Just What Did The Royals Get For Danny Gutierrez? An Expert Helps Us Out

By chance, I know Scott Lucas, who does a fantastic job of covering the Rangers farm system for the preeminent Rangers blog, The Newberg Report.Rather than give my reaction to the Danny Gutierrez trade, I decided it would be best to ask Scott the following via email:So the reports (which at this point have not been verified by the Rangers' brass, but surely will by the time this goes up) are that the Royals have traded RHP Daniel Gutierrez to the Rangers for catcher Manuel Pina and outfielder Tim Smith. As Royals fans, we knew Gutierrez as a player who has been suspended for violation of team rules in 2007 and missed most of this 2009 season while rehabbing an inflamed right shoulder away from the team reportedly under the instruction of his agent Scott Boras. We also knew him as a high-ceiling prospect with a plus curve and solid command of both his curve and fastball. On nearly every organizational pre-season prospect ranking list, Gutierrez was a top 10 prospect. Meanwhile,...