Quote:
Originally Posted by tk13
Dayton's not above criticism, no one is. But there's a couple realities as to why we're where we are.
1.) Dayton did not draft well in the mid-2010s and we're paying for it.
2.) He was in a brutal spot with the World Series group. Ticket sales and fan interest was through the roof. If he dismantles that World Series group early he gets completely destroyed. "How could you break up a World Series champion?" So he rode it out to the end for two more years. There is not a person here who would have supported dismantling that team in 2016, and if you say so you're lying. Him and Glass would have been run out of town. So you have to start from scratch. Otherwise you're waiting for the draft picks you get in 2018 to get up here, which we're just starting to see. Especially since they didn't draft well.
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I agree with these two points. I also have no regrets about what the Royals did in 2016 and 2017 with the players they had. There were definitely fans and analysts who thought the wiser course would be to start the rebuild/retooling then, but I was OK with what the Royals did because I felt if that team did somehow get into the playoffs, they would have a knack for making it interesting. There's also something to be said for not breaking faith with a core team of players that became champions.
One additional point, the Royals handled the 2015 season superbly when they picked up Cueto and Zobrist at midseason. In recent seasons, at least one other team, the Pirates, saw their windows open and close without the team taking decisive steps. I will always be grateful for that 2015 team and how they rose to the great expectations that had been placed on them.