Royals make trade for Yuniesky Betancourt

While some view Bentancourt to have stalled in his progression at the plate and slipped a little in the field, it is hard not to like this move. I am somewhat surprised by a lot of the negative reactions to this move. Some are writing about his huge salary and speak as if he is worse than what the Royals have been throwing out there. He doesn't come with a big salary as the Mariners are picking up much of the remaining contract and he is signed thru 2011. He is 27 years old and has been very durable up until this season. Of course SS has been the weakest of spots for the Royals with nothing forthcoming in the minors and anything frankly is an upgrade at this point. You can't say he is the answer at SS obviously, but it definitely is an upgrade at the position that needed it most. His OBP is not good but he has hit some. Again any improvement in this area is welcome as far as I am concerned. The Royals gave up two minor league pitchers in the trade, Daniel Cortes and Derrick Saito. Cortes was viewed as a top pitching prospect but recently has shown some very poor judgement in his personal life. Hopefully he can turn things around.