Tag: Jeff Francoeur

Come to Beautiful Kansas City. We Have Fountains.

Waterfalls and fountains at the Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri copy

It’s hard to remember, but years ago, the Kansas City Royals were a constant in the playoffs. Most of what they built on the field was through the farm system, but there were some shrewd moves made by the front office at the time as well as some key free agent signings.  The bottom line was players wanted to come to Kansas City. Now, unless you are wanting to resurrect your career, or if you are a chubby infielder with “soft hands”, it’s hard to get players to WANT to come play for the Royals. It’s been asked and debated; do the Royals have to overpay to bring talent to Kansas City?

melkyOnce Dayton Moore took over as General Manager of the Royals, the team moved to sign better players and would pay them extra to come to Kansas City. The problem was that Dayton was signing level B and sometimes C or D free agents and practically giving them the keys to the city. Gil Meche was the first of these signings and if it wasn’t for former Manager Trey Hillman misusing him, the team would have gotten their money’s worth of that deal. Since then we have been abused with the ultimate clubhouse cancer Jose Guillen and Jason “Rewind Yourself” Kendall. It is almost like Moore felt like players of that level was the best they could do. I guess that is part of the problem here. When you believe that, everyone else will believe that as well.

Kansas City Royals Photo DayNow, to be fair, some of Dayton’s signings have worked. Bruce Chen was picked up off the trash heap and up until 2012, seemed to be playing above himself. Chen was signed at a low cost, but high value with both his play on the field and his jokes in the clubhouse. Unfortunately, he was then given a two year contract that has seemed to be one of many albatrosses around the Royals financial neck. Melky Cabrera and Jeff Francoeur were two former Atlanta Braves that seemed to be on the downside of their once promising careers. A move to Kansas City in 2011 seemed to be a godsend as both players played above their past performances and helped solidified both the lineup and the outfield. Francoeur would sign an extension that seemed questionable at the time and horrific in the present, while Melky would be traded to San Francisco, have the best first half of his career, win the All Star Game MVP, then get busted for PED use. These two signings worked wonders for 2011, but looked awful by May of this past year. The Royals are a team that should constantly be looking to rebuild players who just need a new environment, but need to be selective about these signings as well.

jacksonSo this leads us to this offseason, where everyone and their mother is aware that the Royals want(and desperately need) pitching. We’ve heard over and over that the Royals will have to overpay or give a player extra years to get them to come pitch in Kansas City, but is that true? I know some scoff at this, but I believe it is. The Royals have a really good nucleus of young talent, with Perez, Escobar, Moustakas and Hosmer added to lineup mainstays like Gordon and Butler. The thinking is that if the Royals could just get some pitching, this team could make a run at the playoffs. There have been a number of pitching talents on the free agent market this winter, and some have signed for very cheap money. Brandon McCarthy just signed a two year deal with Arizona for $15.5 million. The Royals easily could have afforded just under $8 million a year, especially considering that they will be paying Ervin Santana $12 million for in 2013. Edwin Jackson is still on the market as is Shawn Marcum. Both could garner a one or two year deal for right around that same amount of money. Instead, the Royals seem content shopping top prospect Wil Myers in a deal for a top starter. That is all fine and good if they are able to pull in a David Price or any other top of the rotation starter. But the names being floated around aren’t of that ilk. All we hear are the Shields’, Dickey’s and Lester’s of the world. All are fine pitchers and better than anything the Royals have now, but are they worth losing the next six years of Myers? Um, no.

Jeremy+Guthrie+Kansas+City+Royals+v+Boston+Boqgv2aeQVLlSo why aren’t these pitchers coming to Kansas City? Well, I do believe part of it is Dayton Moore hasn’t really pushed for them. Ryan Dempster’s name has been tossed around, and the team offered him more than the Red Sox have. But he also wanted a third year on the deal, while Kansas City has only been willing to go two. I agree with them only wanting to give him two, as he is in his mid 30’s and had a hard time adjusting to the American League this year. But I have to believe part of why he won’t come to Kansas City is because this team just doesn’t win. Seventeen of the last eighteen seasons have been losing seasons in KC, and with the management in charge now, it would appear we are gearing up for season eighteen of nineteen. Most players want to win, but can be swayed away from winning if it means more money. If you aren’t getting the top dollar, you don’t want to sign with a perennial loser unless you think they have turned a corner. The Royals took a side road in 2012 and their road map didn’t seem to ever steer them onto the right highway. Players notice that and the losing atmosphere does not endear players to want to sign with the Royals.

