OTC: DeJesus Trade Looks Good To Media But Sours Fans

 

“What else did you want back (for David DeJesus) angry Royals fan? No one has any love Kansas City for any of your players outside of Soria and Greinke. No one has any love for David DeJesus outside of this city!”
Shan Shariff, after the Royals traded the popular DeJesus for two young and inexpensive Oakland pitchers, 610 AM
GH: I have observed the various reactions to the Royals’ decision to trade DeJesus, and the opinions mostly fall into two camps; fans who are irate overly losing a good player and seamheads who understands the economics of baseball and are nonplussed over the move. I fall into a third category – apathetic over any and all moves the Royals make. Yeah, David Glass and his troops have pretty much killed the off-season Royals fan in me. Read on.
“The argument against this trade is that the Royals could’ve done better, that they could’ve gotten more in return, but there are folks around Oakland wondering why they had to give up two young and cheap pitchers for an aging outfielder who’s never been anything more than a pretty good player.”
Sam Mellinger, KansasCity.com
GH: To believe this trade is a positive move for the Royals is to believe the Royals are a legitimate franchise building a ball club that will be playoff competitive in the near future. Under that premise, yes, trading DeJesus to free up money for future signings makes sense. But I ain’t there yet. The Royals have been nothing more than a sideshow for popcorn and cotton candy vendors for the past 20 years. Why do we think the next five under the same ownership group will be any different? Read on.
“DeJesus played with energy; he was a popular dude at The K — inside the clubhouse and out; and I wouldn’t doubt his jersey sales being among the highest of all active Royals.”
Rustin Dodd, KansasCity.com
GH: The Royals fans continue to populate The K in astounding numbers each summer especially when compared to the moribund results this franchise has posted under Glass’ management. Fans like watching DeJesus play. They like his smile, his scruffy 7:05 shadow, his cute butt and his ability to play like a kid who enjoys the game. My wife wears a #9 DeJesus jersey to Royals games. LOTS of wives do the same. So why not just let the fans have their David DeJesus and build your franchise around, over and despite this tiny but speedy (at times) “obstacle?” Royals’ fans have so little to cheer about that when a DeJesus does come along, their marketing department needs to realize it and tell Glass to go back to Bentonville.
“You (Royals’ fans) have been completely brainwashed by this management team to not expect anything better. Do not sit there and fall into the Bob Fescoe line of protest, protest, protest, It’s not reasonable. … No one knows these guys! He’s a barely above average major league player!”
Shan Shariff, 610 AM
GH: The Royals have fashioned multiple 100-loss seasons with DeJesus. He is not a cornerstone to success. His departure will not mean much when it comes to wins and losses. But nothing the Royals have done the past 15 years has elevated this franchise above putrid. I would have kept DJ around another summer for those fans who don’t quite understand WHIP, OPS and the infield fly rule. If you haven’t noticed, there are a lot of those inside The K on warm summer nights.
“What it really comes down to is this: the Royals are going to be awful in 2011, and maybe they would’ve been ever-so-slightly less awful with DeJesus. But if you believe at all in building for the future — in Mission 2012 — then the Royals had to move DeJesus, who will be 32 with a rising salary when most of the prospects arrive and 34 when they’re likely hitting their stride.”
Sam Mellinger, KCStar.com
GH: The Royals are awful every year. Being less awful would be an improvement. But awful or not, give the fans who care enough to buy a ticket, listen to Denny and Ryan and watch the Royals on cable a reason to tune in and stay engaged through these awful, awful times of being a Royals fan. I would have kept DJ and kept those JoCo mommas smiling through the losses.
GregHall24@yahoo.com
http://www.mb-kc.com/
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7 Responses to OTC: DeJesus Trade Looks Good To Media But Sours Fans

  1. Ross says:

    I’m good with this trade
    I think the Royals – and their fans especially – placed a higher value on DeJesus than anyone outside of KC. He plays hard, is fundamentally sound and puts up relatively decent numbers for non-power hitting corner outfielder. At least he gets on base (is it really that hard to comprehend the idea that getting on base is good?).

    On the other hand, he’s a terrible base runner/stealer (for some reason), has an accurate but weak arm and middling power for his position. And, he’s too slow to play an effective CF (especially in a big CF park like Oakland).

    With that said, we’re not going to compete next year, so why bother keeping him around? I understand that we need to fill the seats to a certain extent, but we played the last 20+ games last year w/out DDJ, and it’s not like we suffered a huge drop-off. I get it – it’s hard to drop off from last place – but our record was similar while he was in the line-up.

    He is one of my favorite Royals and I would fully support his candidacy in the Royals Hall of Fame. Which says as much about our talent the last 25 years as it does DeJesus. I hope he does well in Oakland.

  2. Ptolemy says:

    Dayum
    An entire OTC dedicated to the Royals? That’s painful.

    No one outside of seamheads care about ANY baseball in the offseason.

    Yawn.

  3. Guy Who Says What Others Think says:

    Royals? Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Who gives a shit, Hall?
    The Royals suck from top to bottom. Why the local rubes went and gave David Glass an upgraded stadium is beyond me. Royals’ fans should be burning that bastard in effigy prior to each home game. He’s an awful awful owner. What’s funny and really sad is all the moronic stiffs that still go out to the games. Get raped on ticket prices, get raped for parking and get raped for food/drink. All to watch a shitbag 3rd rate baseball franchise step on their dicks. "Mission 2012" What a laugh. I remember when Vitiello, Randa, and Hosey were supposed to save the franchise. Different decade, same story. The Royals aren’t worth any sort of discussion or story in the media, print or internet.

  4. JimmyD says:

    Whew
    It looks like GB5 and Sweeney’s legacy’s are safe with DDJ gone. Maybe we can add Francoeur to break Balboni’s HR record

  5. MoCrash says:

    Faceless Franchise
    DeJesus was not a make-or-break player to the Royals’ on-field success or failure, although he has been one of the most consistently productive players for the franchise over the past several seasons. I don’t have a complaint about trading DDJ for Mazzera, except I see it as a net loss for the organization. If anything, DeJesus put a positive face — in attitude, in energy and in performance — on a franchise which is otherwise without any identity (other than consistent mediocrity). Now who is the face of the Royals? Greinke? Soria? Billy Butler? Sorry, they may have the talent, but lack the personality. You keep DeJesus as long as he can perform effectively — or at least more so than his potential replacement (2.9 WAR last year, his lowest since 2004 figure due to injury; pretty solid for $4.7m) — because he gives the fans a player with whom they can identify. Yet another PR gaffe by a club who owner is the most tone deaf in MLB.

  6. b12 says:

    Again?
    Everybody costs too much. Why even bother, then, Dayton?

    Minnesota was on the verge of contraction 10 years ago. Now they are a model "small market" franchise. There is no way to effectively judge Allard Baird or Dayton Moore as GMs, because the ownership is the worst in baseball.

    What will the marketing slogan be this year? "Celebrate the 26th anniversary of the World Series title!" or "Take the pedal tractor challenge at the K! And watch our boys in blue facilitate the game for real major leaguers!"

    No wonder Denny sounds bored on the air. The first 20 years he had some exciting ball to watch. These last 20 years have been brutal.

  7. theKCeye says:

    Passive KC media is a joke
    Said this on Mellinger’s blog, I’ll copy & paste here — …….Believing this is a good trade for the Royals and that it HAD TO HAPPEN is a complete ignorance and/or acceptance to our GUTLESS OWNER. It

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