The Kansas City Royals new Golden Era
Well, it took long enough for the Kansas City Royals to succeed. However, in 2013, the first signs that the rebuild was finally over began to appear.
That offseason, Dayton Moore made a move that showed the Royals were ready to mean business. In exchange for Jake Odorizzi, Wil Myers, Mike Montgomery, and minor leaguer Patrick Leonard, the Royals received James Shields, Wade Davis, and Elliott Johnson. Johnson did not last long in Kansas City, and Davis spent most of 2013 in the rotation before becoming a dominant reliever, but the trade signaled a change in philosophy. Kansas City finished the year with an 86-76 record, their first winning season in a decade, and a sign of what was coming.
2014 was a bit of a disappointment during the first half. The Royals were two games under .500 at the trade deadline, leaving the team with a relatively quiet July. However, the Royals got hot down the stretch, earning a Wild Card berth and sweeping their way through the American League side of the postseason. While they finished 90 feet short of the championship due to Madison Bumgarner‘s heroic performance, the Royals were relevant once more.
The 2015 season proved to be magical. The Royals were playing with a chip on their shoulder from the start of the season, exemplified by Yordano Ventura‘s willingness to literally fight anyone. Ventura and Danny Duffy took major steps forward in their development, and the Royals made deals at the deadline to add Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist. Once again, the Royals found their way through the AL side of the postseason ladder, using more of their late inning magic to reach the World Series. This time, they were able to finish the job, taking down the Mes in five games to win their first title in 30 years.
It was safe to say that Kansas City was starved for success. 850,000 people showed up to the victory rally in November, a level of support that was truly impressive. The Royals had captured the region, making Kansas City a baseball town once again. However, the good times would not last, despite David Glass doing his best.