Royals GM Dayton Moore has been mentioned repeatedly as a theoretical candidate to join the Braves’ front office. But he largely dismissed any such notion in comments today to MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan (Twitter link).
Moore, who has run Kansas City’s baseball operations since 2006, said that continuing on in that role is “doing what I’m supposed to be doing.” He also heaped praise upon Royals owner David Glass, saying he “adore[s] Mr. Glass and the opportunity he has given us.”
Needless to say, it doesn’t sound as if Moore has much interest in considering a new opportunity in Atlanta. The Braves are in need of a new GM after John Coppolella was forced to resign amidst an international signing scandal — the full fallout of which remains to be seen.
There were indications that Moore could at least consider the GM position — or, perhaps more likely, a move to replace Braves president of baseball operations John Hart at the apex of the baseball ops department — despite the success he has found with the Royals. (See here and here.) After all, Moore’s ties to the Braves run deep: he broke into pro ball with the organization and ascended to an assistant GM position there before leaving for K.C. And the Royals are entering what looks to be a transition phase after finally reaching the promised land in 2015.
Perhaps there’s still some room for a change of heart after today’s comments. But Moore surely said what he did for a reason — presumably, that ongoing speculation isn’t helpful as the Royals prepare for an important offseason. He was addressing the team’s future today, after all, when he announced that Dale Sveum will serve as bench coach while Mitch Maier will coach first for the organization next year. (Twitter links via Flanagan.)
Not sure why any potential or current GM (and especially Dayton Moore, who has two pennants and a WS flag) would take the Braves’ job unless it’s to run the whole show and clean house.
“Violations unprecedented in scope”, as it’s been called, could mire the organization for quite a while and delay its rebuild in a serious way. Even for someone seeking a “career challenge”, that might be too much to overcome.
Besides, Moore grew up a Royals’ fan, is a deeply loyal person according to those who know him well, gets along with his owner and superiors (not sure that’s a Braves FO trait), and is a Midwest guy. Plenty of reasons to stay in KC.
Anyone who has had at least a passing conversation with Glass should easily be able to see how he inspires success and loyalty from those who work closely with him. It isn’t surprising that Moore is quite satisfied where he is.
Why would anyone want to leave a team the decline for a team on the rise? Its seems crazy to even consider
As a Royals fan, I pray he doesn’t leave. It makes sense for him in a potential standpoint but the risk of crap hitting the fan in Atl doesn’t make it a slam dunk opportunity either.
And as a lifelong Royals fan I hope he leaves and takes that dip of a manager, Yost, with him. Please explain to me and a lot of others why you think he’s such a stud GM? Because he put together 3 winning seasons in 11 of being in charge? Is that impressive? How about the fact that we’ll probably lose for the next 4 or 5 seasons… so that’ll give Dayton 3 winning seasons in like 15 of being in charge. Impressed yet? I’m not. Dayton is a joke.. Nothing he’s done the past 2 years has worked. NOTHING. And in 11 years he hasn’t produced one star starting pitcher, not one. Or one stud hitter either. Not one. Leave, take Ned with you, but just leave.
Coppy is that you?
Moore has earned the right to run his own department. I suspect answering to all the John’s, Bobby, and McGuirk (though anyone would have to answer to him) isn’t something he’s willing to do. And before you say Bobby and Schuerholz aren’t involved, that they’re still involved and there are legitimate reports varying in their degree of power is enough dysfunction to be persuaded away.
It’d be bad if down the road “it would become best” for the Braves and John Hart to part ways.
Seems like going to the Braves would be inheriting a mess
He is interested in leaving, just not for a sinking ship in Atlanta. The Braves are going to get much bigger penalties than those the Red Sox got for bundling IFA contracts. They are going to lose several prospects including Acuna, a ton of money, and at least a couple of years of IFA pool. It’s going to set back their rebuild several years. Would you want to be the GM of the Titanic?
