(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
The Kansas City Royals fired president of baseball operations Dayton Moore on Wednesday.
Owner John Sherman announced that Moore, who joined the team in 2006, will leave the organization. JJ Picollo will assume control of Kansas City’s baseball operations.
“I’m really thankful for the opportunity,” Moore told The Athletic’s Andy McCullough and Ken Rosenthal. “I’m proud of our culture and what we accomplished in Kansas City. I’m disappointed we weren’t able to see it through. But I have confidence in John Sherman, JJ Picollo and the entire baseball operations department to finish it off .”
Sherman said it was “time for change.”
After falling to the San Francisco Giants in Game 7 of the 2014 World Series, the Royals returned to win it all the following year. However, those are the franchise’s only two playoff appearances since winning their first championship in 1985.
The Royals have not posted a winning record since 2015 and are currently 59-89 with the American League’s second-worst run differential (-166).
While star rookie shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. gives them a future cornerstone, the Royals have particularly struggled to develop their pitching prospects in recent years. With Witt, catcher MJ Melendez and first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino in the majors, MLB.com ranked their farm system 21st last month.
Per Pete Grathoff of the Kansas City StarSherman pointed to “a gap right now of where we are and where we expected to be.”
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