When Dayton Moore first came to town, Money Ball was all the rage. The Bill James revolution was gaining ground. Most organizations were still fighting it, but they were starting to listen. The biggest lesson from Money Ball was to take advantage of undervalued assets. A tactic the Kansas City Royals used to win a World Series.
In 2014 and 2015, the Royals’ starting staff was weak. HDH was starting to break up when Greg Holland got hurt. Starters were too expensive, so the Royals began acquiring affordable relievers who were coming off injuries or bad seasons.