Hah, the Braves are NOT losing Acuna, he wasn’t even signed under the current FO. Maybe you are thinking of Maitan? That hasn’t been proven yet and even if it turns out to be true and the Braves lose him and other IFAs signed in the past two years it won’t really affect the major league club for several years. They will still have one of the best farm systems in baseball and will most likely be competing by 2019 regardless of this front office scandal.
This is like when the Cardinals had their hacking scandal, people just start throwing around punishments. When they initially had their problems, people said they were gonna have to send Reyes, Kelly, Bader all to Houston plus several years of draft picks, tons of money, and a playoff ban. They’ll say whatever when they don’t like an org. I’m sure there’ll be a significant punishment but not what people just toss around.
outinleftfield: I agree that the Braves situation could be a mess.
But show us something, anything, that indicates that Dayton Moore “is interested in leaving” KC, contrary to the HEADLINE and the citations in the story. Please?
Probably for the best.
Even though the Royals will now be rebuilding after losing their biggest stars, the Braves organization is going to be set back at least five years with the unprecedented sanctions and punishment levied by MLB. “Coppy” has lawyered up and is facing jail time, so it’s not looking good.
What’s he facing jail time for? I thought this was just him being shady. Did he actually do stuff that is illegal with regard to US law and not MLB? Would appreciate the source for this.
I don’t believe there is one.
Dayton just missed out on a free lunch at Olive Garden on ATL.
The Braves are not 5 years from competing our farm is stacked and the guns are coming up a 3rd baseman a elite starter bring up Acuna and better bullpen I predict will be on top the division in 2-3 years
Prospects busy all the time though
Correct. The Royals have 8 former Top100 (BA or MLB.com) prospects on their roster who have all fallen enough that everyone thinks they will be a bad team for a few years.
Considering Moore took a chronically mismanaged organization with no resources to work with and brought them 2 WS appearances and a ring, had three more seasons in which they had a realistic shot at the playoffs for most of the season, and kept their window of contention open as long as he could… I don’t know why he’d have a problem rebuilding again.
This was a team that had winning percentages that couldn’t win a batting title for several years and had one winning season between the strike year and 2013.
If you’re enamored with .500 ball and thinking that is good, I can’t help you. Dayton acquired a team in 2006 with multiple top 100 propsects and several other young guys that needed a shot.
He used Greinke to make the best trade he’s made as the GM, a guy he didn’t draft. He had Gordon, who is arguably the best bat on this team for the past 10 years and he didn’t draft him.
In 11 seasons he hasn’t drafted one good reliable starting pitcher. Not one. At least that’s left on this team. And in 11 seasons hes not produced one reliable bat. No Hosmer doesn’t count because of this season. Hosmer, Moose… they both have been inconsistent and unreliable at the plate.
So in 11 seasons you have had 3 winning years, 3. In 11 seasons you’ve had drafts that have produced zero top starters and zero top bats. Your organization is depleted in every sense of the word. You have 0 top 100 prospects. None. Your youth consists of Mondesi and Bonifacio, 2 players that honestly are not good. You’re paying over 50 million to 4 players on your team over 30 years old and that have played consistent horrible baseball. You’re saddled with bad contracts and an aging team.
But you go ahead and keep thinking Dayton is some genius. All because you finally made it to the World Series again and obviously no other General Manager could have ever made that happen in KC.
I will take a WS title and another AL championship over no “good reliable starting pitcher.” Ask any Nats fans if they would rather have Strasburg or a WS title.
Moore took a franchise that was worse than a pile of ashes and resurrected it into a model franchise. That he did that with the franchise that has the least going for it, especially at the time, is nothing short of amazing. I am sure other GM’s could have done it, but you have to give Moore credit for having actually done it.
As for the supposedly barren roster, two players, currently ages 25 and 22, were TOP 50 prospects before they lost eligibility and 6 more were TOP100 at one time. Moore has shown a talent for finding the flaw in the system and exploiting it — what he did with speed and defense and what he did with a dominating bullpen. These things are what all teams are looking to do now.
