The Kansas City Royals today prior to the 3 p.m. CDT non-waiver trade deadline acquired minor league left-handed reliever Donnie Joseph and right-handed starter J.C. Sulbaran from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for right-handed reliever Jonathan Broxton.
Joseph, 24, has appeared at both the Double and Triple-A levels in 2012, most recently recording a 4-1 record with five saves and a 2.86 ERA in 18 relief appearances for Louisville (AAA). The 6-foot-3 southpaw was 4-2 with 13 saves and a 0.89 ERA in 26 outings for Pensacola (AA). In 52.1 combined innings, the Buda, Texas native walked 17 and struck out 68, holding the opposition to a .188 batting average. Originally a third-round selection by the Reds in 2009 out of the University of Houston, Joseph was the Reds’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2010 and has appeared in Major League camp with Cincinnati the last two seasons.
The 22-year-old Sulbaran, whose full name is Juan Carlos but goes by J.C., is 7-7 with a 4.04 ERA in 19 starts for Pensacola this season. In 104.2 innings, the 6-foot-1 right-hander has allowed 101 hits and struck out 111. Born in Willemstad, Curacao, Sulbaran pitched for the Dutch National Team in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He attended American Heritage High School in Plantation, Fla., where he was a teammate of Royals’ first baseman Eric Hosmer and went 11-1 in 2008 as the club won the state championship. A pitcher on the World squad at the 2009 Futures Game, he has struck out 449 batters in his 413.2 minor league innings. Sulbaran, who was ranked by Baseball America prior to the season as having the “Best Curveball” in the Reds organization, was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 30th round of the 2008 Draft.
Broxton, 28, was 1-2 with 23 saves and a 2.27 ERA in 35 relief appearances for the Royals after signing as a Major League free agent on November 30, 2011.