KANSAS CITY — Flirting with 100 losses for the third time in five seasons, RoyalsJohn Sherman is the owner Dayton Moore was dismissed as president of baseball operationsWednesday. It was an emotional choice, but not completely unplanned. Moore, 55, was the architect of the 2015 World Series champions, the man who arrived in town in 2006 and resuscitated a dormant franchise in the heartland, painstakingly constructing a champion in one of the sport’s smallest markets and bringing baseball back to life in Kansas City. He also was an executive who had overseen just three winning seasons in 16 years — and whose latest attempt at building a sustained winner had yet to fully launch.
But what was even more surprising was Sherman’s decision to fire Moore and replace him with J.J. Picollo. Picollo is a longtime assistant general manger who was promoted to general managers in late 2021. Sherman spoke to reporters on Wednesday afternoon to explain why he was willing to let Moore go and place his trust in another member the same front office.
“On one hand, it’s about development,” Sherman said. “On one hand, it’s about data-driven decision-making. On one hand, it’s about being willing and trying to upgrade your team all the time.”
In short, Sherman is looking for a top executive who will make tough decisions in reshaping the organization’s player development system —
