A carefree Kelvin Herrera was at his locker in the Royals clubhouse on Monday at Kauffman Stadium preparing for their game against Texas when manager Ned Yost summoned him into his office for a meeting with general manager Dayton Moore.
Considering the prime directive of the Royals right now is to replenish the farm system and whittle down payroll, given that they were 22-49 at game time and that Herrera is one of the best closers in baseball, what came next seemed inevitable to about anyone who follows the Royals and baseball.
Herrera, though, was stunned to be given the news he had been traded, Moore said, almost to the point where he felt blindsided.
You can call that living in denial or being naive about the business he's in, but mostly you can call it for what it is: the profound sorrow of leaving the organization that signed him as a 16-year-old in the Dominican Republic _ through a charmed blend of hustle and happenstance _ and led him to a certain magical turn in his life.
It's easy to be cynical about the money in sports and the "spoiled" athlete, but the truth is that it's always about a lot more than that in any locker room or clubhouse _ especially ones that have shared everything on the spectrum of emotions and achievements and heartbreaks.
"It's been an amazing journey with Kelvin," said Moore, adding that Herrera's "great heart" had left him saddened in trading him to Washington for minor league prospects Kelvin Gutierrez, Blake Perkins and Yohanse Morel.
Part of Moore's sorrow no doubt came from what he absorbed in delivering the news to Herrera, who an hour or so after learning he was no longer with the organization met with the media outside the press box.
"This is a moment that I was not expecting," said Herrera, his eyes misting up and adding, "This is a moment that I never, like, want to see it."
Moore said Herrera had perked up at being reminded of what it felt like to compete in two World Series for the Royals and knowing that he'd now have a chance to be part of something special with the Nationals.
In that limbo between leaving here and being there, though, Herrera couldn't quite be all-in on that notion.
"It's always fun (to compete for championships), but I was born and raised as a player here and this is tough right now," said Herrera, who repeatedly thanked Royals fans and the Royals "for the opportunity they (gave) me to achieve my dreams."
For a notion of how improbable his dream was, let's go back to December 2006 in the Dominican.
Just months after Moore took over as general manager and made Latin American scouting a fresh priority, Herrera was among the last of dozens and dozens of pitchers to audition at an open tryout with the Royals.
When Herrera finished his workout, a scout scrambled to find Rene Francisco, the director of international operations.
" 'Hey, there's a kid who's going to leave, he's getting in the car, but you guys need to see him,' " Francisco told me he remembered in 2015. "So we walked out, and they were actually leaving in the car."
Herrera was happy to oblige when asked to throw again, and about 10 pitches later Francisco stopped him and said, "You don't have to throw any more."
He was signed shortly thereafter for about $15,000, and later recalled telling Royals scouts, "I will not make you guys look bad."
"Two minutes later, we would have lost him," Francisco said. "It was just one look, one workout, and we were lucky we were at the right place at the right time and that he came to the right place."
That only became all the more true as Herrera came up through the system, along the way suffering injuries and growing pains that made stardom all the more to be savored.
In his own right and as part of the historically dominant so-called H-D-H bullpen combo along with Wade Davis and Greg Holland, he was essential in the Royals winning back-to-back pennants and the 2015 World Series.
"Without him, there's no way we can ever make it to a World Series, win a World Series," Moore said.
Now, alas, he's part of the literal and figurative payment come due for all that, something Moore wishes weren't necessary but has become so.
Moments after the deal was finalized but was not yet made public, Moore apologized for showing up late to speak to a group including young men from Boys Hope Girls Hope of Kansas City.
He explained that he'd been detained by a trade and that it had been difficult because of his attachment to the player.
"Especially when you're dealing with human beings you helped raise in this game," he said. "But it's part of it."
Just the same, Moore said, "I know for certain we'll work together our entire life" and that the player _ Herrera _ would always be family.
As he thought about the trade in the moments after speaking, Moore added, "As you know, when you reflect back on your career, you don't talk about how many games you won, how much money you made, the trophies, or the rewards.
"It's all about the relationships. That's what it's all about. And that's what we're all struggling with right now."
Because part of the business is the amazing journeys.
