Dayton Moore sat inside a Las Vegas suite last month and conversed about the topic consuming the bulk of his time these days — the long-term future of the Royals. He expanded upon his reluctance to trade a core player, the reason for trimming payroll in the interim and the need to avoid lengthy free-agent contracts.
It all circled back to the same point. The future of the team, he says, will be built primarily through the draft. Not through free agency. Not via sweeping trades.
He telegraphed that blueprint last June, selecting 33 college players in the Royals’ initial 36 picks of the MLB Draft.