Kansas City Royals Brain Trust To Remain in Town

The Kansas City Royals trusted in The Process and in Ned Yost, with their faith being rewarded in a World Series championship. Yesterday, the Royals rewarded both Dayton Moore and Yost with contract extensions.

It is amazing how perceptions can change over time. For years, questions persisted about Dayton Moore and Ned Yost, as fans and experts alike wondered if The Process would ever work and if Yost was a capable baseball manager. That the Kansas City Royals showed the remarkable patience they did with both was thought to be more a matter of not wanting to pay someone to no longer work for the team than of any sort of confidence in their visions.

Instead, that faith was rewarded as the Royals have made consecutive World Series appearances, winning the title last season. Moore, much to the amazement of the pundits, crafted a winning ballclub with his emphasis on relief pitching, defense and contact. Yost’s calm demeanor proved to be the perfect match for the Royals roster, as he steadily guided them through the postseason.

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Now, the Royals have rewarded both Moore and Yost, signing each to a contract extension. Yost is now signed through the 2018 season, instead of the possible retirement after next year, as he had hinted. The details of Moore’s own extension were not revealed, but he is likely to stay on beyond Yost’s two more years.

It is interesting to note that Yost is signed beyond what the Royals expected window of contention would be. Given that the vast majority of the team is set to be free agents following the 2017 season, it could make sense for Yost to want a one year extension, and to take each season at a time. Instead, Yost will be there for at least one more season, possibly helping to steward a young Royals team looking to make their own mark in history.

Meanwhile, at this point, it seems unlikely that Moore will be going anywhere, unless he is promoted within the Royals front office. His system, and his dogged determination to build through the farm system, came to fruition over the past three years. Even though the Royals minor leaguers are not ranked where they once were, one cannot argue the impact that home grown talent like Mike Moustakas, Salvador Perez and Eric Hosmer have had. Those prospects, who had been rated amongst the best in the Royals system, helped bring Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist to Kansas City. And who can forget his trade of Zach Greinke to bring in key pieces Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar?

Next: Royals continue to befuddle experts

The Kansas City Royals are in good hands with Dayton Moore and Ned Yost. Now, for at least two more years, we can relax knowing that both the architect and the manager will remain in town.