Kansas City Royals: Best free agent signings under Dayton Moore
Dayton Moore has been the savior for the Kansas City Royals and while he did a lot of that through the draft, he also signed key free agents when needed.
When Dayton Moore took over as the Kansas City Royals General Manager in 2006, he made it known to everyone that there’d be a process and fans needed to remain patient. Less than a decade later, the Royals were the World Series Champions after knocking off the New York Mets in five games.
Moore has been a tremendous General Manager for the Royals and he’s succeeded through both the MLB Draft and through free agency. Who have been the best names that Dayton Moore has added to the Royals ranks? Well, I decided to go through the way back machine and find out.
I excluded any player who was homegrown talent that might have re-signed here after his deal was up (Luke Hochevar for instance) so I’m just throwing that out there now. Players who were traded here and then later re-signed or signed extensions, however, are fair game.
Let’s get to it!
BEST DAYTON MOORE FREE AGENTS – NUMBER 8: JEFF FRANCOEUR
Obviously, this pertains to the first time Dayton Moore inked Jeff Francoeur (or Frenchy, as he was often referred to as) to a contract, as we all know the extension didn’t pan out so well. In 2010, the Royals gave Frenchy a one-year deal and he’d more than live up to that hype.
In 2011, Francoeur slashed .285/.329/.476 with 20 home runs and 87 RBI in 601 at-bats. Frenchy spent most of that year in right field and filled a position that the Royals had struggled to find consistency at over the years.
Due to Frenchy’s hot-hitting ways and popularity with the fans, Moore gave him a two-year extension and it did not go well, to say the least. The deal was worth $13.5 million and Francoeur proved that the 2011 season might have been a big ol’ fluke. Frenchy was designated for assignment before the end of the 2013 season.
During that 2011 season, however, there wasn’t much to get excited about for Royals fans. Jeff Francoeur was the outlier for that and it was nearly impossible to go to a retail store in Kansas City and not see a Francoeur shirsey in the sporting goods section.
It’s a shame that Frenchy’s time in Kansas City couldn’t have ended on a better note, but he was still was one of Dayton Moore’s best free-agent signings.