I look forward to his next magic trick. Royals fans were disappointed with the finish this year and we do have higher expectations. We have Moore to thank for that.
Let me guess you’re under 25 and have been following the Royals ever since they became good again, right? You probably recognize the name Brett but couldn’t name another decent player they’ve ever had on their team?
Don’t give me Dayton Moore exposed a flaw in the system and built a winning team with speed and defense. Long time Royals fans know this was how this team was ALWAYS built, they just strayed from it when Glass took over after Ewing’s unfortunate passing. And it’s not like other teams in the league haven’t had pitching, speed and defense before.
And it’s not like other teams haven’t won before. Hell, you bring up the Nats and Strasburg and assume that they’d rather be rid of him and have won a single World Series? You do realize that the playoffs are a complete crapshoot, right? You think the Royals were the best team the 2 years they made the World Series, because they weren’t. They were a once-in-a-lifetime comeback away from never making it in 2014 and basically the same thing in 2015. And they followed those 2 years up with utter and complete crap where basically they played EXACTLY like most predictions figured they would the 2 years they made the series. The Nats on the other hand have made the playoffs 4 times in the 6 years that Strasburg has been on the team, but never made the World Series.
The Oakland A’s under Billy Beane have made the playoffs 8 times in the 20 years he’s been in charge. And 2 other times his team has won 88 and 91 games and missed the playoffs. Yet they’ve never made the World Series. I guess that makes Beane a dumb General Manager and Moore a genius because in 11 seasons he’s had 3 winning years but made it to the World Series twice with 1 win? Beane’s winning percentage is far and away better than Moore’s. Far and away. Going to the playoffs 8 times in 2o years is something Dayton will NEVER do with the Royals, unless a small miracle – no really make that a HUGE miracle – happens. But yet you talk about Moore as though he is a miracle.
He’s not.
Between 2008 and 2013 the Rays didn’t have a losing season. That’s 6 straight years. And they made the playoffs 4 times, the World Series once.
Yet, the Royals under Dayton Moore go to the playoffs 2 times in 6 years, 3 winning seasons (with the same core team) and just because they win once, people like you declare him genius and suggest that he worked some damn miracle that NOBODY ELSE and NO OTHER TEAM could ever do.
It’s humorous. And shows how very little most KC fans know about baseball.
I am much older than 25 and followed the Royals for all 30 of those non-playoff teams.
Nice way to debate, call everyone who disagrees dumb. Truly shows your brilliance
It is not my fault nor is it fiction that a good majority of Royals fans that came out to the stadium over the past few years just realized there is actually a team in this town. Where were they while we were losing 100 games? They certainly weren’t paying attention to the team or to baseball as a whole.
Nor is it my fault or fiction that YOU posted that Dayton exposed some flaw by building the team the same damn way that they were built in the early 70’s and into the 80’s. So it’s not like that was genius. Nor has no other General Manager in baseball ever tried to build a team like that, I suppose, right?
I am only countering the things you said.
Then I countered your ridiculousness about the Nats wishing Strasburg gone and gave 2 examples of other teams that have FAR outperformed what Dayton Moore has done with the Royals, showing proof that Dayton isn’t some miracle worker that can only accomplish what others can’t.
And your response is, that I called people dumb and don’t know how to debate? Might want to take a look in the mirror or find a suitable response to my destruction of your pondering. 🙂
Yes i will take moore over beane or any of the clowns in tampa. Moore was responsible for the revolution of the bullpen which is to biggest reason they won in the postseason. The royals lack of depth in the pen also kept them out of post season play the last two years. And in 2015 the royals had the best record in the al and won the world series so i would say by either measure they were the best team that year. Unless your into giving Pythagorean championships
Moore is wise to quash any speculation that he may be a match for the Braves. Atlanta is the Fukushima of baseball right now, and the cleanup may take years.