Kansas City Royals: 3 impacts selling of team would have on future

Kansas City Royals owner David Glass is reportedly in discussions to sell the team. Here’s how that would impact the team’s future.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic ($) is reporting that Kansas City Royals owner David Glass is in current discussions to sell the team. To who you ask? A group headlined by Kansas City’s own John Sherman, who is currently serving as the vice-chairman of the Cleveland Indians.

Glass, 84, became the interim CEO in September 1993 and took full ownership in April 2000. Since Glass became the owner of the club, the Royals have had just four winning seasons, including a World Series Championship in 2015.

He’s, in large part, been known to pinch pennies wherever he could, expanding the team’s payroll as high as $140 million on Opening Day of 2017 and as low as $36,000 in his first full season as owner in 2001. Back in April, Forbes valued the Royals franchise at $1 billion, only ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays and Miami Marlins.

I cautiously say that the sale of the club could be for the better but the grass is not always greener on the other side. The 2019 Royals squad has been really hard to watch as most fans are wishing that they could fast forward to 2021 to when some of the younger prospects potentially make their way to the big leagues.

The Royals are one of the smallest markets in baseball but have one of the most passionate fanbases. Here are three impacts that need to be considered with the potential sale of this team.

1. Move to downtown looking inevitable

The Kansas City Royals will likely remain at Kauffman Stadium until the current lease ends in 2031 but discussions have already occurred to potentially move the team closer to downtown. David Glass has listened to several pitches for 12 to 14 acres of land needed for a new stadium and it’s long been rumored that they would like to have developments surrounding the ballpark.

The Harry S. Truman Sports Complex is home to both the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals but is located approximately 8 miles from the city’s center. The idea would be the have a ballpark similar to Baltimore’s Camden Yards or Chicago’s Wrigley Field. Neighboring restaurants and hotels would certainly profit due to the ballpark’s downtown location.

While that’s a nice idea in theory, another factor that need to be considered with a downtown ballpark is transportation. As a resident of Chicago, it’s nearly impossible to park near Wrigley Field without paying a steep price. Many people rely on public transportation to reach and leave the ballpark.

Going downtown is Major League Baseball’s new look, and the promise of it has had hearts pounding in these parts for years. When the leases expire in 2031, the twin stadiums will be 60 years old. That’s awfully long in the tooth, and it makes the prospect of another extensive renovation questionable. – KC Star

One location that Glass had apparently liked was already shot down as a future home for the Royals, which would have resided them in the Power and Light District making the use of the city’s streetcars more attractive for gameday use.

2. New owner likely means all new staff

Dayton Moore became the Kansas City Royals General Manager in June 2006. It was the turning point of the franchise under David Glass as he drafted really well in 2007, taking Mike Moustakas in the first round. The following season, Eric Hosmer. In 2010, he made the trade for Alcides Escobar, Lorenzo Cain, Jeremy Jeffress, and Jake Odorizzi.

While Ned Yost could certainly find himself looking for a new job this season, Moore has done pretty well as the general manager. Sure this 2019 roster is garbage but small market team’s are more susceptible to rebuilding modes because the higher payrolls are not sustainable. I hate to keep using this as example but look when the Chicago Cubs changed ownership in 2009.

Tom Ricketts hired Theo Epstein who hired Joe Maddon who filled out his own staff to support him. That’s the likely scenario if Glass ends up selling the team; however, I parallel his situation much like the Wrigley family prior to selling to the Ricketts family.

Again, while some people are frustrated with Dayton Moore, change is not always for the better. He’s done well drafting and now it’s just a matter of complementing the prospects with quality free agents.