The Royals sent outfielder Melky Cabrera to the San Francisco Giants for pitcher Jonathan Sanchez and a minor league prospect. Melky hit .305 with 44 doubles, 18 home runs and 87 RBIs this season. He was the first Royals hitter to reach 200 hits since the 2000 season.
The Royals shored up their starting rotation and hope they get the Sanchez of 2010 when the Giants won the World Series. That year Sanchez went 13-9. In 2011, Sanchez struggled with an ankle sprain late in the season that saw him go 4-7 with an ERA of 4.26.
Moving Cabrera will open up the outfield for prospect Lorenzo Cain to take over as the starting center fielder. Cain came over in the Zack Greinke trade with Milwaukee.