If you're to believe Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer, the Royals may have just acquired the next "King" Felix Hernandez in their Tuesday trade of closer Jonathan Broxton to Cincinnati for minor-league pitchers J.C. Sulbaran and Donnie Joseph.
You'll have to excuse Hosmer for a little bit of a bias: He was a teammate of Sulbaran's at American Heritage High School in Plantation, Fla., in 2008, where they won a state title together in 2008.
"Now that I've seen King Felix in person," Hosmer said, "and seen his stuff, it reminds me of what (Sulbaran) had when we were teammates. Now, that was a while ago. But I'm sure he's gotten better, too.
"I think it's a great pickup for us. If nothing else, (Sulbaran) is the type of guy (general manager) Dayton Moore would draft. He's got such great potential."
Royals fans may have been hoping for a bit more than two minor-leaguers, and perhaps Moore was, too, in exchange for Broxton. After all, Moore had stated in prior weeks that he was aiming for major-league ready players in any trade deadline deal.
But the market softened apparently for Broxton, who posted nice numbers for the Royals (23 saves, 2.27 ERA) but truthfully, perhaps walked the tight-rope too many times to get opposing scouts excited.
And there's nothing wrong right now with Moore stocking the Royals' minor leagues with two more prospects, considering how depleted that system has become because of injuries and poor performances.
"Those two guys immediately become two of their better pitching prospects," one national scout said after the deal.
Moore held out to the end to get the most for Broxton: the deal was made just minutes before the 3 p.m. trade deadline.
Broxton, who had been signed in the off-season to a one-year deal, was not surprised by the trade.
"I had a feeling I'd go somewhere," he said as he cleared out his clubhouse stall. "I had been hearing Texas quite a bit the last few days but I'm happy to be going to Cincy. Hopefully I can help out there and help them win the division.
"I really want to thank the city and the Royals," Broxton said. "Everyone here was just great to me. They gave me an opportunity to prove myself again and I am grateful for that. I'm sorry we couldn't have won more games this year but there's a lot of talent around here and they're not far away. Believe me."
With Broxton gone, manager Ned Yost said he will turn the closer's role over to right-hander Greg Holland.
"It was a pretty obvious choice to me," Yost said. "Greg's stuff has come back around."
Sulbaran, 22, likely will be assigned to Double-A Northwest Arkansas. He is 6 feet 2 and 225 pounds and was one of the Reds' top 10 overall prospects.
Sulbaran was 7-7 with a 4.04 ERA in Double-A in the Reds' system, but his star was rising according to scouts. His curveball was rated as perhaps the best in the Reds' system.
"He was dominating when I knew him," Hosmer said. "He had three pitches that were all great."
Sulbaran also has been described as a strikeout/fly ball pitcher – he averaged more than a strikeout per inning in four minor-league seasons, and the Royals believe he could end up being a great fit for spacious Kauffman Stadium.
The Royals also are high on Joseph, a left-hander who could be promoted to the big-league roster this season. Joseph, 24, is a 6-foot-3 lefty has had a dominating season that started in Double-A where he posted a 0.89 ERA with 13 saves in 26 outings.
At Triple-A Louisville, Joseph was 4-1 with five saves and a 2.86 ERA.
"A big guy that throws in the low 90s but has a great slider," said a Royals scout. "He's going to be a factor for us."
