34 Comments

Hiring Moore's replacement without a single outside interview is classic Royals.

Would JJ have gotten an interview at another franchise to be the GM of another team this year? No.

One could even argue that JJ might not even get an assistant GM job if he were let go. And I'm not even discounting that he's done amazing work that deserves to be commended.

Yes, JJ probably had a ton to do with the core of Bobby, MJ, Pratto, Vinnie, etc. And he probably improved their batting. But these are guys selected at the top of the draft (Vinnie excluded) and getting them coaching to get them out of slumps is essentially the bare minimum of what a Front Office has to do.

Losing is very hard. And sometimes we get into a funk where we say "we don't deserve better". This happens to people who let themselves go in previously bad relationships and are trying to get back onto the market. They go for what feels safe and familiar.

If JJ was not part of the organization and you simply looked at a the headline on paper : Royals hire Assistant GM of Franchise that has lost 7 consecutive years in a row and has yet to develop a starting pitcher in 10+ years. There would be understandable outrage.

We aren't building for the future with people winning now. We're building for recreating the past with people who haven't been winning lately.

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Definitely looking forward to more changes. I'll give credit to Dayton showing up at the press conference where his firing was the primary topic.

Wasn't often a fan of DM, but he has character. Most admirable thing he did was commit to paying minor leaguers in 2020 when everyone else said they wouldn't.

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Agree with all comments and observations that Dayton Moore is a fine man and a high quality person. Like you, I have some reservations about his right-hand man taking over the ship, but I believe Sherman must have already had the conversation with him about big changes in direction or he wouldn't have been retained. David - really interested in your candidate list for pitching development leadership as that's clearly our biggest challenge. Overall, an encouraging day and development in what has been a year of consistent disappointments. Finally, I found it encouraging that Mr. Sherman is a) Clearly keeping track of wins and losses and not just moral victories and b) An active owner with his eye on every part of the operations. Very refreshing.

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The change caught me surprised in the timing of it. I was thinking anything would wait until the offseason at this point. Do you think the timing had anything to do with DM’s comments on the Athletic article the end of last week. Where….it was going to wait until the end of the season….but once his comments came out it was we need to move now? DM’s comments all season just seemed odd….like he knew this was coming or being pushed out.

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David Lesky, Of those names you mentioned in the article, who would be your top one or two choices? Can we expect an article on potential managers, hitting and pitching coaches, etc. or will you wait until the axe actually falls? Once again, another great and informative article. Thanks!

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I'm obviously in favor of moving on from Moore, but I'm not sure I trust an owner who doesn't know how many hands a human has. From The Athletic: “On one hand, it’s about development,” Sherman said. “On one hand, it’s about data-driven decision-making. On one hand, it’s about being willing and trying to upgrade your team all the time.”

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One quote from Sherman that I haven't seen discussed but that I think backs up your thought that "...maybe Sherman wanted to draw a line in the sand and make sure that the decisions made on said coaching staff were Picollo’s and had nothing to do with Moore..." is when he said that while evaluating Moore and others "...I felt like we needed to make more change than what was being talked about and that's was a big part of why we're making this change." That quote confirms in my mind that even after this disaster of a season, Dayton's ideas moving forward were still going to default to loyalty to his people, specifically Matheny and possibly Eldred. Am I off base?

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Throwing money at qualified front office personnel is the only way for small market teams to compete. When you're paying Hunter Dozier almost $5 million per year, it seems like a no brainer to throw money at people that can identify and develop talent. I'm guessing that most of the candidates identified can be pried loose if the dollars are sufficiently enticing, particularly if the owner indicates that he will also spend the money necessary to obtain and apply the latest technology.

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Would Sherman have made the move now (instead of the off season) if Moore hadn't given that tone deaf, defensive dismissal of The Athletic article? Maybe he would have even allowed him to quietly resign in November instead of so publicly firing him?

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Loved this one!

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David, if I may, I'd like to request prayers for the person I wish I could talk to about the Royals and this Dayton/JJ change right now: My dear friend, lifelong Royals fan and Chiefs studio broadcaster Art Hains.

Art is in critical condition in the ICU and on a ventilator. Doctors believe he has an immune system disorder. Art is an absolute titan of the radio industry and a man who's always helped young professionals, including yours truly.

I'm honestly not sure what I'd do without him. Just here hoping for the best for a man who loves Kansas City, the Royals and his family. https://sports.yahoo.com/longtime-missouri-state-athletics-broadcaster-184649048.html

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In my mind there are still two burning issues... I appreciate your efforts to address them but right now nobody can really say for sure...

1) JJ was Robin to Dayton's Batman for so long, how can we be sure he isn't Dayton 2.0?

2) I really hope you're right about massive change coming to the organization. I'll believe it when Matheny and Eldred are gone and when there's been a massive overhaul of the pitching coaches, development people, and evaluators throughout the organization.

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Sep 23, 2022·edited Sep 23, 2022

Fun conspiracy theory I imagined: Dayton knew it was time for him to go and that it was JJ's time to lead. He refused a chance to resign or accept some ceremonial position within the organization.

But not out of an "I'll never resign" attitude. More out of a "Say you fired me. Because that's what needs to happen for the Kansas City Royals. Sometimes, people deserve to have their faith rewarded" kind of thing. He could be the villain ... because he could take it.

Dayton was the hero Kansas City deserved, but not the one it needs right now.

Everyone: "Isn't that ... isn't that the ending of The Dark Knight?"

Me: "Sshhhhhhh."

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