Dayton Moore affirms commitment to Royals — and keeps options open

Royals general manager Dayton Moore on Wednesday affirmed his commitment to his current job and touted his admiration for owner David Glass. Yet with the Atlanta Braves’ general manager role still vacant — and rumors of his possible return to that organization not yet squashed — Moore declined to state unequivocally that he would be back as the general manager in Kansas City in 2018.

“To me, it’s really unprofessional to comment on the vacancy, the potential vacancy of another organization,” Moore said during a scheduled news conference at Kauffman Stadium. “I will say this: Nobody has presented that to me at this point in time. I will say this: I’m extremely passionate about leading.

“I’m committed to leading. Not only as a general manager, but as a citizen of this community, as a husband, as a father. As long as I get the opportunity to do that, I’m doing what I believe I’m supposed to do.”

The Braves’ general manager job has been open since Oct. 2, when John Coppolella resigned in the midst of a Major League Baseball probe into the organization’s conduct in the international player market. The results of the investigation are not expected to be made public until after the World Series, according to reports.

Moore spent more than a decade with the Braves as a scout and executive before taking over as Royals general manager in 2006. His ties to the organization and its current vice chairman, John Schuerholz, his former boss, make him a natural candidate for the job.

But there could be other considerations. John Hart, a former general manager with the Indians and Rangers, remains in place as Atlanta’s president of baseball operations.

In the previous power structure, Hart oversaw Coppolella and ran the baseball operations department. Moore would be unlikely to move to the Braves without having full autonomy and power over all baseball decisions.

Before Tuesday, Moore had twice declined comment when asked by The Star about the rumors. Privately, club officials see Moore’s comments as both keeping his options open, in the case of some unforeseen development, while also trying to maintain healthy relationships throughout baseball.

On Tuesday, Moore once again stressed his commitment to the Royals. But he would not commit to being back — at least not fully.

“Like I said, I get the connection there,” he said. “I get the connection. That’s where I started in this game. It’s very natural for somebody to ask that question.

“But again, I just don’t think it requires me to comment at this point.”

This story was originally published October 18, 2017 at 4:00 PM with the headline "Dayton Moore affirms commitment to Royals — and keeps options open."