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It’s July, which means it’s trade season, and the Kansas City Royals have already made two moves to stoke the hot stove. Over the last 24 hours, the Royals have traded both Alcides Escobar to the Washington Nationals and Kelvin Gutierrez to the Baltimore Orioles for cash considerations.
#Nationals are indeed getting Alcides Escobar from the Royals. They're sending cash. Escobar was in KC for part of their rebuild and won the 2015 World Series. Named ALCS MVP in '15. Ned Yost liked to refer to him as a shark because he didn't appear to have bones/was very durable
— Maria Torres (@maria_torres3) July 3, 2021
We have traded INF Kelvin Gutierrez to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for cash considerations. #Royals
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) July 3, 2021
As former Royals beat writer Maria Torres notes, Alcides Escobar does not need introduction to Royals fans. The longtime Royals shortstop was voted an All-Star in 2015, when he would later go on to win a Gold Glove, ALCS MVP, and be a core cog in the 2015 World Series victory machine. The Royals acquired him earlier in the year for middle infield depth and has hit .274/.311/.452 in 133 plate appearances for Triple-A Omaha. Escobar has not played in a MLB uniform since 2018.
Kelvin Gutierrez was originally acquired in 2018 from the Nationals in exchange for Kelvin Herrera. Gutierrez spent 2018 in the minor leagues and made his big league debut in 2019. After only 24 combined games played at the MLB level in 2019 and 2020, Gutierrez finally got an extended look in 2021 after injuries and underperformance opened the door. Unfortunately for Gutierrez, he looked wholly overmatched. In 38 games, he hit .215/.254/.296 while playing poor defense at nearly 27 years of age. Five days ago, the Royals designated him for assignment. He will now be shipped off to the Orioles, where he will once again serve as depth behind Maikel Franco.
Both Escobar and Gutierrez were traded for “cash considerations,” which is a fancy version of saying that the Royals sold the rights to their professional services for money. Neither deal is liable to impact the big league club significantly.