The last time the St. Louis Cardinals had a losing season was 2007. Somewhat conveniently for the comparison I am about to make, that lines up with Dayton Moore’s first season as general manager of the Kansas City Royals.
In the 12 full seasons since then, the Cardinals made the playoffs six times—half—and won two World Series. The Royals, meanwhile, made the playoffs twice, and while they were more efficient with their playoff trips, that didn’t exactly mean much in, say, 2012, when the Royals lost 90 games and the Cardinals were one out from a third World Series appearance.