Royals' trade with Rays demonstrates their newfound win-now mentality

The blockbuster deal essentially means the Royals are mortgaging part of their future to start winning in the present.

Along with giving up Myers, widely voted the minor leagues' top player last season, the Royals also traded away right-hander Jake Odorizzi, who would have competed for a spot in the Kansas City rotation this season. Left-hander Mike Montgomery and third baseman Patrick Leonard also are headed to the Rays, while the Royals will receive a player to be named or cash.

Shields was an All-Star two years ago for Tampa Bay, when he went 16-12 with a 2.82 ERA and finished third in the American League Cy Young Award voting. He was 15-10 with a 3.52 ERA in 33 starts last season, when he pitched 227 2-3 innings.

The only other pitchers to log at least 200 innings in six straight seasons are the Jays' Mark Buehrle, San Francisco's Matt Cain, Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia and the Tigers ace Justin Verlander.

Davis made 64 starts for Tampa Bay from 2009-11 before transitioning to the bullpen last season, where he went 3-0 with a 2.43 ERA. He'll likely get a look at returning to the rotation in Kansas City.

The jewel of the deal for Tampa Bay is Myers, who will turn 22 on Monday. The power-hitting outfielder batted .314 with 37 homers and 109 RBIs in 134 games split between Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha, and eventually could help provide some protection in the batting order for Rays star Evan Longoria.

Bay hoping for a fresh start in Seattle

Jason Bay took a glance at the Seattle Mariners' 40-man roster and suddenly realized how unique he will be.

He's one of only two players on that current roster who was born in the 1970s.

"I don't feel like I'm that old, but I guess I am around here," the 34-year-old Bay said Monday.

While he may not exactly fit the Mariners' model of relying on young prospects to rebuild the franchise, Bay could fill a significant need for Seattle in the 2013 season. He was introduced on Monday after his one-year contract with the Mariners was finalized over the weekend.

Bay's contract with the Mets was terminated last month. Bay was owed $16 million for next season and a $3 million buyout of a 2014 option, plus the final $2 million installment of his $8.5 million signing bonus was payable by next June. The agreement to terminate his deal allowed the Mets to spread out the payments.

Dodgers add Ryu; Greinke up next

Flush with cash after the team's sale this year, the Los Angeles Dodgers are busy spending it on starting pitching.

The team introduced left-hander Ryu Hyun-jin of South Korea on Monday, making him the first player ever to go directly from the Korean league to the major leagues.

Ryu signed a $36 million, six-year deal after talks went down to the final seconds of the negotiating window a day earlier. The Dodgers paid $25.7 million for the right to negotiate with Ryu. If they hadn't reached a deal by Sunday's 2 p.m. PST deadline, Ryu would have returned to the Hanwha Eagles and the Dodgers would have been refunded the posting fee they paid for exclusive rights to negotiate with the 25-year-old pitcher.

The Dodgers are expected to finalize a deal with free agent right-hander Zack Greinke today.