KC Royals Report Card: Final offseason grades are in

The KC Royals clearly had a plan for this offseason, and stuck to it.

Opinions vary on Dayton Moore. Some will cite the two American League pennants and one World Series title the Royals have won on his watch as proof he’s successful; others will say three winning seasons in the 14 full years he’s run the team prove he’s failed.

The truth lies somewhere in the middle. But beyond dispute is Moore’s unwavering dedication to process and plan—despite harsh criticism for failing to deliver results sooner, refusal to alter his rebuild strategy led to those pennants and Fall Classic trips.

This winter’s Royal aggressiveness wasn’t spontaneous; spontaneity isn’t something the club does well. From the day the 2020 season ended, Moore, with the obvious blessing of principal owner John Sherman, set out to change the team for the best. And as fans grew restless when activity waned in January and Moore’s well-publicized search for an impact lefthanded bat appeared destined for failure, he clearly never deviated from the plan.

Proof of that came in the late-evening trade that brought lefty hitting Andrew Benintendi to Kansas City 10 days ago. His becoming a Royal had been suggested here before, but with the passage of time seemed as unlikely as Moore getting any lefthanded bat.

Moore and his staff quietly stuck to it, though, and late on a Wednesday night consummated the three-way trade that made Benintendi a Royal. Now, thanks to plan and perseverance, Kansas City has a new left fielder, and that bat the club wanted and needed.

For sticking to its plan to improve, the club deserves an “A.”

And give the Royals a final offseason grade of “A-.”

The KC Royals shed their conservative offseason approach this winter. They deserve good grades for it.