals definitely look like the team to beat this year, and after I picked the Orioles to win in six games, I really find myself with no choice but to ride the hot hand and pick the Royals in five.

The Royals are the team of destiny. Now they just have to #takethecrown.

by Richard Rowell, Sports Break

Today, the Kansas City Royals signed Francisco Pena. Being a minor league free agent who's never really hit at any level, Pena does have a good defensive reputation and has thrown out plenty of attempted base-stealers in the past (30% in 2013). Ordinarily, a guy like Pena would get a minor league contract with an invitation to Major League spring training. However, because of the dearth of good catching on the free agent market, the Royals gave Pena a Major League contract, adding him to their official 40-man roster. It's unknown what he's guaranteed besides the usual 40-man roster bonus.

 Pena is the son of former Royals Manager and current Yankee bench coach Tony Pena, a fantastic defensive catcher himself, so he certainly has the pedigree. He'll battle with Brett Hayes and George Kottaras for the back-up catching job in Kansas City behind Salvador Perez. It is important to note that Perez has had trouble staying healthy, so the backup catcher job actually is quite important for that team. Kottaras is a patient guy with some pop and Hayes just has some pop. It should be an interesting position battle to watch come Spring Training.