I think this move can work out for the Royals. They do need his production hitting behind Gordon, Guillen and Butler with Teahan protecting him. They will have a more powerful offense and this gives them a chance to trade Shealy while his stock is high (for him). They could snag a pitcher for him. This works out for the Marlins because they get a good reliever to help replace Gregg when he is traded.Royals acquired first baseman Mike Jacobs from the Marlins for RHP Leo Nunez.
The Royals' finished with a .320 team OBP that ranked 27th in the majors last season, and Dayton Moore's answer to that problem is to pick up a first baseman who finished at .299. Jacobs did hit 32 homers, but he's a 28-year-old with a career .262/.318/.498 line and he's a below average defender at first base. With Alex Gordon looking like a liability at third base and Kila Ka'aihue and Ryan Shealy both potentially capable of posting 800 OPSs in the majors, this move only serves to give Royals fans more hope of another 75-win season in 2009. The Marlins will likely let Gaby Sanchez and Dallas McPherson battle it out to become Jacobs' replacement. Sanchez will be the favorite, but the Marlins would be better defensively with McPherson at third and Jorge Cantu at first.