MLB: Assessing the AL Central GMs at the midway point
By Bill Felber
Kansas City Royals, Dayton Moore, -3.2 games.
Moore has run the Royals front office since 2006, making him far and away the dean of the division’s execs.
The first half of the 2021 season, however, has been just about as bad for Moore as it has been for the Royals. His team, thought by some to be a sleeper choice in the division, is a disappointing fifth with nine straight losses by a cumulative 44 runs.
For a time, it looked like Moore’s best move was the trade that heisted Andrew Benintendi (+0.2) away from Boston for Franchy Cordero (-0.6). That’s a net win for the Royals of one full game…or it was until Benintendi sustained a rib injury two weeks ago.
Since then a hairline fracture has been found, and there is not yet a reliable timetable for his return.
Other moves of statistical significance by Moore since the end of the 2020 season.
He bought up Hunter Dozier’s arbitration seasons through 2025 for just less than $24 million. That looked reasonable until Dozier (-2.9) turned in a .166 first half average with a .568 OPS.
He signed reliever Wade Davis (-1.0), outfielder Michael A. Taylor (-0.1), infielder Hanser Alberto (-0.3) and first baseman Carlos Santana (+0.3) to free agent contracts. Net impact on the Royals: (-1.1).
He promoted rookie pitchers Tyler Zuber (-0.4), Jake Brentz (+0.6), Jackson Kowar (-0.6), and Daniel Lynch (-0.8). Net impact: -1.2.