MAG0522JUBILATION.IMGSo yes, the Royals do have to overpay to get major name free agents to play in Kansas City. Or at least they will until they put together another winning season. Having management value the wrong players will hurt as well, but until those members are gone( [cough] Dayton) we are stuck with a team that can’t even compete with the Baltimore’s and Brewer’s of the world. One day this awful cycle will be undone and the Royals will be a winning franchise again. Let’s hope this happens sooner than later.

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The Price to Pay for Pitching

If you have followed the Royals-verse (I know that technically isn’t a thing, but just act like it is) these past few days, you have probably heard the Royals are dangling star prospect and (hopefully) soon to be Francoeur replacement Wil Myers in a trade for a top of the line starting pitcher. This has caused many reactions, good and bad, and some shock as well. Why, I don’t know. At this point, almost everyone should be available in a deal, as the Royals hope to reach .500 for the first time since 2003. But is dealing a possible future star the real answer?

Wil Myers is probably going to be a special player in the big leagues. At the age of 21 he put up monster numbers in the minors this year, and every indication is that Myers is a future 30 homerun hitter in the bigs. His only struggles were the 2011 season at AA, but those worries got swept aside when he came back in 2012 and dominated both AA and AAA. As excited as we have been about Hosmer, Moustakas and Perez, Myers might end up being better than all of them. But there is one solid truth in baseball; to acquire talent, you have to trade talent.

Lester would miss pitching against the Royals.

Let’s look at some of the trade rumors thrown about lately. First is Red Sox lefty Jon Lester. Lester can be one of the top starters in baseball, when healthy. That right there should be red flag number one for Royals GM Dayton Moore when considering this trade. Lester has been broken down off and on the past few years, although he has still accumulated 200 innings pitched four of the last five seasons. Back issues have been a problem, and to be honest, those injuries are the ones that scare me the most. Back issues tend to linger, and if Lester can’t shake that then a trade would look like an epic disaster. As much as Lester has an upside, the downside would make a trade for Myers a no go for Kansas City.

  Next is James Shields of the Tampa Bay Rays. As much as I like Shields, and he is a reliable pitcher, he isn’t a top starter. He is a nice upper to middle of the rotation guy, which is definitely better than what the Royals have now. But if the Royals are serious about trading Myers, you use him to get a top guy, not a close-to-a-top-guy. To me, a Myers for Shields trade is laughable. Maybe a Billy Butler for Shields, or something closer to that, but Myers might never have a higher value than he does right now. To get a #2 starter, seems like a waste of his actual value.

     So instead of those deals, I have a better idea. I think a package deal might be a better course to take. The Royals have a lot of good talent in their farm system(is it still considered the best in baseball?), and maybe adding a major leaguer might entice the pot a bit. It also might be a chance to get rid of some excess baggage, like Jeff Francoeur or Luke Hochevar. A couple of prospects like Jorge Bonifacio or Chestor Cuthbert packaged in with maybe a bullpen arm or something else might net them a solid #2 or #3 starter. to me, that is the trade you want to make rather than trade a future star for two years of service from a Lester or Shields.

Dayton Moore has mentioned in the past that he needs to be creative, and now would be the time to do it. Maybe start the conversation bringing up Myers and steer them toward a guy like Bonifacio, who has a good upside as well. I would avoid trading an arm in the minors, so guys like Jason Adam, Kyle Zimmer or Yordano Ventura should be off limits. A big part of why the Royals are in this mess in the first place is because they haven’t produced hardly any solid starters in the organization in years, so trading what few arms they have down there now makes a big problem a bigger problem in two or three years.

At the end of the day,Dayton Moore needs to take the bigger picture here into consideration. The Royals aren’t contending in 2013. I’m not even sure if 2014 is possible with the management that is in place right now. So why trade a talented guy like Myers, who you will have control of for six years, for a solid starter that you have control of for two years tops? The answer is you don’t. If this trade happens, we Royals fans might refer to it in the same breath as the classic David Cone for Ed Hearn trade or the enchanting Carlos Beltran deal that brought us John Buck and Mark Teahen. Yes, the Royals need a top of the rotation guy for their rotation. But if you can’t get that guy, a solid 2 or 3 starter should be the way to go. Trading Myers for that guy is definitely not the answer we Royals fans want.

