Dayton Moore Failed the Trade Deadline Test

Over the past month or so, there have been various rumors surrounding the Royals. After David Glass stated that he would give Dayton Moore more money to add pieces to the team, it seemed inevitable that the Royals would try to find an upgrade or two for a playoff push. When Glass added that he expects the Royals to be in the playoffs this year, the pressure was placed squarely upon Moore to make that happen.

Instead, those waiting for the Royals to make any type of a move saw nothing but the proverbial tumbleweed pass by. Moore sat on the hand he was dealt, hoping that the Royals would be good enough to mount a comeback, either in the American League Central or in the hunt for the Wild Card. Meanwhile, the Detroit Tigers traded for David Price, the Seattle Mariners added Austin Jackson and Chris Denorfia, and the New York Yankees added Stephen Drew and Martin Prado. All teams ahead of the Royals, and all three got better.

Meanwhile, the Cleveland Indians, a team only 1.5 games behind the Royals in the Central, decided to waive the white flag on the season, trading Asdrubal Cabrera and Justin Masterson. Does that game and a half truly matter, when it seems as though the Tigers have stocked up for a legitimate run at the postseason and the Royals offense does not seem capable of hitting its way out of a wet paper bag?

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What Dayton Moore has essentially done is the baseball equivalent of staying on 14 in blackjack and hoping the dealer busts despite having an ace showing. Even though the Royals offense should be better than how it has performed, the fact of the matter remains that the Royals simply do not have the bats to make a legitimate playoff run. Moore and the Royals have been waiting for the offense to improve all season, which may be nothing more than an exercise of repetitively slamming their head into a wall.

Barring a miracle, the Royals are not going to catch the Detroit Tigers and their staff including the last three Cy Young Award winners. Unless there is a dramatic change to how the Royals offense performs, the Royals will not pass the other three teams ahead of them for the Wild Card. Scott Downs and Raul Ibanez are absolutely not the answers to the problems that the Royals have had all season. And yet, Moore declined to make a trade to improve the roster.

Even worse, if Moore was not going to improve the current Royals, he likely could have gotten a sizable return for some of his players. James Shields, Greg Holland and Wade Davis all could have brought in pieces that would have helped in the future. Even Billy Butler could have brought in something, considering that the Mariners reportedly had interest in bringing him in.

But, no. Dayton Moore sat on his hands and did nothing to improve the Royals either this year or for the future. Even though he states that he will be active on the waiver trade front, is it really likely that an impact player will be acquired in such a trade? It is highly doubtful.

By doing nothing, and hoping that the team miraculously improve, Dayton Moore failed the Royals at the deadline. Moore needed to do something, one way or the other. Instead, he is hoping for a miracle that likely will never come.