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The days of HDH are officially over.
On Monday, the Kansas City Royals dealt Kelvin Herrera to the Washington Nationals for minor league players Kelvin Gutierrez, Blake Perkins, and Yohanse Morel.
Herrera, coming off of arguably his worst season as a pro in 2017, has a fantastic 1.05 ERA in his 27 appearances this season and has converted 14 of his 16 save opportunities.
Gutierrez and Perkins are the 10th and 11th prospects in the Nats system, respectively, with early feedback being that Gutierrez is the best of the trio.
One evaluator said he doesn't think the Royals got an everyday player in the Herrera deal. Another is a fan: "Good for a rental." The guy to watch in the group, he said, is Kelvin Gutierrez, a 23-year-old third baseman at Double-A. Former SS, big athlete at 6-3, 215, strong bat.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 19, 2018
Gutierrez has the top infield arm in the Nats system and can defend, but he has struggled at the plate this season. The 23-year-old has slashed .274/.321/.391 at Harrisburg (AA) and some believe that he won’t develop the bat to stay at third.
An #MLB scout on #Royals return for Kelvin Herrera. "Blake Perkins is athletic, but he isn't going to hit enough. Kelvin Gutierrez, while a good defender, won't provide enough offensive impact at 3B.'' Yohanse Morel is 17 and has 3.1 IP as a pro. Decent but not elite prospects.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) June 19, 2018
Morel is an intriguing prospect. It much is known about him, other than the fact that he is just 17-years-old and just made his professional debut earlier this month. But he seems to have a live arm.
From someone who's seen Yohanse Morel: Pretty good arm. Has touched 95 with a good slider. He's 17 and has appeared in one game in the Dominican Summer League. Years away.
— Jorge Castillo (@jorgecastillo) June 19, 2018
Though it is unclear where specifically the three will report once they are here, it is likely that Gutierrez will start in Northwest Arkansas (AA), Perkins in Wilmington (A+), and Morel in Surprise (Rookie).