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Frenchy, It’s Time to Hand Back the Keys to the Bus

Back when the Kansas City Royals signed Jeff Francoeur in December of 2010, the one positive of the signing was that Frenchy was a good clubhouse guy. I figured even if he didn’t hit(which at that point he really hadn’t for years) he could at least be a good influence on the younger players in the Royals clubhouse. After years of having clubhouse cancer’s like Jose Guillen and Zack Greinke, it would at least be nice to know there would be a guy that could show everyone the correct way to handle yourself. I honestly believe that having good clubhouse chemistry is an underrated part of a baseball team and can push a team farther than their abilities. Just look at the Oakland A’s this season. For the most part, it has seemed that Francoeur has been good for this Royals team the past two years. But after last week, I’m thinking he might not be a guy the rest of the team should emulate.

Head is actual size.

To say Francoeur had a bad season might be an understatement. Jeff pulled off one of the worst seasons by a regular player in baseball history, especially for someone who played in all but 14 games. Francoeur slid in almost every category from 2011, but the one stat that really stands out is the 49 RBI’s. For a guy who hit in the 5th spot most of the year, that number is atrocious. Add in a .235 average and a WAR of -2.7 and you can see why Manager Ned Yost penciling Frenchy into the lineup day after day really hurt this Royals team this year. In late July/early August, Yost started moving Francoeur down in the lineup, as he just wasn’t driving in runs,when his main job in the 5th spot in the order is to drive runners in. But this fact is also why Frenchy might not be the clubhouse guy we thought he was.

He just needs a longer bat.

Last week, the Royals fired hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, laying the blame of the under performing Royals offense on his shoulders. That same day, Seitzer did an interview with 810 WHB radio in Kansas City. His interview is here: Seitzer Interview . In the interview, Seitzer revealed that back in August, Frenchy went and complained to Kevin that the reason he wasn’t driving in many runs this year was because Royals All Star Billy Butler was batting ahead of him and clogging up the bases, making it hard for Frenchy to knock him in. Because of this, Jeff said he was overcompensating by swinging for the fences, trying to get Butler in from first. Nevermind that Frenchy wasn’t making much contact this season or that in the 26 doubles he had this year, Butler was only on base for 2 of them. God forbid facts get in the way of a good argument. Nope, Frenchy in effect was throwing the team’s best player under the bus. For a guy who is supposed to be the clubhouse leader, this isn’t a trait becoming of someone in that position. In that position, you are to be a shining example for everyone to look up to. Instead, he seems more concerned about personal numbers than the fact that he needed to look in the mirror and see how he was hurting the team with his poor play.

Seriously…he’ll swing at anything!

After doing some research, maybe we should have seen this coming. Maybe Frenchy wasn’t the stand up guy we thought he was. Exhibit A: Francoeur Whines. Or Exhibit B: More Whining. The point is that if you are a character guy, a guy who is a clubhouse leader, you lead by example. You don’t make excuses, you don’t blame other people or situations, and you definitely don’t throw your team’s best player under the bus. Look, being a professional baseball player means you do have some sort of ego. It is almost impossible to not have one, and in some ways it can help you. But if you are a leader, you worry about what is best for the team and that is it. Nothing more, nothing less. Whining that you aren’t getting enough playing time or not driving in enough runs isn’t something a leader does. Your case isn’t helped by hitting .235 and only driving in 49 runs.

So should Jeff Francoeur remain the clubhouse leader of the Royals? Personally, I don’t think so. I’m sure Frenchy is a great guy to be around, and sure he brings a lot of positives to this team. But there is just no excuse for blaming your star player when you can’t carry your own weight on the field. Up until all this happened, I was ok with Francoeur being back in 2013 and being a mentor to future Right Fielder Wil Myers. Now, I wonder if that is such a good idea. The last thing we need is Frenchy telling Wil that he needs to swing from the heels and swing at everything thrown at him, or just teach any of Francoeur’s many bad habits. At this point, I just can’t trust that Frenchy will do the right thing.

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Random Thoughts

For today, I thought i would take a look at a few things going on around baseball. It will be pretty random, to say the least, but this way I can cover a lot of different subjects. With that said, here we go with some random thoughts.

  • Terry Francona was named Manager of the Cleveland Indians earlier today. Great grab by Cleveland, and with the shape of the American League Central being very weak, it is conceivable that Francona could get this team back into contention in 2013. The sad thing for us Royals fans is that Terry could have been at least considered for the manager’s position, but instead we are stuck with Neddaniel Yost. I’ve made it pretty well known of my dislike for Mr. Yost(Yosty, if you are close to him)and would like nothing else than to see him get the ol’ heave ho out the door. Unfortunately, Dayton Moore either has been hypnotized by Yosty’s charm, or Neddy has black mail on him and Frenchy in a lover’s embrace. I really don’t want to wrap my head around the thought that Dayton thinks he is a good manager. I mean, it can’t be that, right? Anyway, Francona sounds like he wanted to go to a team that would have been a challenge(if the Royals aren’t a challenge, I don’t know what is) and he will get that with Cleveland. With the move, it makes the central a lot more interesting and might even bump KC down a level. Great move by the Indians and I can only hope this will wake the Royals up to what could happen if they actually went out and hired a good manager.

