Jermaine Dye was on a tear for the KC Royals. He blasted 27 and 33 home runs in 1999 and 2000, respectively, and had driven in a combined 237 runs. The new millennium proved extra fruitful with a .321/.390/.561 slash, an All-Star appearance, and Gold Glove award.
While 2001 saw a decline, he was still a valuable piece of the team. Perhaps the first 97 games lowered his trade leverage but to say the return the Royals received of Neifi Perez was a disappointment is a huge understatement.
Dye went on to finish the year raising his OPS+ by 47 points when he went to Oakland.