Kansas City Royals Acquire High-Leverage Reliever in Trade with Boston Red Sox
The Kansas City Royals have made a big trade on Saturday, acquiring high-leverage reliever John Schreiber from the Boston Red Sox for minor leaguer David Sandlin.
Per Jeff Passan of ESPN:
Trade news: The Kansas City Royals are acquiring right-handed reliever John Schreiber from the Boston Red Sox for minor league right-hander David Sandlin, sources tell ESPN. Royals get an arm for a pen that needed it, Sox get a pitching prospect with strikeout stuff.
There's a lot to break down in this deal, so let's just look at the logistics first.
The 29-year-old Schreiber made his debut in 2019 with the Detroit Tigers and has pitched for Detroit and Boston over his five-year career. He really burst onto the scene in 2022, pitching in 64 games for the Red Sox and amassing just a 2.22 ERA.
He dealt with injuries in 2023 and only appeared in 46 games, but still had a respectable 3.86 ERA. He's under contract through the 2026 season.
As for Sandlin, he was an 11th-round pick of the Royals in the 2022 MLB Draft. He played his college ball at Oklahoma and went 4-2 over 14 minor league games in 2023. He struck out 87 batters in 66.2 innings.
Here's all the layers to this deal...
1) For the Royals, the win represents another move to win-now. After losing 106 games in 2023, Kansas City has spent over $100 million this offseason to improve the roster. They've added starters Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo, relievers Will Smith and Chris Stratton, and position players Hunter Renfroe, Garrett Hampson and Adam Frazier. They've also locked up Bobby Witt Jr. long term.
Schreiber could very well factor into the mix for saves in Kansas City.
2) As for the Red Sox, their frustrating offseason continues. The team has been widely panned for not doing enough to make the team better, and this move represents a sell before the season has even started. In addition to moving Schreiber, it's been reported they are listening on trade offers for Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin as well.
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