Jarrod Dyson cried when he found out. He only knew one franchise. He only knew one city, one collection of friends.
It was the first week of January, and the Royals had just traded Dyson, a 32-year-old outfielder, to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for starting pitcher Nathan Karns. After parts of seven seasons in Kansas City, after two World Series appearances and a world championship, after years of offering swagger to a clubhouse, Dyson was moving on. He needed a moment to let it out.
“That was all I knew,” he said.
These days, though, Dyson can look at the offseason trade in more rational terms.