In just 12 months, Kansas City Royals general manager Dayton Moore has gone from on the brink of “the hot seat” to the signing of a shiny new contract.
#Royals and GM Dayton Moore agree to a two-year extension, which runs through the 2016 season.
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) November 29, 2013
The announcement (from the Royals’ official Twitter account) affirms that Moore will not only avoid firing (which was a foregone conclusion at this point), but he will be residing in Kansas City through at least 2016. In 2013, the Royals exceeded any reasonable expectation, posting an 86-76 mark in the American League Central, and missing the playoffs by just 5.5 games.
That impressive finish, combined with a very commendable job of rebuilding the talent base in Kansas City, has given Moore a real vote of confidence after 7 years on the job. Of course, it is crucial to remember that the work is nowhere near done for Moore, as he has big-time decisions on some of his players (James Shields, Eric Hosmer, etc.) in the near future, as well as the newfound expectations for the team to continue its vast improvement from 2013.
Congratulations should go out to Moore on avoiding the turmoil that comes with repeated failure, but his biggest task could be keeping the team at this level of competitiveness.