Bob Lutz: The moves that helped make the Royals champions

Dayton Moore took over as the general manager of the Kansas City Royals on June 8, 2006, in the midst of another dreadful season. A 16-12 win over the Texas Rangers that night in front of just more than 11,000 fans at Kauffman Stadium improved the Royals’ record to 15-43. They would go on to lose 100 games.

Who knows what Moore, part of a successful front office in Atlanta, must have been thinking as he watched the monstrosity of a baseball team that he was now running.

It was not going to be an overnight fix. The Royals were mired in futility, depending on over-the-hill veterans such as Mark Grudzielanek and Reggie Sanders just to put a team on the field. The starting rotation in 2006 consisted of Mark Redman, Scott Elarton, Runelvys Hernandez, Luke Hudson and Odalis Perez. Many others were given a shot but ended up shooting themselves in the feet.

The Royals were lost and it was up to Moore to find them. It was a search that would last for years as Moore made moves he thought — maybe hoped — would help.

Less than 10 years after being hired, Moore’s eyes burned from the flow of the champagne being sprayed in the Royals’ clubhouse at Citi Field on Sunday night after Kansas City wrapped up its second world championship and first in 30 years. Surrounding him were players he had drafted, signed as free agents and traded for and who had come together to form a team that not only won, but did so with such a flair for the dramatic that the world tuned in to watch.

At least a bigger chunk of the world than had watched a World Series in a while. The Royals, a team that for years couldn’t bribe people into their stadium, became must-watch television for the millions who tuned in.

Moore did it. It took a while and there were some serious doubts about whether he was the right guy for this job – or whether there was a right guy for this job – but it finally happened.

Moore made some astute moves. And some of the first-round draft picks in the years before he arrived also panned out. Here’s a look at the draft picks, trades and free-agent acquisitions that allowed Kansas City to shed many years of losing to finally win again.

▪ Just a few months after Moore took over, the Royals signed a lanky, 16-year-old Venezuelan catcher by the name of Salvador Perez for $65,000. He made it to the big leagues in 2011 and is one of the game’s finest catchers and most engaging personalities.

▪ The Royals’ futility did have one benefit — it consistently moved Kansas City up in the draft. The Royals had a bunch of high picks for a long time and they’ve made some wise choices. In 2002, Kansas City took Zack Grienke with the sixth pick. In 2004, the Royals got Billy Butler at No. 14. And from 2005-08, the Royals got hot in the draft, choosing Alex Gordon (second), Luke Hochevar (first), Mike Moustakas (second) and Eric Hosmer (third) in the first round. Gordon, Moustakas and Hosmer are cornerstone players after tenuous beginnings and Hochevar, who struggled as a starter, is a key right-hander in the bullpen.

▪ On Dec. 19, 2010, Moore initiated a blockbuster trade with the Milwaukee Brewers. He dealt Greinke, an impending free agent, along with infielder Yuniesky Betancourt and received shortstop Alcides Escobar, outfielder Lorenzo Cain and pitchers Jeremy Jeffress and Jake Odorizzi in return. Greinke is still one of the best pitchers in baseball and will cash in again as a free agent this winter. But the Royals weren’t going to be able to re-sign him and ended up getting their shortstop and center fielder, two of the best defensive players in baseball and their leadoff and three-hole hitters during the 2015 postseason. It’s one of the best trades in Royals history and one that was met with skepticism when it was made.

▪ Two years later, on Dec. 9, 2012, Moore made an even more controversial trade when he dealt young outfielder Wil Myers and three others to Tampa Bay for starting pitchers James Shields and Wade Davis, and a player to be named, who turned out to be utility infielder Elliott Johnson. Myers was considered one of the top prospects in baseball and Royals fans expected him to be a fixture in center field for many years. Remember, the Royals had not shown much improvement during Moore’s six years as general manager and this move, many thought, was sure to backfire. Yes, it brought Kansas City a much-needed anchor for the pitching staff in Shields. But at a high cost. And Davis, an unsuccessful starter for the Rays, had just made a nice transition to the bullpen in 2012. The Royals, though, brought him to KC as a starter. Well, give Moore on A-plus for this deal, too. Shields helped transform the pitching staff for two seasons before moving on to San Diego and Davis transformed into the most reliable reliever in baseball. Myers, who will be 25 in December, has struggled with injuries and played 60 games this season with the San Diego Padres.

▪ Last winter, Moore signed free-agent designated hitter Kendrys Morales after deciding to let Billy Butler go to Oakland as a free agent. Again, there was skepticism. Morales looked to be a health risk after a difficult 2014 season. But he rebounded to become one of the most-feared hitters in the American League.

▪ Two July trades this season provided the final touches to a championship team. First, the Royals traded three pitching prospects to Cincinnati for Johnny Cueto. Then, two more pitchers were dealt to Oakland for utility player Ben Zobrist. Cueto battled inconsistency but was brilliant in Game 5 of the AL Divisional Series against Houston and in Game 2 of the World Series against the Mets. And the 35-year-old Zobrist looked like he was born to be a Royal, batting .284 in 59 games after his acquisition, then .303 with eight doubles in the postseason.

This story was originally published November 3, 2015 at 12:51 PM with the headline "Bob Lutz: The moves that helped make the Royals champions."