Wil Myers trade: Rays GM Andrew Friedman talks about deal for top prospect

Not long after the Tampa Bay Rays announced they had acquired outfield prospect Wil Myers from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for two pitchers, Rays GM Andrew Friedman was hailing the move as a sign of things to come for Tampa Bay.

After sending long-time Rays starter James Shields and pitcher Wade Davis to the Royals, Friedman noted that the move kept the Rays, traditionally a team stocked with young talent, at the cutting edge of the gap between veterans and youngsters.

Friedman called the trade an attempt to continue to "balance the present and future" of the organization by acquiring the young Myers as well as lefthander Mike Montgomery, who was ranked the Royals No. 1 prospect going into 2012.

Friedman also told the Tampa Bay Times's Marc Topkin that Myers has a chance to hit in the middle of the Rays' lineup down the road a bit and develop into a strong outfielder at the major league level.

Sending Shields and Davis away, however, certainly seemed to impact Friedman.

"Personally I think this is the most difficult trade we've made to date," Friedman told Topkin.