Reasons Kansas City Royals fans have to be thankful this Thanksgiving

1.) Dayton Moore is still around

The image of Dayton Moore as a sort of Theo Epstein-lite has taken a hit in the past year. That doesn’t mean the Kansas City Royals general manager has completely lost his mojo. There’s a reason David Glass didn’t let Atlanta talk to him this winter: Moore remains a well-respected GM.

One could argue he’s swung and missed on several trades over the past year. Had Nate Karns stayed healthy, it’s hard to argue trading an aging fourth outfielder about to hit free agency for a starting pitcher. Granted the team could have used Dyson in center with Lorenzo Cain in right field, but assuming Karns recovers fully it’s a palatable trade. The others? Not so much.

You would struggle to find a Kansas City Royals fan who thinks trading Wade Davis for Jorge Soler was a good idea. However, Soler still has time to change that narrative. While the cost was considerably lower, Melky Cabrera‘s return to KC at the trade deadline didn’t go well. Although, it went better than the trade with San Diego that brought Trevor Cahill, Brandon Maurer and Ryan Buchter to the Royals. Only Buchter turned out to be useful in that deal.

All that aside, Moore deserves the benefit of the doubt. He built the Kansas City Royals into contenders, and he has earned the opportunity to see the team through another rebuild. Fans should be thankful the franchise is still in Moore’s capable hands.

2.) Ned Yost is recovering

Like Moore, Ned Yost still finds himself a polarizing figure among Kansas City Royals fans. Some think the franchise won a World Series title in spite of him; others credit him with sticking with the young core of players through their early struggles. Whatever your opinion of him, it has to be considered good news that Yost is recovering well after a horrible fall on his property early this month.

The Royals manager, who is entering the final year of his contract, fell out of a deer stand on his Georgia property in early November. The accident could have proved fatal had Yost not had his cell phone and, obviously, reception. He broke his pelvis and four ribs in the fall, while also losing several pints of blood. According to MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan, Yost returned home from Atlanta-based Grady Memorial Hospital on Nov. 12.

Fans might not be thrilled Yost will return for 2018, or they might be looking forward to his possible retirement next winter. But given what he has gone through, and will still have to do to be ready for spring training, Yost should receive a warm welcome on Opening Day. He and his family will no doubt mention how thankful they are that he’s still around this Thanksgiving. Royals supporters should feel the same way.

3.) Free agents haven’t left, yet

The biggest reason Kansas City Royals fans have spent most of the past few months living in a constant state of fear is the impending free agents. It’s bad enough knowing even one of your best players is possibly headed elsewhere during the offseason. For the Boys in Blue to lose upwards of five solid players, it just seems unfair. But those are the breaks.

Remember, though, at this moment none of the players has signed with anyone else. Sure, it’s just a matter of time before some of them do. But it hasn’t happened, yet. Let that leave open the possibility of a miraculous spending spree to save your favorite players. Because, frankly, if you can’t get over the possibility of all the major free agents leaving, this isn’t going to be happy Thanksgiving for you.

Just focus on the chance that these players might be returning, some more likely than others:

• Eric Hosmer
• Mike Moustakas
• Cain
• Mike Minor
• Jason Vargas

Each of those players has drawn outside interest in the early stages of free agency. However, the Kansas City Royals seem set to make a run at re-signing at least a few of them. Should they succeed, fans will look back on this trying time as totally worth it. If they don’t, well, that’s a discussion for another day. One with less turkey.

4.) Another solid draft class should be coming

After several recent uneven draft performances, the Kansas City Royals finally put together a standout 2017 class. Of course, things could change over the next several years, but early indications are this should be one of the best crops of prospects in recent memory. And that’s saying something for an organization that built a winner almost exclusively through the draft.

The franchise’s first-round pick came from Huntington Beach, California, in the form of Nick Pratto. A first baseman well-remembered for his game-winning hit in the Little League World Series in 2011. Pratto is considered the top-ranked prospect in the organization. But more incredibly, the next four picks from that draft class all rank inside the top 25 for the Royals farm system.

Second-round pick MJ Melendez stands at No. 10 on MLB.com’s rankings — one spot ahead of highly touted Nicky Lopez, who himself put together an incredible Arizona Fall League season. The team’s next three picks — Daniel Tillo, Michael Gigliotti and Evan Steele — rank 20-22, respectively. The best part is that next year’s draft class could be even stronger.

With the possibility of landing three compensatory picks if Hosmer, Cain and Moustakas all leave, the Kansas City Royals could be picking five times in the first 50 selections of the draft. That’s an almost unheard of situation. It gives the franchise a huge leg up in the rebuild. Even if the front office manages to sign Hosmer, for instance, there would still be four high draft picks to be had. Couple that with the most recent draft class, and the Royals could have their next championship core.

5.) 2015 World Series is still fresh in our minds

If none of that previous stuff makes you feel any better about the current state of the Kansas City Royals, there’s always the past success of the franchise to reflect upon. That includes, first and foremost, the 2015 world championship. Close your eyes and you can probably still picture the key moments of the organization’s second World Series title-winning run.

There’s the leadoff home run by Alcides Escobar, the game-tying home run by Alex Gordon and the walk-off sacrifice fly by Hosmer. That’s just in Game 1. Johnny Cueto pitched lights out in Game 2, and then there was another rally in Game 4. Finally came Game 5 and the end of 30 years of frustration.

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It all starts with the incredible performance by Edinson Volquez, pitching just days after his father’s funeral. His outing would have been in vain had Cain and Hosmer not combined to overcome a 2-0 ninth-inning deficit. Regardless of what uniform he’s wearing next year, fans will forever remember Hosmer’s mad dash home to tie the game.

What followed was the stuff of legends. Christian Colon came up for his first postseason at-bat since his game-tying hit in the 2014 American League Wild Card Game, which kicked off another pennant-winning streak. All he did this time around was drive in the go-ahead run in the 12th inning. Cain cleared the bases for more than enough insurance, and Davis closed things out.

Next: Royals 2017 award winners

So when things seem too hard to handle, always remember fondly the 2015 World Series. It will brighten a lot of bleak days. Nobody knows when the Kansas City Royals will win their next title. But these memories will sustain us until that day.