Oh, that crafty Dayton Moore...

Yes, that was sarcasm. 

However, I'll say that his recent moves could actually help him in the trade market in some small, possibly unintentional ways. I will list the reasons...out of order, too, just because I can.

3. Mike Aviles is struggling too much with the big club to expect him to turn it around there. Aviles *should* be a useful player, able to play 3 infield positions and hit for high average and decent power for a middle infielder. Sure, he doesn't walk, and sure, he doesn't play any of those positions particularly well, but if one assumes he's just somehow screwed up right now (and he has enough plate appearances to safely say this, I think), then the best thing for his trade value is to let him go down to Omaha and hopefully rake for a few weeks. If he's able to post Aviles of 2010/2008 numbers while there, a couple of teams might convince themselves he can help.

17. Wilson Betemit's value should be just about set in stone, and him playing less right now shouldn't make much difference...unless the Royals go all epiphany and decide to try him out at 2B or SS here and there. Why? Well, because everyone assumes he probably can't play those positions, even though he used to years ago and he's still in his prime. So...if Betemit sucks defensively at those spots (likely), then it really does no harm. But if he can muddle through w/o looking too bad, guess what? Slight bump to his trade value if a team can see him as a stopgap middle infielder in case of injury, etc. -- and one that can hit a little bit. 

198. Joakim Soria closing again this quickly, from a management perspective, to me is a bit silly. They took the job from him after a protracted period of suckitudenesstivity (it's a word now, shaddup), so to give it back after a couple of outings that failed to be poor doesn't make much sense. However, if one thinks of Soria as trade bait, then letting him close again is the best move...you're gonna have to pray he can string a good June/start of July together for teams to convince themselves April and May were fluke months, but it's the only way to get any value for him. And remember, the Yankees really wanted Soria, and the Yankees now are in need of bullpen help with Joba Chamberlain finito for the year. 

So...maybe Dayton Moore is really just crazy...crazy like a fox. If his reasoning follows the above points to a degree, then I can give him a little credit (while still doubting it will help him). Fact is, none of those guys or anyone else the Royals are willing to deal will bring much in trade by themselves, so really it's all about packaging 2 or 3 of them and seeing if they can land a B-level starter, or a B-level SS or catching prospect in return.