Trade for Shields helped spark Royals’ turnaround

Things changed for the Royals in December 2012 when general manager Dayton Moore pulled the trigger on a controversial deal for current staff ace James Shields.

KANSASCITY,MO.» ThemomentAlexGordon knewthe Kansas CityRoyalswere serious aboutwinning can be traced to a cold December day when his wife heard they had traded for James Shields.

The franchise had long suffered through a forgettable cast of starting pitchers, from Jay Witasick to Darrell May to Runelvys Hernandez. Hot prospects flamed out. Free agents fizzled. And every year, the Royals languished near the AL Central cellar.

But things changed in December 2012. General manager Dayton Moore thought enough pieces had been assembled and all that was missing was the right starting pitcher — someone who could not only be the staff ace, but who could change a clubhouse culture accustomed to losing.

Moore called up the Rays and made the deal.

“That’s when I knew,” Gordon said, “that we were going for it.”

Two years later, a trade that was panned by many has helped the Royals reach the World Series. Shields, the presumptive Game 1 starter Tuesday night against San Francisco, has been everythingMoore had hoped he would be.

“Those opportunities to acquire a top rotation starter and an impact pitcher like Wade Davis, they’re not presented yearin and year-out,” Moore said. “We were fortunate the timing of it was such that it was staring us in the face and put us in a position to compete in 2014.”

It was a gamble. TheRoyals sent baseball’s top minor league talent, Wil Myers, and a bevy of other promising prospects to the Rays. They were mortgaging their future to win in the present.

The trade paid immediate dividends. Shields went 13-9 with a 3.15 ERA last year, helping the Royals to their best record in more than 20 years. And over the course of the season, Davis established himself as one of themost dominant late-inning relievers in the game.

This year, Shields has gone 14-8 with a 3.21 ERA, helping the Royals not only return to the postseason for the first time in 29 years but advance all the way to the Fall Classic.

“He’s earned the nickname Big Game James for a reason,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.