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MLB Trade Deadline: 5 best under-the-radar moves

By Joshua Sadlock

BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 02: Tim Beckham #1 of the Baltimore Orioles loosens up in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 2, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 02: Tim Beckham #1 of the Baltimore Orioles loosens up in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 2, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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CHICAGO, IL – JULY 29: Melky Cabrera #53 of the Chicago White Sox tries to make a catch on a hit by Francisco Lindor #12 of the Cleveland Indians during the eighth inning on July 29, 2017 at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL – JULY 29: Melky Cabrera #53 of the Chicago White Sox tries to make a catch on a hit by Francisco Lindor #12 of the Cleveland Indians during the eighth inning on July 29, 2017 at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images) /

1. Melky Cabrera to the Royals

Melky Cabrera was with the Kansas City Royals back in 2011 when the core of the World Series teams was beginning to form. He was a clubhouse favorite, and the decision to re-acquire him was an easy one for Dayton Moore and the Royals front office. Cabrera is having a typically-solid season in 2017 and will boost the Kansas City offense down the stretch.

Cabrera is a solid professional hitter with over 1,700 MLB hits and a career slash line of .286/.337/.418. He does not hit for power like most left fielders, but that works with what the Royals try and do as a team offensively. He is a tough hitter to strike out and keeps the line moving for the bigger bats behind him.

Adding a familiar face like Cabrera to a tight-knit clubhouse is a smart way to provide a big morale boost in the middle of a long pennant race. Royals players were excited by the news of the trade. That’s not something that can be quantified, but it does matter down the stretch to some degree.

Next: 5 trades that should have happened at the MLB trade deadline

The Royals also made another under-the-radar trade to acquire starter Trevor Cahill and relievers Brandon Maurer and Ryan Buchter from the San Diego Padres. Cahill has dealt with shoulder issues in his first season back in the rotation and the relievers are up and down. The Royals did not have a deep farm system with which to work at the trade deadline, but they managed to make several solid trades that could be enough to get them back into the playoffs one last time before this winter’s free-agent Armageddon.

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