Royals' stealth trade leaves you shaking your head... and shaking your head at the Star, too -- At least Aviles is back, if only to sit the bench

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Can't find anything in the Star about it, but apparently the Royals and Diamondbacks exchanged minor leaguers yesterday, according to the Associated Press.

On the surface this is another head scratching what-in-the-world-could-they-be-thinking moment. They traded a reliever some folks have ranked fairly high among prospects to the Snakes for ... a shortstop. Apparently the shortstop is playing for Crash Davis' last team in A-ball, is supposed to be a defensive specialist but has been prone to errors -- 29 in 118 starts last year -- and had just four home runs in better than 270 minor league games, not at bats. Worse, one Snakes' blogger -- aka kishi --thinks he will probably be eligible for minor league free agency before he can manage to climb to the major league level.

"It's a little surprising that the Royals would opt to trade (Rosa, the AAA reliever), since they are in almost as much need of bullpen help as we are here in Arizona. They had the worst relief ERA of any team in the American League in April, at 5.77 - almost a full run worse than the next-highest figure. I'd have said that Rosa would have deserved a shot in the major-league pen: while admittedly, shortstop is universally regarded as the weakest position in their farm system, the more pressing need appears to be for immediate relief help, and Rosa was decent in two (admittedly brief) stints in the majors, with a 3.21 ERA in 14 innings."

You have to wonder why the hapless Royals would turn loose of a bullpen prospect for a very light hitting shortstop. After all, the Royals already have one of those.

Plus, the Royals don't have a legitimate relief prospect in the bullpen. I mean in the major league bullpen. To say nothing of the minor league system.

On second thought, this is another head scratching what-in-the-world-could-the-brain-trust-be-thinking moment. Let's see, kind of like pinch hitting Ankiel in the bottom of the ninth when he really should be on the DL. Or... well, let's not go down that road. The list might be pretty long.

Sorry, Zack.

--Lofflin

PS: Read the Star's tardy account late today of this trade for a prime example of a half-full, half-empty mug of beer.