KC BRINGS IN UTILITY MAN BONIFACIO
The Kansas City Royals acquired outfielder/infielder Emilio Bonifacio from the Toronto Blue Jays for cash.
What does it give the Kansas City Royals
The Royals are still firmly fighting for a Wild Card spot and have been trying to add affordable veteran depth options lately. That effort includes acquiring outfielders {P Justin Maxwell} and {P Gorkys Hernandez} in recent weeks, and more recently getting veteran infielder {P Jamey Carroll} from the Twins. Bonifacio might be the most useful of the bunch, as he can steal bases, bat from both sides of the plate, play all three outfield spots and line up in the outfield, at second and third base and shortstop. With {P Miguel Tejada} out, look for the Royals to mix and match in both the infield and outfield the rest of the way.
What does it give the Toronto Blue Jays
This season has been remarkably disappointing for the Blue Jays, and Bonifacio was one of the bigger disappointments for them (batting just .218 on the season). Toronto has underrated fan favorite {P Munenori Kawasaki} to take over the utility infield duties if needed, so saving some money by jettisoning Bonifacio makes sense here. Bonifacio was seeing most of his time in the outfield lately, so youngsters such as {P Anthony Gose} may get more of a shot down the stretch. {P Rajai Davis} should also see more playing time as a result of this transaction.
Fantasy impact
Before this trade Carroll and {P Chris Getz} had a little fantasy value at second base, but it all likely evaporates now with Bonifacio around. Don't be surprised if Bonifacio garners a lot of starts at second and plays regularly thanks to his speed and defensive versatility. This addition also likely nullifies any fantasy value Tejada had left for this season. On the Toronto side, don't be surprised if Kawasaki gets called up again and does provides his usual energy (if not fantasy-worthy stats).
