Royals trade partner history: The Brewers

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, and Marlins. Today we look at the history of deals with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Total number of Royals/Brewers trades: 29

The Royals and Brewers have had a bunch of trades together, and the Royals have come out on the positive end of a lot of them. There were some terrific trades that don’t even make the “best of” list here, like a trade deadline deal to get reliever Curt Leskanic for a surprise contending Royals team in 2003. Or the 2014 trade of pitcher Will Smith (now back with the team) for outfielder Nori Aoki, who started for the pennant-winners. Or the trade that sent utility infielder Tony Graffanino to Milwaukee for a useful left-handed starting pitcher named Jorge de la Rosa.

You could argue the Royals gave up too much in a 1985 trade that sent young catcher Don Slaught to Milwaukee, but the Royals got back Gold Glover Jim Sundburg, and without him they probably don’t win a championship that fall.

Best trade: The Royals trade Yuniesky Betancourt, Zack Greinke and cash to the Brewers for Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar, Jeremy Jeffress and Jake Odorizzi on December 19, 2010

This was perhaps one of the best prospect hauls in a blockbuster deal in the last two decades. Zack Greinke was in his prime, not far removed from his 2009 Cy Young season, but he was tired of losing and requested a trade. The Royals had a deal worked out with the Nationals that reportedly included Jordan Zimmermann, Danny Espinosa, and Drew Storen, but Greinke balked at going to a cellar-dweller in Washington. When deals with Texas and Toronto failed to pan out, the Royals worked out a deal with a rising Brewers club.

In return, the Royals received a defensive-minded starting shortstop, an MLB-ready defensive-minded centerfielder, a top 100 pitching prospect, and an intriguing hard-throwing reliever. All four would end up having productive MLB careers over a decade, and Escobar and Cain were pivotal starters for the 2015 championship club and will end up in the Royals Hall of Fame.

Best trade 2: The Royals trade Jamie Quirk, Jim Wohlford, and Bob McClure to the Brewers for Jim Colborn and Darrell Porter on December 6, 1976

The Royals acquired a three-time All-Star catcher for three role players, and its not even the best trade they ever made with the Brewers! Porter had a disastrous 1976 season, and the Brewers wanted to bring up young catcher Charlie Moore. They nearly traded Porter to Oakland for All-Star outfielder Joe Rudi, but when the deal fell apart, the Royals were able to benefit. They picked up not only Porter, but former 20-game winner Jim Colborn in exchange for backup catcher Jaime Quirk, fourth outfielder Jim Wohlford, and lefty reliever Bob McClure.

Porter brought a feistiness the Royals needed, and he rebounded to become one of the best offensive catchers in baseball, leading the league in walks in 1979 to go along with 112 RBI. Colborn won 18 games in his only full season in Kansas City, tossing a no-hitter that season.

Worst trade: The Royals trade Mike Moustakas to the Brewers for Jorge López and Brett Phillips on July 27, 2018

As a bad trade, this wasn’t even that bad, all things considering. Moose set the single-season club record with 38 home runs in 2017, but found a light market as a free agent, and returned to the Royals on a one-year deal. He was hitting .249/.309/.468 with 20 home runs in 98 games for a floundering Royals club when they traded him to Milwaukee for two MLB-ready players. Jorge López was a former top 100 pitching prospect who had yet to figure it out as a starter. Phillips was a stellar defender that had already been traded once from the Astros and had yet to develop his bat. Neither developed for the Royals, although López would eventually become an All-Star reliever with the Orioles.

Underrated trade: The Royals trade John Gelnar and Steve Whitaker to the Seattle Pilots for Lou Piniella on April 1, 1969

Piniella was a bit of a red-ass who bounced around five organizations before he had reached 10 at-bats in the big leagues. The new Seattle Pilots selected him from Cleveland in the 1968 expansion draft, but clashes with his manager caused them to trade him after spring training to the Royals. A week later he was hitting leadoff for the Royals on Opening Day, collecting the first hit in team history. He would go 4-for-5 that day, en route to winning American League Rookie of the Year honors, part of an 18-year career in the big leagues.