ROYALS LAND LONG
The Kansas City Royals acquired outfielder Terrence Long and pitcher Dennis Tankersly from the San Diego Padres for pitchers Darrell May and Ryan Bukvich.
What does it give the Kansas City Royals
After a few years as a regular outfielder in Oakland, Long went to San Diego and became a part-timer, but played well when asked. The Royals will likely ask him to play a lot more, as their primary left-fielder. He gives them a little bit of power and a steady enough bat, but he's not the greatest defensive outfielder. Tankersley, just 25, is a promising young righty who really seemed to lock in at Triple-A this past season and has a good shot at becoming the Royals' fifth starter in 2005.
What does it give the San Diego Padres
May gives the Padres a veteran lefty who followed the best season of his career in 2003 with the worst season of his career in 2004. On the bright side, he's a much better pitcher than his 19 losses shows, able to pitch deep into his starts. He'll fill the veteran southpaw role in the middle of the rotation that David Wells played in 2004. As for Bukvich, at 26, he's getting to be a bit old to be a prospect. He's gained limited big-league experience over the last three years and hasn't been particularly effective, though he's overpowered minor-league hitters. He'll get a look this spring as a middle-to-late reliever.
Fantasy impact
