James Shields, Wade Davis Traded to Royals for Wil Myers, Prospects

by Doug Kyed on Sun, Dec 9, 2012 at 11:02PM

Kansas City got the starting pitching it desperately sought, even if it meant giving up its top prospect.

The Royals announced they acquired James Shields, Wade Davis and a player to be named later or cash from the Rays for Wil Myers, pitching prospects Jake Odorizzi and Mike Montgomery and third base prospect Patrick Leonard. Myers is one of the top prospects in baseball. The outfielder hit 37 home runs split between AA and AAA in 2012. He batted .314 with a .987 OPS.

Shields had a 3.52 ERA last season for the Rays, while going 15-10. He had 223 strikeouts in 227 innings. Shields was an All-Star in 2011, when he went 16-12 with a 2.82 ERA and 1.043 WHIP in 249 innings.

Davis had a 4.45 ERA as a starter for Tampa Bay in 2011, but served as a reliever in 2012, pitching 70 1/3 innings with a 2.43 ERA and 1.095 WHIP. At one point, the Royals and Red Sox had reportedly talked about a trade that would have sent Jon Lester to Kansas City for Myers.