Late Tuesday night, in the moments after another loss, in a clubhouse that had turned introspective and quiet, Jarrod Dyson stopped near a table in the middle of the room. He slipped a brown Louis Vuitton backpack over his shoulders and wore frustrated look on his face. He pondered a season that suddenly appeared in free fall.
The Royals had dropped to 48-51, a season-low three games under .500 after being trounced 13-0 by the Los Angeles Angeles. The trade deadline loomed less than six days way. The specter of change hung in the clubhouse of the defending World Series champions.