Sun, Dec 9, 2012 at 11:35pm

RAYS GET TOP PROSPECTS FOR SHIELDS, DAVIS

The Kansas City Royals acquired pitchers James Shields and Wade Davis, and a player to be named later from the Tampa Bay Rays for outfielder Wil Myers, pitchers Jake Odorizzi and Mike Montgomery, and infielder Patrick Leonard.

What does it give the Kansas City Royals
After years of rebuilding, the Royals seem intent on being truly competitive in 2013--and adding Shields will definitely help. He's a true ace, a staff workhorse and veteran leader--things the Royals have been desperate for. Expect him to step into the No. 1 spot in the KC rotation, ahead of {P Jeremy Guthrie} and {P Ervin Santana}. Meanwhile, Davis is a still-talented pitcher with a live arm, and all indications are that the Royals will let him compete for a starter job (after he was demoted to the 'pen by the Rays). Kansas City both adds payroll and gives up two superb long-term prospects here in Myers and Odorizzi (plus a third in Montgomery, if he can remain healthy)--in a clear attempt for short-term success--but they should definitely improve as a team in 2013.

What does it give the Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays do a fantastic job of staying competitive with a low payroll, and this is just the latest example. Not only do they jettison roughly $12 million in 2013 salary by moving the expensive Shields and disappointing Davis, but they get two top-shelf prospects back in Myers and Odorizzi. While it's unclear if Myers will be ready to start 2013 in the Rays outfield, he's by all accounts arguably the top hitting prospect in baseball. Odorizzi too is a highly-regarded talent (with eventual No. 2 starter upside) and should compete for a rotation spot. Montgomery is an above-average talent (but has struggled the past couple seasons in the upper minors due to injury), while Leonard is a power-hitting corner infield type who's awhile away. Obviously losing Shields hurts the rotation for now, but this is a great deal long-term for Tampa Bay.

Fantasy impact
The fantasy fortunes of Shields won't change much since he'll probably win the same numbers of games while logging a huge number of innings. He will have more pressure to lead his new staff, though. The talented Davis gets a boost however, improving from forgettable reliever to sleeper starter prospect (assuming he uses his fresh start to turn things around). The addition of Davis likely sends Bruce Chen to the bullpen (or out of KC altogether). For the Rays, Myers should eventually be an All-Star playing one of the team's OF spots, but it's unclear if Tampa is ready to hand him a starting job yet (although this move does make him more fantasy-viable for 2013 than he was in KC). If Odorizzi steps up in spring training he could easily compete for Tampa Bay's fourth or fifth rotation spot, so keep an eye on him too. Also keep Montgomery on the radar, since he's a definite talent who may get a boost from a fresh start in Tampa. Leonard isn't close to fantasy relevance yet.