Kansas City Royals: Eight bold predictions for 2020 season

Bold Prediction No. 4: Dayton Moore Swings a Seismic Trade

Quick comment on the above picture of Royals general manager, Dayton Moore: what’s he up to in that picture? Do you all agree with me that he makes that same facial expression whenever he’s about to make a deal? Or is he secretly a prankster and that’s the expression he makes right before one of his epic pranks goes down?

Regardless of the true meaning behind that expression, during the 2020 season, Moore is going to swing a deal that has seismic ramifications for the franchise.

It could be a trade similar to when he dealt Zack Greinke to the Milwaukee Brewers for core parts that eventually helped the team capture consecutive pennants and one World Series title, or it could be similar to when he dealt Wil Myers and others to Tampa Bay for James Shields, Wade Davis, and spare parts, a move that paid dividends much sooner than did the former trade.

Moore has the ammunition to make either type of trade. He could package some of his young arms to acquire a more established starting pitcher, or maybe a bat to plug in somewhere. Or, if the team starts out slowly, he could trade one of a number of veterans (Soler, Merrifield, chief among them) for prized prospects.

Or–and stay with me here–what if he dealt a prized young pitching prospect for a prized young hitting prospect? You know: a true baseball trade.

However he does it, before the start of the 2021 season, Moore will have made a major trade.