KANSAS CITY -- As the Royals drifted further away from the .500 mark this season, one of the main priorities for general manager Dayton Moore became getting some return for his players with expiring contracts or freeing up space on the 40-man roster for the next wave of prospects.
For the most part, Moore accomplished both, as nine players from the Royals' Minor League system have made their MLB debuts so far this season. And Moore was able to trade catcher Martín Maldonado, right-hander Homer Bailey and left-hander Jake Diekman. Outfielder Billy Hamilton, also on an expiring contract, was not moved before Wednesday's 3 p.m. CT deadline and could be a candidate to be designated for assignment.
Here's a look at how the Royals fared:
Traded: Bailey, Maldonado, Diekman and Terrance Gore (to Yankees for cash considerations).
Received: Left-hander Mike Montgomery (from Cubs), infield prospect Kevin Merrell (from A's), outfielder Dairon Blanco (from A's) and right-hander Ismael Aquino (from A's).
DFA'd: Gore, right-hander Wily Peralta, infielder Chris Owings and first baseman Lucas Duda .
When a player's contract is designated for assignment -- often abbreviated "DFA" -- that player is immediately removed from his club's 40-man roster, and 25-man roster if he was on that as well. Within seven days of the transaction (it was previously 10 days), the player must either be traded, released or placed on irrevocable outright waivers.
The return: Montgomery was originally drafted by the Royals in 2008 and was part of the James Shields-Wade Davis trade with Tampa Bay in 2012. Kansas City has put Montgomery in the rotation and have him for two more years of club control after this season. Merrell was the 2017 Draft's 33rd overall pick and is the Royals' No. 18 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. Some scouts believe Merrell could be an eventual super utility man. Blanco has plus speed, and the organization believes he still has untapped power. Blanco is at Double-A Northwest Arkansas. Aquino has a plus fastball and is in the Arizona Rookie league.
Who wasn't traded: There were some national rumors that teams were interested in super utility man Whit Merrifield, closer Ian Kennedy, left-hander Danny Duffy, designated hitter Jorge Soler and left fielder Alex Gordon. To be clear, the Royals never shopped any of those players and never really had any intention of moving any of them unless they were blown away by offers. That wasn't going to happen. The ballclub views Merrifield, 30, as a leader who can usher in the next wave of young players when the Royals believe they will be competitive again by 2021. Kennedy is owed over $20 million on his contract, and there was really no chance the organization was going to eat most of that just to get prospects, which it feels it can get in the Draft anyway for less money. Duffy and Soler are under club control through 2021. Gordon told MLB.com he had no interest in playing for anyone else, and as a player with 10-and-5 rights, he had the right to veto any deal.
What's next?: A lot of evaluation. The Royals will view the next two months as auditions for who they believe is part of the core of the future. The organization knows it has part of the core for 2020 in place in shortstop Adalberto Mondesi, Merrifield, third baseman Hunter Dozier, second baseman Nicky Lopez, Soler, catcher Salvador Perez (back for 2020 after Tommy John surgery), possibly Gordon (contract expires after this season), center fielder Bubba Starling, right-handers Brad Keller and Jakob Junis, Duffy, and so on.
What manager Ned Yost and Moore will be evaluating mostly is the bullpen. The Royals have several young arms they want to identify as potential pieces moving forward, such as right-handers Josh Staumont, Kyle Zimmer, Jorge Lopez, Scott Barlow and Kevin McCarthy, and left-handers Richard Lovelady and Tim Hill.
The Royals also will like to see outfielders Brett Phillips, acquired in the Mike Moustakas trade in 2018, and Jorge Bonifacio before the season ends.