  • “Are you talkin’ to me? Are you talkin’ to me?”
  • It became official this weekend: Mitch Maier is no longer in the Royals organization. To be honest, I’m shocked that he was even still with Kansas City, as the Royals had designated him for assignment over the summer and he had the chance to escape then. Instead, he took his assignment to Omaha and finished out the year playing for the Storm Chasers. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Maier would be a perfect fit for a National League team. Maier can play any position in the outfield, and fill in at Third Base or Catcher if needed. Hell, if you need a mop up guy in the bullpen, Mitch is your man. He can pinch hit off the bench, as he is solid with the bat, and has good enough speed that using him as a pinch runner isn’t a bad idea either. Just thinking about this makes me think Yost dropped the ball with Maier. Sure, he wasn’t ever going to be a starter with the Royals, but Neddy could have used him a whole lot more than he did. In fact, there were times I wondered if Mitch was even still on the team the last two years. If you are on Ned Yost’s bench, you probably won’t see much playing time, unless you are a Getzy or a Frenchy. Hopefully Maier latches on with a team that will use him and appreciate the value of a true fourth outfielder.

  • If you caught any of the Giants/Reds game last night, one of the highlights(for me at least) was seeing Tim Lincecum go out and pitch…well, like Tim Lincecum used to pitch. Lincecum came in out of the bullpen and looked like the Tim of old, pitching like a man pissed off that he was left out of the rotation in the NLDS. Lincecum has had a rough season in 2012, as his velocity dipped and he became a normal pitcher for once. It was nice to see him rediscover some of his velocity, and even when he was struggling, Tim gave a damn about his performance. I remember watching a rough outing of his earlier in the season, and you could tell it angered him that he wasn’t pitching well. He showed that he was ready to try and get his team get back into the game last night, even pumping his fist after a strikeout. Lincecum has too much talent to not come back and show everyone what he can do. Hopefully last night was the beginning of that.
Uh-oh…Madden got a hold of the teleprompter!
  • Alright, everyone has had their say on the ‘Infield Fly Heard Round the World’. So here is mine. At first, I hated the call and thought it was horrible. I had a change of heart though after seeing the exact rulebook wording of the infield fly rule. What the umpire did was correct in holding up how the wording goes. Harold Reynolds of MLB Network did a great job of explaining it. Check out the link: Harold Reynolds explains Infield Fly Rule . Alright, now that you are back, here is the problem I have, and it’s with the wording. First, how you can have an infield fly rule in Left Field just seems preposterous. I mean, a little bit on the grass is fine. But halfway in the outfield?? That just takes away from what the rule is supposed to stop from happening, which is the infielder drop the ball and then try to get a sneaky double play. Also, the Umpire called it really late. Yes, I get that he waited for Kozma to get planted, but that should have been a sign that it shouldn’t be an infield fly. Either way, maybe there should be some talk about restructuring the rule to where something like this could never happen again. Sam Holbrook followed the play correctly, and followed the rulebook. It’s too bad that with the way the rule is stated that it makes it so controversial.

So there you go, some random thoughts. I have a feeling there will be more of these with the playoffs going on. Oh, and since I haven’t yet, here are my playoff predictions. Orioles and Tigers win their division series, while in the NL I’m thinking Cardinals and Reds. After that, expect a Baltimore/Cincinnati World Series with the Reds being World Champs. Or I could be wrong and way off. Actually, I’m probably way off. But if I’m right, expect me to brag. Maybe more than I should. Go O’s!

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A Night(or Two) at the Ballpark

This week I was able to be at the last two games of the Kansas City Royals 2012 season. I did this a few years ago, and had a blast, so why not do it again? Some people don’t get a chance to really take in the experience of being at the ballpark, so here is a look at two nights of baseball at Kauffman Stadium.

Tuesday night I ventured to KC for game 161 on the season. My seats were out in right field, which seemed like a blessing in disguise. There in front of me was a source of scorn for many a Royals fan this season, Jeff Francoeur. My girlfriend instantly asked me if I planned on heckling him, and I couldn’t tell her no. Then we noticed in front of us, a group of Frenchy fans. Yes, somehow they exist…and they looked like this.

