I more or less agree with what Jeff said at Fangraphs on this trade. The Royals part with a player who, at best really, is average, and about to get more expensive. A part of me thinks its a little disingenuous to offer my thoughts on what they got back in return, because until about 8:00 PM tonight, I was only vaguely aware Sean O'Sullivan existed and knew nothing of young Will Smith. I can look at their stats and stuff on scouty sites as well as you can, but certainly no better.
This may turn out to be dead wrong, but (and this might surprise some) I just can't help but feel that the Royals did well here to get just about anything for Callaspo. I know it's the Angels, but we're talking about an OK player who mysteriously got worse in his age 27 season thanks to a precipitous drop in his walk rate. They can't find a better option at a lower price? It's not like .750 OPS guys are impossible to find. And it isn't like the Angels are a great environment for him getting a little more patient either. Obviously Callaspo's past presence in the Angel system played a role here. They see the potential. Really though, "peak" Callaspo is a little bit like "peak" Nebraska: yea, the Sand Hills are sorta picturesque in places, but sometimes they aren't even really hills, much less peaks.
- Will Smith: Angels Top Prospect #16 - Halos Heaven (A little old, but a good profile of Smith)
- Now Pitching for your Angels, Sean O'Sullivan - Halos Heaven (Same, only more recent)
- Callaspo Traded - Royals Authority
- The Alberto Callaspo Trade: Royals Perspective | FanGraphs Baseball
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BaseballAmerica.com: Majors: Trade Central: Angels Deal Two Young Pitchers For Callaspo (Good info on Wood & Sean)
- Minor League Profiles: Sean O’Sullivan and Will Smith " Royals Prospects
- Alberto Callaspo Traded to Angels | Kings of Kauffman | A Kansas City Royals Blog
- 14 for 77: Alberto Callaspo Trade finished and Greg Holland Heating up
- Royals trade Callaspo to Angels for two pitchers - KansasCity.com
- Royals/Angels Trade Analysis: Alberto Callaspo/Sean O’Sullivan, Will Smith | Call to the Pen
- Alberto Callaspo's Full-Time Replacement For The Royals: Wilson Betemit - SB Nation Kansas City
- Minor Leaguer Was Set To Play Against AA Royals, Notified He Was Traded To Royals - SB Nation Kansas City
- Aybar, Callaspo 'los hermanos' together again | Sports | Baseball | PE.com | Southern California News | News for Inland Southern California
- Alberto Callaspo's arrival pushes Brandon Wood further down depth chart - latimes.com