ave to say about the deal?"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Diamondbacks Farm TeamsGameday ThreadsDiamondbacks NewsDiamondbacks Game ReportsFang FoodReactions to the Paul Goldschmidt tradeNew Trea Turner Jersey ,102commentsWe know what we think. But what do more neutral observers have to say about the deal?an infielder (Andy Young), a solid pitcher (Luke Weaver), and one of the best young defensive catchers in the game (Carson Kelly). None of them were arbitration eligible this season. The Diamondbacks were able to shore up their system and their rotation while only giving up one year of Paul Goldschmidt.— Audrey Stark, Beyond the Box ScoreAt the risk of being too blunt: the move makes the 2019 Cardinals a lot better and the 2019 Diamondbacks a lot worse. Over the last six seasons, among position players, only Mike Trout and Josh Donaldson have produced more wins above replacement than Goldschmidt has. St. Louis is boldly signaling its interest in contending next year; Arizona is signaling its interest in chasing the Padres for the 2021 NL West crown.— Jack Dickey, SIDiamondbacks: B+. While it has been difficult to know whether Arizona is serious about contending, this trade is a step in the right direction for the franchise... The truth is, this is probably the most Arizona was going to get for him... The D-backs also picked up a draft pick as a sweetener. Arizona does lose points for 1.) Trading one of the best players in all of baseball and 2.) Not getting a can’t-miss-type player back, but the truth is, it’s better to get volume as opposed to just one player in exchange for a 31-year-old on a one-year deal. Volume is what Arizona got, which makes the return difficult to debate. This trade works out for everyone. The Diamondbacks signal a potential new direction for the franchise as they pick up two prospects and a work-in-progress pitcher.— Joe Rivera, Sporting NewsBoth sides did well in this trade... The Diamondbacks got two major league-ready starters http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-matt-adams-jersey , another decent prospect, and added another top-100 pick to their potential haul next season, where they will have eight picks in the top 100 so long as they don’t bring back A.J. Pollock. It has to hurt to see Paul Goldschmidt go, but this trade should accelerate the team’s window for contention even if they don’t go for it this year.— Craig Edwards, FangraphsDiamondbacks trade grade: D. This package just feels too light to be enough for Goldschmidt -- even if it is just one season’s worth. Kelly has the chance to be a starting backstop thanks foremost to his defensive chops... The rest of the deal is where things fall apart for us. Without a high-grade cambio, it’s hard to see Weaver sticking in a big-league rotation for long. Young, meanwhile, has nice numbers but is considered more of an organizational player than a prospect worth keeping an eye on. Arizona has a good front office. It’s possible they see things we don’t with both Weaver and Young. But, from our perspective, it would’ve been nice to see the Diamondbacks get one more piece that was closer to Kelly’s level.— R.J. Anderson, CBS SportsA trade can never be accurately evaluated right after it happens, but this one looks great for both teams... [The Diamondbacks] will take a step back in 2019, but they knew they would need to retool with the departures of Corbin and Pollack Joe Blanton Jersey , and other players approaching free agency as is Goldschmidt. They are currently handcuffed by Zack Greinke‘s contract, which accounts for 43.17% of the teams current payroll commitment heading into next year. Attempting a Greinke trade will be the next order of business. If they can do that, then they will be set up very well in the long run, but they hope to have just taken a big step towards long term success.— DJ Kleinward, Last Word on Baseball The Royals regress their payroll."The Royals began the season with an Opening Day payroll of $100 million, according to numbers from Sportrac. That number is a significant decline of 19 percent over last year’s figure, when the team fielded a $123 million payroll. Those numbers include players on the active roster and on the injured list, such as Salvador Perez, who is out for the entire year with an elbow injury. The Royals have insurance to cover an undisclosed amount of Perez’s salary this year. Performance incentives are not included in these figures.The numbers do not count Eric Skoglund, who is suspended 80 games without pay for violating the league’s banned substances policy. Also not included is what the Royals would have owed Yordano Ventura under his $23 million contract. Ventura was owed $9.75 million in 2019 under the terms of his deal, but his estate has not been paid the full amount. Royals’ 2019 Opening Day payrollPlayer2019 Salary2020 Salary2021 SalaryNotesPlayer2019 Salary2020 Salary2021 SalaryNotesSources: Sportrac and Cot’s Contracts.The Royals still owe $2 million on the buyout for Jason Hammel’s declined mutual option for this year. Sportrac lists Travis Wood’s 2019 buyout on the Royals’ payroll, although the Padres may be actually picking up the tab, with the Royals having already sent $8 million to the club upon the trade of Wood back in 2017. Much of the drop in payroll this year is due to the departure of veterans from last year’s club such as Hammel http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-matt-adams-jersey , Kelvin Herrera, Mike Moustakas, Jon Jay, and Alcides Escobar. The Royals did add $15.45 million in payroll this year to add six free agents - Billy Hamilton, Chris Owings, Martin Maldonado, Jake Diekman, Brad Boxberger, and Lucas Duda. The Royals have said in the past that their “break-even point” for payroll is $115 million, but that is with an assumption of drawing 2 million fans in attendance. Last year, the Royals drew 1.66 million fans to watch a 58-104 team.According to figures from Sportrac, the Royals are 23rd in the league in player payroll, spending more than the Padres http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-matt-adams-jersey , Athletics, White Sox, Pirates, Orioles, Marlins, and Rays. The Boston Red Sox have the highest payroll in baseball at $225 million, followed by the Cubs, Yankees, Dodgers, and Giants. Overall, MLB payrolls are down 2.3 percent over last year’s Opening Day payrolls, with an average of $133.6 million. It is the second consecutive year payrolls have dropped.