Yes, people go out in public looking like this.

I hate to admit it, but this REALLY made me want to heckle Frenchy. Hey, the guy hit .235 this season. Trust me, he’s earned it. But once the game unfolded, I couldn’t do it. Why, you might ask? Because he actually went out and had a great game. By the time it was all said and done, Francoeur had a single, a homerun, and a great play in Right Field. But, that didn’t take away too much from my enjoyment. The Royals would rally back to win the game, and it proved my theory that any day at the ballpark is a good one. We were in a loud section, but I didn’t let it bother me. I should probably mention that I am normally not a loud fan when at the K. I like to sit and watch the game and how it unfolds, and take in the atmosphere. The game’s atmosphere was great, and at least I was in a part of the stands where people cared and knew what was going on. I go to a lot of games where no one knows anything that is going on, and they spend a lot of the game being loud and drunk. Thankfully, none of that Tuesday night, and with the win it also assured the Royals that they would have more wins than they did in 2011. Hey, you take what you can get. All in all, a fun night and now I was pumped for night two.

Now on to Wednesday’s finale. This time, I ended up sitting in Left Field, and was ready to witness a great ending to the season for the Detroit Tigers Miguel Cabrera. Coming into game 162, Cabrera led the league in Average, Homeruns, and RBI’s. That would be the Triple Crown folks, and no player had done it since 1967, when some guy named Carl Yastrzemski did it for the Boston Red Sox. I should mention right here that I was immensely happy that Johnny Giavotella was back in the line up for the Royals, as it seemed like manager Ned Yost was doing everything in his power that last week of the season to play Gio. I needed someone to cheer for besides Alcides Escobar, as my other favorites, Mike Moustakas and Salvador Perez were out of the lineup.

This game moved a bit slower than Tuesday’s game, but what we got was a pitchers duel, as Luis Mendoza showed why he has been one of the Royals best starters in the second half of the season. In the fifth inning, Tigers Manager Jim Leyland took Miguel Cabrera out of the game, and Kansas City fans showed why they are a classy bunch. A standing O for Miggy, as these fans realized that he was just minutes away from confirmation of him winning the Triple Crown. It was confirmed just a few innings later, and Royals fans again gave Cabrera a standing ovation, this from a fanbase that was ripped for booing Robinson Cano at the Home Run Derby. Of course, the national media failed to acknowledge this, as why ruin the nations first impression of us. When it was all said and done, the Royals stranded 11 runners on base and the Royals would fall to the Tigers, 1-0.

The one negative from my two games at the ballpark was an incident that happened in the 9th inning of Wednesday’s game. While going to the bottom of the 9th, Tigers Left Fielder Quintin Berry saw a little girl wearing a Tigers shirt near the railing in left and threw the ball over for her to catch. Only problem was another guy, probably early 20’s, reached over and snagged it, cheering as if he just did a keg stand. The little girl took off crying, while the jackass acted like he did something special. A number of people told the guy about the little girl, but he didn’t care. I have to admit, this disgusted me. At the end of the day, that ball would mean more to that little girl than it ever would for this selfish prick. Someone else got her a ball, but the damage was done. The fact this guy knew what he did and still didn’t care just shows you how some people don’t “get it”. I remember being a little kid. I would have LOVED to get a baseball at a game from a player. Hell, I still would. But I also realize that those moments mean more to kids than it ever could for us as adults. This jerk took that moment away from a young Tigers fan. I can only hope she doesn’t think all of us Royals fans are like that, because we aren’t. I had a talk after the game with the little girl’s dad, so I really hope they realize that he isn’t a proper representation of the Royals fanbase. I hope in the future I never see such a selfish act at the ballpark, but I know there is a chance it could.

So what did I take away from two game trek to the K? Like always, I had a blast at the ballpark. It will always be my home away from home, the place that brings out the little kid in me. I am a Royals fan, through and through, and am glad I got to enjoy that experience with people I love. About midseason this year, I decided that I as a fan want to see improvement from the team next year, and if that didn’t occur then I wasn’t going to head to the ballpark as much. It really pains me to say it, but we fans need to see a winner. Kauffman Stadium, 39 years later, is still one of the most beautiful ballparks in the majors, and would stack it up against almost any of the newer ones out there today. I will definitely go to a few games next year, but without improvement I don’t think I will as much. Hopefully, a year from now I’ll be talking about how foolish I was to lose trust in this organization and they will bring me more joy than pain. Either way, a night at the ballpark is always a highlight of the year for me. Two straight nights at the ballpark makes for a great story.

