Royals trade Santana to Seattle


The Royals front office has made a trade with the Seattle Mariners. Kansas City's fire sale has begun before the month of July. Many Royals fans had been frustrated with the team playing Carlos Santana at first base on a daily basis, while several young prospects in the minors have been tearing it up. Santana came to Kansas City on a 2-year deal in 2021 worth $17.5 million to play first base. The Royals hoped this move would give players like Nick Pratto and Vinnie Pasquantino time to develop their craft in Omaha. Bringing in Santana didn't work out for the veteran slugger or the Royals. The 36-year old played in 210 games for the boys in blue, and his stats in a Kansas City uniform were a big disappointment. Santana's first season with the Royals wasn't great at the plate, but the former Indians slugger still showed some pop at the plate with 19 home runs while carrying a .214 batting average in 158 games. The Royals hoped that Santana would have a bounce back season in year two with the team, but unfortunately his numbers continued to decline. Despite Santana's poor numbers in Kansas City, the Royals were able to flip the struggling first basemen in a trade with the Mariners for pitchers Wyatt Mills and William Fleming. The pitchers the Mariners gave up for Santana in my opinion probably won't help the Royals in the long run. While with the Mariners, Mills posted a 4.15 ERA with six strikeouts in only eight games played this season. Mills' numbers in Triple-A the past two seasons have been pretty solid. Mill's first season with Seattle's top affiliate was a decent one with a 3.14 ERA with 51 strikeouts. The 2022 season for Mill's in the minors has been much better to this point. The right hander posted a solid 1.83 ERA in 16 games. The 27-year old's great numbers from Triple-A however didn't follow him to Seattle. In eight games, Mills threw only 8.2 innings with six strikeouts. The right hander has a three pitch mix that include a fastball, slider and a changeup. Along with Mills, Seattle sends rookie pitcher William Fleming to Kansas City in return for Santana. Fleming has yet to make it past Single-A ball. While in Single-A, the 23-year old posted a 4.92 ERA with 59 strikeouts in 14 games played. The right hander throws a trio of pitches that include a fastball, slider and a changeup. Following the departure of Santana, the Royals promoted first base prospect Vinnie Pasquantino from Omaha. Pasquantino's promotion to the big leagues was long overdue. In Omaha, the 24-year old tore the cover off the ball with 18 home runs and 67 runs batted in. Like Santana, Pasquantino lacks speed, but he has plenty of pop in his bat. The Royals are hopeful that the young infielder's Triple-A numbers can carry over to the big leagues.

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