KC Royals: Dayton Moore Was Right Not To Sell At Deadline

KC Royals general manager received another round of criticism for failing to sell off short-term assets at the trade deadline. Once again, the Kansas City Royals are proving Moore was right not to lose faith in the team he built.

The good news is that the KC Royals have increased their playoff odds by a factor of 20 by winning 11 of their last 13 games. But, the bad news is that Fangraphs.com still sees Kansas City with a mere 2.2% chance to make the 2016 playoffs. On August 5, Fangraphs estimated KC’s post-season chances at 0.1%.

Oh, and at the August 1 trading deadline, Fangraphs pegged those playoff odds at 0.4%.

Numerous fans on Twitter, and pundits across major-league baseball, roundly criticized Dayton Moore for hanging on to unrealistic hopes:

But, lo and behold, the Kansas City Royals have pulled within 5.5 games of the second wild card spot currently held by Baltimore. The Royals also trail the Indians by 9.0 games in the AL Central, and the Tigers by 2.0 games. Though they still have four teams to overcome for a wild card, they’re playing great baseball. Right now, Kansas City looks like a team that can win a championship.

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Even if the Royals fail to make the playoffs, the reality that they COULD win a title justifies his decision. It’s time for us to admit we were wrong. Once again, Dayton Moore has shown us he knows what he’s doing.

Moore made a similar choice in 2014 by refusing to sell at the trade deadline when his team stood at 55-52 after play on July 31 and 4.0 games behind the Tigers in the AL Central and the Blue Jays by 3.5 games for the second wild card.

While that decision seems easy, the 2014 Kansas City Royals began play on July 22 at 48-50 and 8.0 games behind Detroit. They trailed the second wild card spot by 4.0 games.

Dayton Moore stood pat then, and he stood pat again in 2016. Both times he refused to sell off short term assets because he believed in his team. In 2014, the KC Royals rewarded that faith with a franchise-transforming playoff run to win the AL pennant.

In 2016, his team has wormed their way back into the playoff hunt with an extended winning streak. The more important factor is how well his team is playing. The Kansas City Royals are showing they’re a threat to win the World Series if they can squeak into the post-season.

Next: Kansas City Royals Are Back In The Playoff Hunt

 Bottom Line: Dayton Moore is proving himself to be one of the best general managers in this generation. KC Royals fans would be wise to trust him. He’s earned it.