3. Royals will fire Ned Yost
Yost has had a brilliant run with the Royals. He led the team to a winning record in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Before that, Kansas City hadn’t enjoyed three straight winning seasons since 1987, 1988, and 1989. Of course, those seasons also netted the Royals an American League pennant in 2014 and a World Series in 2015.
Many of the key players are still on the team. But following a disappointing 81-81 season in 2016 and a dismal start in 2017, it appears that the great run is over.
Kansas City is one of many teams off to a disappointing start, but as we’ve detailed, this start is different. The Royals are a small market team with a load of free agents. At least some of those players are going to be moved.
When that happens, the best thing Kansas City can do for Yost is to let him go elsewhere. Yost will turn 62 in August and frankly, it’s hard to imagine him wanting to run a team that’s not going anywhere for a few years.
Bringing in a new guy to oversee the rebuilding project just makes sense. Letting go of someone who managed the team through such a successful era won’t be easy. But for both the manager and team, it’s the most sensible thing to do.