Kansas City Royals: We Have Been Here Before

For the Kansas City Royals, the most anticipated offseason, perhaps in franchise history, is now set to happen. Will the team face a full rebuild? Will they look to tread water? Whatever it is, I am here to tell you, “we have been here before.”

As a lifelong Kansas City Royals fan, I have lived through my fair share of “difficult” years. You see I was three years old in 1985, so my most vivid memories are of 100-loss seasons. What has happened over the last five years has been incredible. While many fans are screaming doom and gloom from the rooftops, please just don’t.

Yes, we may lose Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, (my guy) Lorenzo Cain and, if we are lucky, Alcides Escobar. If we do, we can survive this. Why?

That answer is simple for the true blue fans of the Kansas City Royals. Coming in are players by the names of Raul Mondesi, Hunter Dozier and Jorge Soler. They will join Jorge Bonifacio, who proved this season that the cupboard is not completely bare.

Let me put this into perspective.

The last group of players that the Kansas City Royals had that would have compared to this core was Johnny Damon, Jermaine Dye and Carlos Beltran. Mike Sweeney was around, too. It was a collection of players that other teams coveted. But they were not able to get anywhere close to the results that the Hos-Moose-Cain led roster has.

When Damon, Dye and Beltran were no longer in Kansas City, they were not replaced with players who instilled the same kind of hope for a quick turnaround. Instead of Mondesi, we were given Tony Pena Jr. As much as I love them from a fan-boy stance, Mark Teahen and David DeJesus were never going to make the Kansas City Royals contenders.

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There are still proven leaders on this team in Salvador Perez and (regardless of your feelings) Alex Gordon. Whit Merrifield may be the best “pure value” player in the game at this point. [Side note: For those saying we should trade Whit, that is just crazy. The Kansas City Royals will control his prime years for pennies on the dollar.] These veterans are more than capable of teaching the next wave how to win.

If Dayton Moore decides to leave for a particular open position in Atlanta, I may develop more reservations about the future. As long as GMDM is at the helm, though, my nerves remain calm.

There have been people on social media who say they would be happy if he left town. They claim trades like the one between the Kansas City Royals and the Padres show that Moore has lost a step. That is ridiculous! You don’t win every trade, and a general manager who doesn’t have it anymore doesn’t top any team’s candidate list.

Ned Yost staying another season as the Kansas City Royals skipper surprised me a bit. The longer I have been able to think about it, though, it makes sense.

1. It gives a stable leader during an uncertain time. If the team is facing a rebuild situation, the more certainty the better.
2. All indications are that the Kansas City Royals have Ned Yost‘s successor in-house already. If that is the case, then Ned sticking around one more season to help facilitate a smooth transition is a smart move. He can help settle young players in to the big leagues (which he is pretty good at, in case you forgot) and ease responsibility over to the next manager.

I have no idea what this offseason holds for the Kansas City Royals, but I have my hopes. Whatever it is, I expect that fans support the organization’s decisions.

The majority are difficult. There is always more that a team would love to do that simply doesn’t happen for one reason or another. If we want to see OUR team back in the postseason hunt sooner rather than later, then displaying the support that labeled us the best fans in the sport is vital.

Next: Where Could Royals Free Agents Land

My challenge for Kansas City Royals fans across social media … “Get excited.” Prepare to fall in love with a new generation of players. Root for the ones who are not here next season. They accomplished the most difficult of feats, and they did it for us.