This story was excerpted from Anne Rogers’ Royals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
The Royals began what will likely be an active Trade Deadline season on Monday by sending first baseman Carlos Santana and cash considerations to the Mariners for right-handers Wyatt Mills, who was added to the 40-man roster and optioned to Triple-A Omaha, and William Fleming, who was assigned to High-A Quad Cities.
The biggest news to come out of that trade yesterday was not the trade itself, but what it triggered: the promotion of Vinnie Pasquantino, the “Italian Nightmare.” With Santana no longer blocking Pasquantino’s path to the Majors, the Royals acted quickly to select the contract of their No. 3 prospect. You can read about Pasquantino’s day and what he will add to the club’s lineup and clubhouse here.
The other part of this trade is what the Royals added to their system in place of Santana, a 36-year-old veteran who struggled to start the season but got hot at the perfect time for the Royals. Santana posted a 1.032 OPS in June, just in time for contending teams to think about the pieces they needed to add to stay in the playoff race down the stretch. Seattle, dealing with injuries, was aggressive over the weekend in pursuit of Santana.
As Pasquantino’s bat forced its way into discussions about the Major League lineup, the Royals’ patience with Santana over the first part of the season paid off. While they ate most of Santana’s $10.5 million salary this year — sending over $4 million to Seattle, per a source — they did receive two prospects and an opportunity for one of their top hitting prospects.
“Carlos was a professional throughout, and just happy that we found a landing spot for him,” general manager J.J. Picollo said. “He’s got a chance to go and help a team that’s in the middle of a divisional race, and we were able to get something in return that we’re excited about — not only right now, somebody who’s been in the Major Leagues, but somebody that we think highly of that will be in the Major Leagues in years to come.”
Here’s a breakdown of the two pitchers the organization added Monday:
2022 stats: 1.83 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 19 2/3 Minor League innings; 4.15 ERA with six strikeouts in 8 2/3 Major League innings
The Royals have a long history with Mills, now a 27-year-old reliever. They were interested in drafting him in 2017 and hosted him in their pre-Draft workout that…
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