Royals trade partner history: The Guardians
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This is a series that looks back at their trade history with each team in baseball. So far, we have looked back at trades with the Braves, Cubs, Diamondbacks, Orioles, White Sox, Angels, Marlins, Brewers , Rockies, and Red Sox. Today we look at the history of deals with the Cleveland Indians/Guardians.
Total number of Royals/Guardians trades: 13
The Royals have engaged in very few trades with the franchise in Cleveland. Some of that is because the two teams were smushed together in the same Central Division in 1994, but prior to that they had few deals between the two. The Royals dealt promising, but injured pitcher Mike Hedlund to Cleveland for utility infielder Kurt Bevacqua, but the deal benefitted neither team and Bevacqua would later be a post-season hero in San Diego.
Since the creation of the Central Division, the two teams have only engaged in two trades of significant big leaguers, and have not enacted any trade with each other since 2004.
Best trade: The Royals traded Mike Jackson to the Indians for Steve Mingori on June 8, 1973
Mike Jackson was a journeyman who pitched in just 16 games with the Royals. The 1973 Royals needed a southpaw in the bullpen and when Jackson posted a 6.85 ERA, they figured he wasn’t the solution. They sent him to Cleveland for lefty Steve Mingori, a Kansas City native who had gone to Rockhurst High School and attended UMKC and Pittsburg State. Mingori had put up some decent seasons in Cleveland out of the pen - he posted a 1.43 ERA in 56 2⁄3 innings in 1971. But for whatever reason the Indians were willing to part with him for Jackson. Mingori spent seven seasons with the Royals as a solid reliever, with a 3.03 ERA in 385 games, with a prominent role in three post-season series against the Yankees.
Worst trade: The Royals traded Bud Black to the Indians for Pat Tabler on June 3, 1988
The Royals were a pitching factory in the 80s, producing Bret Saberhagen, Danny Jackson, Mark Gubicza, and finding castoffs from other organizations like Charlie Leibrandt and Bud Black, who they got from the Mariners. Black won 17 games in 1984 and started Game 4 of the 1985 World Series, but subsequently he was moved to a swingman role between the rotation and bullpen.
By 1988, the Royals had him in the bullpen, but other teams were interested in using him as a starter again. The Brewers were rumored to be interested, but the Royals needed a bat to solidify the DH position, and the Cleveland Indians were willing to part with former All-Star first baseman Pat Tabler. The 30-year-old Tabler had established himself as a high-average, low-power bat who was mired in an awful slump with Cleveland and needed a change of scenery.
“Tabler has established himself as one of the most effective RBI men and clutch hitters in the American League over the past several seasons,” said Royals General Manager John Schuerholz.
Going to the Royals jump-started Tabler’s season, and he hit .309/.358/.389 down the stretch. He was particularly known for his amazing ability to hit in clutch situations - he hit .331 with runners in scoring position and was 8-for-9 with the bases loaded that year.
But he slumped the next year to hit just .259/.325/.308 (just .233 with runners in scoring position!), and with his poor defense, he was a -2.3 rWAR player in 1989. Meanwhile, Black was a 7.3 WAR player for the Indians over the next two seasons, and was eventually traded to the Blue Jays for their pennant run in 1990, and landed a huge free agent deal with the Giants.
Underrated trade: The Royals traded Trey Dyson, Kieran Mattison and cash to the Indians for Brian Anderson and a player to be named later (Chris White) on August 25, 2003
The 2003 Royals won their first nine games of the year and had an unexpected great start that carried them into a pennant race through the summer. They needed starting pitching, however, but were reluctant to dip into their farm system to acquire it. The 2003 Indians were struggling with their worst season in over a decade, and made lefty Brian Anderson available. The Royals only had to give up two non-elite prospects to get the 31-year-old veteran who was thrilled to be in a pennant race.
“I remember I heard some quotes from the Twins early on saying, ‘Yeah, they’re winning now. But let’s see if they’re there in June.’ Well, they were there in June. They were there in July. On and on. This is not a fluke. The Royals will be there to the end.”
Anderson was a strike-thrower who gave the Royals innings, and although the Royals came up short of making the post-season he pitched very well in seven starts. The Royals brought him back in 2004, but he couldn’t rediscover the magic.
Meh trade: The Royals traded Bip Roberts to the Indians for Roland de la Maza on August 30, 1997
The 1997 Royals were able to stay near .500 and were only a few games out of first by the end of June. Injuries to third baseman Craig Paquette and Scott Brosius left a void at that position, and the team had a surplus of outfielders. That fueled trade rumors that they could deal veteran Bip Roberts, an impending free agent who had hit over .300 most of the year. One rumor had him headed to the Yankees for veteran third baseman Charlie Hayes, another had him going to Oakland for the struggling Scott Brosius.
Instead, the Royals hung onto him and tried to move him to third base, a position he hadn’t played since his rookie year. Once Paquette and Cooper returned, Roberts became more of a role player, a situation that caused him to bristle. The Royals went into free-fall in July and August, and eventually traded Roberts to Cleveland for a lottery ticket arm in Roland de la Maza.