The Kansas City Royals announced today that they have acquired right-handed pitcher Elvis Luciano and left-handed pitcher Gabe Speier from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for outfielder Jon Jay. Luciano will be assigned to the Burlington Royals (Rookie), while Speier will be assigned to Northwest Arkansas (AA).
Luciano, an 18-year-old from Boca Chica in the Dominican Republic, pitched in 16 games (eight starts) last season between the Diamondbacks' Dominican Summer League and Arizona League clubs as well as Missoula (Rookie). He was 4-1 with a 2.84 ERA (21 ER in 66.2 IP) with 18 walks and 52 strikeouts. He signed with the D-backs on October 1, 2016 as a non-drafted free agent and has yet to begin his 2018 season.
Speier, a 23-year-old from Santa Barbara, Calif., has made 20 relief appearances with Arizona's Double-A affiliate, Jackson, this year. He's 1-1 with a 3.03 ERA (10 ER in 29.2 IP) with 10 walks and 26 strikeouts. He spent the 2017 season with Jackson as well, going 2-6 with a 4.30 ERA (33 ER in 69.0 IP) in 36 appearances, which included four starts. He was originally drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 19^th round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft, and the Royals will be his fifth professional franchise as he's been traded to Detroit (2014), Atlanta (2015) and Arizona (2015) during his minor league career.
Jay, 33, signed a one-year free agent contract with the Royals on March 6 of this year. He was batting .307 with nine doubles, two triples, a homer and 28 runs scored with Kansas City this season.
Following the move, the Royals have 39 players on their Major League Reserve List.