Johnny Giavotella traded to Angels for Brian Broderick

A mere day after designating Johnny Giavotella for assignment to make room for this week's signing of Kris Medlen, the Royals agreed to a deal sending the pint-sized second baseman with forearms that make make men and women swoon uncontrollably and involuntarily to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for minor league reliever Brian Broderick.

Broderick seems like nothing more than organizational filler. His K/9 in multiple seasons in A+, AA, and AAA were 5.7, 5.0 and 5.3 while maintaining a palatable BB/9 of 1.6, 1.6, and 2.8, respectively in both instances. Last year, Broderick pitched for the Sugar Land Skeeters in the independent Atlantic League, sharing a clubhouse with teammates Ryan Langerhans, Delwyn Young, Sean Gallagher, Nick Stavinoha, and Tracy McGrady. The 6'6" 28-year-old did reach the majors with the Washington Nationals back in 2011, when he threw 12.1 uneventful innings.

This is what you get for a guy like Giavotella.

Giavotella, whose comically bad defense and possible [some would insist probable] inability to hit major league pitching, will move to an organization where he will sit down the depth chart from Josh Rutledge and Grant Green at second base. Giavotella's range deficiency limited his utility, at least in the Royals eyes.

He was a longtime favorite of fans clamoring for the Louisianan to get a shot at the starting gig at second base, due almost entirely to the fact that he absolutely murdered minor league pitching. He shot through the lower levels of the minors after being drafted by the Royals in the second round out of the University of New Orleans. His career triple-slash of .305/.378/.438 in the minors tantalized a fanbase who suffered year after year of abysmal production from second base, but upon each promotion to the bigs he would forget how to hit and field.

Perhaps Giavotella will get the chance to prove his naysayers wrong, but such a chance would likely lie in the fate of Rutledge and Green's respective good health.