Angels Trade Ervin Santana to Royals for Prospect Brandon Sisk

The Los Angeles Angels traded pitcher Ervin Santana (and his $13,000,000 contract) to the Kansas City Royals this afternoon, receiving pitcher Brandon Sisk in exchange. Veteran Santana is well-known to baseball fans. His velocity was down this year but perhaps the change of scenery will revive his chances.

Here's the rundown on Sisk.

The Royals signed Sisk as an undrafted free agent in 2008, following his college career at Azusa Pacific and a brief tenure in independent baseball. He pitched brilliantly in the low minors and has remained effective at higher levels, though he has yet to receive a major league opportunity. He posted a 2.54 ERA with a 73/32 K/BB in 67 innings this year for Triple-A Omaha, allowing 59 hits and picking up eight saves. His PCL numbers are in line with the rest of his career minor league performance: in 340 career minor league innings, he has a 2.59 ERA with a 376/135 K/BB ratio.

Sisk is a 6-2, 220 pound lefty, born July 13, 1985. I've seen his fastball as low as 87 MPH and as high as 93. He mixes in a slider and changeup. His secondary pitches are effective enough that they help his fastball play up. His command can be inconsistent and he doesn't have a huge margin for error, but under the right circumstances Sisk can be a competent middle reliever.