The Kansas City Royals locked up two key leaders in their organization Thursday, announcing contract extensions for manager Ned Yost and executive vice president of baseball operations and general manager Dayton Moore.
Andrew Simon reported the news for the Royals’ official website, indicating that the length of Moore’s new deal isn’t yet known, but that Yost’s extension goes through the 2018 season.
Royals president Dan Glass commented on the decision to extend Moore, via the news release:
You can’t find an individual with a stronger work ethic or dedication to his craft than Dayton Moore. He possesses all of the qualities you look for starting with his leadership, to organizational vision and tireless dedication to the position. Dayton also possesses the ability to get everyone working toward the same common goal, which is to strive daily to make this organization better.
Moore has done a tremendous job constructing a championship roster for the Royals, who appeared in the past two World Series and hoisted the Commissioner’s Trophy this past year. He has been in Kansas City’s front office since 2006 and has cemented an indefinite tenure.
“It’s a privilege to continue to represent the Glass family, our organization and the great fans as the general manager of the Kansas City Royals,” said Moore, via Simon. “I’m proud of the culture and it’s an honor to work alongside so many talented and dedicated people within this organization.”
But Yost was the clubhouse catalyst who helped the Royals take the next step. The skipper shepherded a burgeoning young core into a juggernaut contender.
The duration of Yost’s new deal is in line with how long he believes Kansas City can remain a factor in the Fall Classic picture.
“You work so hard as a group to develop a winner, and it’s hard to leave while they still have an opportunity to win,” Yost said, via the Kansas City Star‘s Rustin Dodd. “We feel like we’ve got that opportunity [to win] for the next three years.”
ESPN Stats & Info highlighted how magnificent Yost has been when it counts most:
“We are extremely delighted that Ned will remain our manager through at least the 2018 championship season,” Moore said of Yost, via Simon. “It’s an absolute joy and honor to work alongside him.”
Part of the reason Moore’s vision for the club came to fruition in the form of a World Series crown was his patience with Yost, whose time in the Kansas City dugout began with three losing seasons.
Instead of making a rash decision to fire him based on the lack of bottom-line results, Moore stuck with a manager who hadn’t made the playoffs in six prior years with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Their partnership has appropriately been extended at the same time, presenting an exemplary, unified front for the reigning World Series champions.
Although Moore and Co. weren’t able to retain marquee starting pitcher Johnny Cueto in free agency, Kansas City still has much of its nucleus intact. That should help its efforts to guard the Commissioner’s Trophy in 2016, though Odds Shark lists the Royals with 16-1 odds to do so, behind six other clubs.
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