 

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The Blame Game

“I need eight more Betancourt’s to put in the lineup, Dayton…”

Last night, the Kansas City Royals continued their descent into the AL Central basement, falling to the Seattle Mariners…again. Let’s be honest here, it’s not like the Seattle Mariners are the reincarnation of the old Bronx Bomber teams that had juggernaut offensives. Nope, the Mariners are actually one of the worst offensive teams in baseball. The Royals have made them look like hitting savants, not like a team that just traded a future Hall of Famer to the Yankees. With the Royals now tied for the central basement with Minnesota, the question has to be asked-who is to blame?

There seem to be alot of fingers to point in a lot of different directions, but let’s start with the manager, Ned Yost. I’ve been saying since April that Yost needs to go, as his managing style is shoddy at best. To be honest, as of late the only major faults of Yost is the juggling of the lineup and his continuance to keep Jeff Francoeur in the lineup. Yost is still not the man for the job, but I don’t think he deserves the brunt of the blame right now. He is just a minor flaw in a bigger problem.

What about hitting coach Kevin Seitzer? This is where things get interesting, as Seitzer has been a huge help for a number of ex and current Royals. Alex Gordon, Billy Butler, Melky Cabrera and Alcides Escobar can all thank Seitzer for improving their hitting while being with the ballclub. It’s easy to point the finger at him, as the offense not producing has been a big part of the team’s issues this season. The thing is, the team is hitting. They just aren’t getting any clutch hits, which is what is killing the team. Sure, that falls on Seitzer a bit, but I’m not ready to put all the blame on him, as he has helped this club more than hindered it. Now, if it continues and there is no turn around, then a conversation maybe needs to be had. But if you asked my opinion, this doesn’t fall at Seitzer’s feet.

Next is owner David Glass. To be fair, the whole reason this team is as bad as it has been for so long falls on Glass’ shoulders. Glass spent years treating the team like it was a Wal Mart and only when he hired Dayton Moore did he actually start shelling out money for drafts and scouting. While I agree with that process, at some point Glass will have to start spending more, or any success the team will have is null, as players will leave when they become free agents. Glass is a major part of the blame here, but not the main guy I point the finger at for this team being this bad.

At the end of the day, the finger needs to be pointed at GM Dayton Moore. Moore came in with a great pedigree, being brought up through the Atlanta Braves organization, which has won more than any other National Legue team since the 1990’s. It seemed at the time that Moore would help this team get to where it needed to go. Six years later, and he spouts off about how it is an eight year process, etc…the honest truth is that it isn’t. In fact, most GM’s who don’t win within six years get fired. Sure, Moore had to almost completely rebuild the farm system, and he has done a great job of that. I’ve always said Moore is a great scout, and he hasn’t done anything to dissuade me from that thinking. But being a GM isn’t just about being a great scout, and this is where Moore has dropped the ball.

Glass has given him a small payroll to work with. That is fine, but Dayton has shown a tendency to waste money on bad players instead of using what he’s got wisely. Signing Yuniesky Betancourt for 2 million dollars, when no other team was even negotiating with him? Stupid. Signing Jose Guillen to a huge contract, despite it being well known that he was a clubhouse cancer? Dumb. Then they are trades, like Leo Nunez for Mike Jacobs, which took over half a year before Jacobs quit getting regular at bats. Being a small market team, you have to be a creative GM and use your assets smartly. Dayton doesn’t do that. He is the man who structures the team and makes the decision on who gets called up or sent down. Why is Johnny Giavotella not in the big leagues, at least giving him a chance to prove himself? Why was Kila Ka’aihue allowed to sit in AAA for almost 3 years before he was given a chance? If a player plays good in the minors and you don’t have someone blocking them, you give them a chance in the majors, as you are never totally for sure what you have until you give them a chance. Moore has not allowed that to happen, and that falls on him.

I literally could go on and on with Dayton’s mistakes, like the hiring of both Trey Hillman and Ned Yost. Once again, that ends up at Dayton’s feet. At the end of the day, the Royals would do best to get a new owner, manager and GM. But since that probably isn’t realistic, my vote would be that Dayton needs to go at the end of the season. The man is a great scout and he’ll always be able to find a job in baseball. But when it comes to being a General Manager, he has failed. Six years is enough suffering; it’s time to make a change.

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