The architect of the 2015 World Series champion Kansas City Royals is mulling a run for Kansas governor, potentially adding a new dimension to a race that so far is expected to be populated by names and faces well known in state political circles.
Dayton Moore, who built the Kansas City Royals into a contending team that went to the World Series in 2014 and 2015 after years in baseball’s cellar, is traveling the state visiting with many individuals to gauge support.
“If Dayton decides to run, it certainly won’t be a political decision,” said a source close to the baseball executive.
“It will be about how to make Kansas better and give back to the state he loves so much.
“He believes it’s time for Kansas to stop settling for mediocrity, and instead our next governor must lead our state to excel in growth,” the source said.
Moore, who lives in Leawood and is now senior adviser of baseball operations for the Texas Rangers, declined to comment for this story. If he runs, it would be as a Republican.
It’s been known for several weeks that Moore has been quietly making the rounds as he tests the political waters of the upcoming 2026 governor’s race.
The race would take on a different complexion if Moore joins the Republican field, which now includes Secretary State Scott Schwab and could include former Gov. Jeff Colyer and possibly Senate President Ty Masterson and Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt.
Wichita businesswoman Joy Eakins also is considering the race. Another Wichita businesswoman, Stacy Rogers, has already announced her candidacy, although she’s only raised about $600 so far.
“It would be an interesting twist,” a source intimately familiar with Republican politics said of a Moore candidacy.
“He’s somebody that hasn’t been historically involved in Kansas politics, so he’s an option that is completely different to what everybody was looking at,” the source said.
“We’ve been looking at all the normal suspects to run for governor and if he jumps in, that just changes the dynamic because he’s an unknown and hasn’t been involved and it changes things,” the source said.
While Moore’s positions on issues facing the state such as tax cuts, government spending, energy, health, abortion and LGBTQ rights have yet to reveal themselves, it his clear from his writings and podcasts that he’s a devout follower of Christ.
Moore writes extensively about his faith in his 2015 book, “More than a Season — Building a Championship Culture.”
Moore writes about the difficulties during his early years as the general manager for the Royals when they barely won more than 40% of their games, before the team turned it around after he mades trades that set the team on a different course.
“Our first three or four years in Kansas City were difficult on our entire family,” he wrote.
“It was a challenge for us as a family to weather the criticism that was directed toward the Royals and, ultimately, me as the the general manager.”
Moore said there were times he wanted to fight back but stayed focused on his long-term goal of steering the franchise in a new direction.
“There’s no way I could have gotten through that time without a strong faith system and my wife, Marianne, who’s always been a great encourager to me,” he wrote.
“That’s where it begins and ends with me: family,” he wrote. “I’ve always strived to make them a priority, second only to my relationship with Christ.
“That love and commitment and importance of family was shown to me throughout my entire life,” he wrote.
Moore is now about to start his third season with the Texas Rangers. He serves as consultant to Rangers general manager Chris Young and the baseball operations group that led the Rangers to their first World Series championship in 2023.
Moore has now served in key player personnel roles with three different franchises accounting for six World Series appearances and three World Series titles: the Atlanta Braves in 1995, the Royals in 2015 and the Rangers in 2023.
At his first stop in Atlanta, Moore rose to the level of assistant general manager, overseeing all scouting and player development for a team that included several Hall of Famers.
Baseball America in 2005 considered one of the top 10 up-and-coming power brokers in Major League Baseball.
“Dayton Moore is a well respected person in his chosen profession, which is professional sports, and he has certainly earned serious consideration if he wishes to run for and serve as governor,” said Republican National Committeeman Mark Kahrs.
“I am open to hearing what his plan for Kansas would be,” he said.
Moore wouldn’t be the first sports executive to be a political candidate although others have had political connections or political histories.
Maybe the most prominent was George W. Bush, who helped coordinate efforts to buy the Texas Rangers when the club was put up for sale in 1988.
Bush became the team’s managing general partner and was the face of the group that owned the team. He gave up his ownership stake in the team after he was elected Texas governor in 1994 but before he was elected president in 2000.
Herb Kohl, the late Democratic U.S. senator from Wisconsin, bought the Milwaukee Bucks NBA team in 1985 for $18 million, although he had history in state politics. Kohl was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1988.
What we do know about Moore.
Moore’s mother grew up in Coldwater, west of Wichita and south of Greensburg. He was born in Wichita but later moved to New York when his dad took a new job. He later returned to Kansas to play baseball at Garden City Community College.
He later went on to play baseball at George Mason University where he earned an undergraduate degree in physical education and received a master’s in athletic administration in 1992.
More recently in Kansas City, Moore started the C You In the Major Leagues Foundation to support youth baseball, education, families in crisis and faith-based programs and organizations.
The foundation’s mission is to provide support to children and families in crisis, while reaching, teaching and developing future character-driven leaders.
In 2020, he founded Unite KC where he served as president of the board of directors.
Unite KC is described as a “grassroots, faith-based movement committed to taking action to pursue racial reconciliation in the greater Kansas City area.”
In 2014, Moore was inducted into the Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame, along side baseball greats Walter Johnson and Satchell Page, among others.
Moore and his wife, Marianne, have two daughters, Ashley and Avery, and a son,
Robert. Moore’s son was drafted in 2022 by the Milwaukee Brewers.
While there is still much to learn about Moore and his position on issues, his book provides some insight into his approach to leadership, especially as it relates to how he built the Royals into a contending team.
He writes about how leadership establishes the culture of an organization, whether it’s a Major League Baseball team, a business, a church or a college athletics department.
He suggests a cautious approach to a dramatic organizational change — even if one is warranted.
“The biggest fear in any business — and especially sports teams — is when a new leader comes in, what personnel changes will he or she make?”
Based on the shape of the Royals at the time he became general manager in 2006 — they had just lost 106 games the year before — Moore said he was urged to clean house.
“Change was definitely on the horizon, but we wanted to see how people functioned in their current roles,” he wrote.
“I did not want to create an unsettled environment. I knew we would make changes, but it might be a year or two to get all of the right people in place.”
He also placed an emphasis on hiring “energy givers” compared to “energy suckers.”
“We needed energy givers, people who were enthusiastic, extremely positive and always expected good things to happen,” he wrote.
“The term ‘energy suckers’ is self-explanatory, especially when you’ve been around these people: negative, bad attitude, and they often identify problems without offering any solutions,” he wrote.
“It doesn’t take a lot of creativity, talent or observational skills to simply identify a problem,” he wrote.
Moore also writes about the importance of transparency and “leading yourself well,” including the need to forgive.
“As part of changing the culture, I have stressed transparency in myself and our organization in order to achieve long-term success,” he wrote.
“Transparency, I believe, is very important in all areas of life because it’s a great way to build trust,” he wrote.
“You’re going to get exposed in life anyway, so you might as well be open about your flaws and mistakes,” he wrote. “You have to know what you don’t know.”
Moore also writes about the importance of “leading” in his personal life and the emphasis he has put on making his family a priority even under the pressure of the spotlight of Major League Baseball.
“If I’m not leading in my personal life, it’s going to be difficult to lead other people.”
He cites Jesus in addressing the importance of forgiveness.
“If you don’t forgive on a daily basis, you’ll become bitter and consumed with the wrong things, creating a feeling of consistent misery. There’ll always be someone saying or writing something, so I have to forgive.
“For me, without my faith, I’m not sure I would have the ability to forgive and start with a fresh and positive attitude each day.”
