Utility infielder Carroll dealt to Royals

CHICAGO -- The Twins dealt utility infielder Jamey Carroll to the division-rival Royals on Sunday afternoon in a move that assistant general manager Rob Antony said was more for Carroll than for the betterment of the team.

"As much as anything, this is a deal for Jamey Carroll to go over and join a team that's in a playoff race over there and add his professionalism and experience to that club and give him an opportunity to get into a race," Antony said.

Carroll will fly back to Minneapolis with the Twins on Sunday, before joining the Royals on Monday, when the Twins will make a corresponding move to replace him on the roster. The 39-year-old Carroll was traded for a player to be named or cash.

"I've never had this happen before, so it's obviously a unique feeling," Carroll said. "But at the same time, I'm excited to go to a team that's been playing really well. We've seen that first-hand. I look forward to talking to them and seeing how this comes about and what the situation's going to be."

Antony said there were no talks about Carroll before the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline, but the Royals have had an eye on Carroll for about a week and saw a need for their club that the utility man could fill.

He's appeared in 59 games for the Twins this season, batting .230 with six doubles and nine RBIs. He went 1-for-4 with a run in Sunday's 5-2 victory over the White Sox, batting second and playing third base. The 12-year veteran has played second base, third base and shortstop this season.

"Like I told him, I was disappointed we weren't better when I was here because when we went and got him, we saw him as a veteran guy that was gonna help some of our veteran guys, and we just haven't pitched well enough," Antony said. "We haven't played well enough. And he handled everything like a pro this year with [Jesus] Florimon and [Brian] Dozier getting the majority of starts up the middle. He's always ready to play."

Carroll was drafted by the Expos in the 14th round of the 1996 First-Year Player Draft, and debuted with the Expos in 2002. He was purchased by the Rockies from the Nationals in February 2006, then traded by the Rockies to the Indians in 2007. He signed with the Dodgers in 2009, then with the Twins after the 2011 season.

The Twins were just in Kansas City this week, dropping two of three. Carroll appeared in two of those games, going 3-for-8, but he likely stood out most for his first career pitching appearance. He threw a scoreless eighth inning in Monday's game.

"Must have been when they knew he was a true utility guy," Antony said. "You can put him anywhere."