KC Royals: Groundhog Day Do Overs For Dayton Moore

Aug 12, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA;  Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

4.) Picking The Wrong Outfielder

In 2012, Dayton Moore decided he could only afford to resign one free-agent outfielder after both Jeff Francoeur and Melky Cabrera produced for the KC Royals in 2011. The pair of 27-year-old outfielders had failed prior to that season, after coming into the major-leagues as highly touted prospects with other organizations (Braves and Yankees).

Inevitably, Dayton Moore picked the wrong guy to extend.

Francoeur enjoyed his best full season in major-league baseball in 2011 with the KC Royals, in which he hit .285/.329/.476 with 20 home runs, 87 RBIs, and 22 stolen bases. Frenchy then agreed to a two-year contract extension for $13.5 million.

Francoeur turned into a pumpkin before the ink was dry on his contract, hitting .235/.287/.378 in 2012. When Frenchy hit .208/.249/.322 in the first half of 2013,  Moore was forced to designate Francoeur for assignment.

Instead of keeping Melky Cabrera on an arbitration deal, (the KC Royals controlled his rights for one more season) Dayton Moore chose to trade him to the San Francisco Giants for rotation disaster Jonathan Sanchez. Cabrera just hit .346/.390/.516 for the Giants in 2012, before getting suspended late in the season for a PEDs violation. Note that Cabrera’s contributions helped the Giants win the 2012 World Series.

While Cabrera has not been able to replicate his 2012 performance since, he’s still been a useful major-league starter—which is a lot more than Jeff Francoeur can say.

Next: Changing His Mind In The 2010 Draft