Quentin: what might have been

by cookierojas73 on May 25, 2008 10:52 PM EDT

I just watched the end of the White Sox- Angels game. The game ended when Carlos Quentin hit a walk-off HR (his second HR of the game) off John Lackey.

Quentin is now hitting .301 on the year, with 14 HR and 43 RBI. His OBP is .412 and SLG is .588.

It makes me a little angry, to be honest, to watch a young, power-hitting outfielder like Quentin, a player who was obviously available in the offseason and who also happened to be just what the Royals needed, excel for a division rival. It's especially bittersweet as our boys continue to descend to new depths with their offense.

I recall a good bit of discussion on this site last year about how Quentin, a young player with a lot of upside who likely wouldn't cost a fortune, would be a good trade target for the Royals and how Dayton Moore should pursue him. In fairness, it's possible he did. It just seems hard to believe we couldn't have made a similar or better offer than Kenny Williams did (minor league 1B Chris Carter), an offer that landed Quentin for the White Sox.

I know, hindsight is 20/20, and I'm not pretending to have known that Quentin would bust out like this, especially so quickly (in fact, under Mike Barnett's tutelage, it's likely he'd be at around .200/.300/.400 right now). But it really burns me up to think that KC likely could have had Quentin and didn't get him. I'd love to know whether we made an offer.

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i know he's acquired some

but I cant think of any minor league deals GMDM has made regarding offensive players, unless you count shealy

by Freneau on May 26, 2008 1:25 AM EDT reply actions

callaspo

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by marbotty on May 26, 2008 11:28 AM EDT up reply actions

Callaspo deserves a chance too

It was a good trade, Callaspo should get more start at 2B/SS since Pena is struggling to hit even at a horrible Angel Berroa pace now.

by playingwithfire on May 26, 2008 3:30 PM EDT up reply actions

I've wondered about Quentin, myself

Anyone have any idea if the Royals tried to get him, and, if so, what it would take? I don’t think his breakout, while a bit surprising, is completely out of nowhere. I would have had little doubt he would have improved KC’s offense. But I don’t want to get after GMDM for not trying to get him unless I have more details (i.e., unsubstantiated rumours) about whether he tried, and, if so, what he offered/was told he needed to give up.

OMG Banny. FWIW I am only crdtng u w/3 runs allwd bc of DDJ OMFG

by Matt Klaassen on May 26, 2008 9:51 AM EDT reply actions

If Arizona wanted a position player prospect like Carter for Quentin,

the Royals had nothing to offer. Moustakas was the only position player prospect in the system who rated as high as (or higher than) Carter, and Moustakas was not even eligible to be traded.

by Gopherballs on May 26, 2008 1:16 PM EDT reply actions

I like Quentin

But like gopherballs suggests, I don’t know what we could have offered that was close to Cris Carter.

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on May 26, 2008 6:46 PM EDT reply actions

Fair point

Agreed, we had no promising position players like Carter to swap straight up…maybe a package of some kind would’ve gotten it done…or it would have to have been a pretty decent pitching prospect.

by cookierojas73 on May 26, 2008 9:55 PM EDT up reply actions

Rany on Quentin

From http://www.ranyontheroyals.com/2008/05/royals-today-5262008.html

“I know it’s trendy for Royals fans to whine about the fact that Dayton Moore didn’t try to get Quentin, when it was obvious that the Diamondbacks were willing to move him cheap and he still had youth and a tremendous track record on his side. And the guy the Diamondbacks got in return was Chris Carter, a fine prospect but one of just six guys they would later send to Oakland for Dan Haren.

Here’s the problem: if the Royals wanted to beat the White Sox offer of Carter, who as a 20-year-old hit .291/.383/.522 in the South Atlantic League last season, there’s really only one hitter in the entire farm system that would have trumped the offer: Mike Moustakas.”

OMG Banny. FWIW I am only crdtng u w/3 runs allwd bc of DDJ OMFG

by Matt Klaassen on May 27, 2008 1:27 PM EDT reply actions

Oops

forgot the last relevant ‘graph:

“he Royals are making strides in this department – particularly on the pitching side of the equation – but it’s going to be a few years yet before the Royals have a well of hitters deep enough that they can tap into it without feeling the pain.”

OMG Banny. FWIW I am only crdtng u w/3 runs allwd bc of DDJ OMFG

by Matt Klaassen on May 27, 2008 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions