How quickly, it seems, did the Kansas City Royals fall from World Champions. Just four years removed from the pinnacle of baseball, they are now the third-worst team in the game.

Is the current situation the product of horrible management, the inevitable lapse after a championship, or some acceptable phase in the process of transition from one success to another?

We won’t know the ultimate answer to that question for years to come. But in hosting the New York Mets at Kauffman Stadium this weekend, the Royals can reflect on the rapid demise of other contenders.

When the Royals defeated the Mets in the 2015 World Series, New York fans justifiably took a “wait-‘til-next-year” attitude. After all, the Mets appeared built for a sustained run. Starting pitchers Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey and Noah Syndergaard were as talented a 20-somethings trio as you could hope for. Closer Jeurys Familia, just 25 himself, was dominant.

But just two years later, the Mets were an also-ran. They’ve fought their way back to respectability, but are still probably not playoff worthy.

So, you might argue, what does one example of a quick demise prove? Well, take a look at some of the other playoff teams from 2014, the year the Royals reached the World Series:

• The Baltimore Orioles, the second-best team in the American League in 2014, are now one of the worst teams in history. (They are on pace to win just 100 games over a two-year span!)
• The Los Angeles Angels, the best team in the AL that season, have yet to return to the playoffs, and have been sub-.500 for the past four seasons, even with the game’s best player in Mike Trout.
• And the Detroit Tigers, who bested the Royals for the AL Central in 2014, have had just one winning season since, and are currently the worst team in baseball.

Look at 2015 for more evidence of what can happen to contenders:

• The Toronto Blue Jays, second only to the Royals in regular-season wins in 2015, are in their fifth-straight season of decline and are now on pace to lose 96 games.
• The Pittsburg Pirates, Wild Card participants in both 2014 and 2015, are currently on pace to lose 95 games.

Granted, the Royals are on a two-year skid that rivals that of the Orioles, so no one should be patting himself on the back in Kansas City. Still, there is some consolation in knowing that such collapses happen frequently in the era of free-agency.

The Royals chose to try to contend in 2016 and 2017 with the same group intact rather than quickly turn over what they’d built. What resulted was a slow decline leading to the bottom of the heap. So this rebuild may take a while. But they are not alone in their current circumstance. They can look across the diamond at Syndergaard, deGrom, et al, and take solace that at least they won a championship.

Tebow watch on hold:

The Mets come to Kansas City just a few weeks before the annual expansion of big league rosters. The timing seemed unfortunate to the Kauffman crowd, because it was believed the Mets might promote former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow to their big-league roster come September. Just image if Touchdown Timmy had made his big league debut at Kauffman Stadium.

But alas, Tebow won’t reach the big leagues this year, and his chances of ever making the show are taking a serious blow. Tebow suffered a cut on his throwing hand and will be out for the rest of the season.

With Tebow just a step away from his ultimate goal, a rule change poses a serious threat to his future. The former quarterback turned 32 on Wednesday and probably needed the benefit of big September rosters to ever make the big leagues. Under the current rules, anyone on a club’s 40-man roster could be promoted in September.

But starting next year, expansion will only permit 28 players. With fewer spots available, room for Tebow may never exist. His window of opportunity certainly becomes a lot smaller come next season.

Anniversary of pennant race denied:

Through the decades of futility in Kansas City, the Royals looked back to 1994 as the last time they finished above .500, and the last time they chased a playoff spot.

Twenty-five years ago this week, major league players walked out on strike, just as the Royals emerged as the hottest team in baseball. In July and August of 1994, they won 14 in a row to make up 7.5 games in the standings and insert themselves in the playoff hunt. Kansas City boasted one of the best pitching staffs in the game, with starters David Cone, Kevin Appier, Mark Gubicza and Tom Gordon, plus closer Jeff Montgomery.

But on August 12, the players struck. When a resolution proved elusive, the season was eventually scrapped. It was the only time since 1904 that a World Series was not held.

The Royals finished 64-51, with nearly a third of the season left unplayed. Thus fans were denied the thrill of a pennant race, and they would have to wait 19 years for another realistic shot.

But unlike the New York Mess, the Royals did eventually win a championship.

The Kansas City Royals offer a host of baseball-themed promotions to draw fans. Dozens of bobblehead and t-shirt giveaways are planned each summer. Fireworks shows and opportunities to run the bases attract families.

Non-sports themes can raise eyebrows amongst true baseball fans. Star Wars nights and 80s nights are tolerated annually. This season has seen Game of Thrones Night and Stranger Things Night. Strange things, indeed, to encounter at a baseball game.

But the celebration planned for Friday, Aug. 16, ties together music history and Kansas City history with a touch of baseball history for flavor.

Fifty-five years ago, the Beatles stormed America in a way famous athletes could never dream of. They exploded on the scene via two Ed Sullivan appearances and a handful of concerts in February of 1964. America wanted more, and the Beatles returned in late summer to continue their conquest. Numerous shows were planned, but Kansas City was nowhere on the list.

The Kansas City baseball team of that time was the Athletics, a moribund club owned by insurance tycoon Charlie Finley. The A’s played their games at aging Municipal Stadium, and Finley made no bones about his desire to take the A’s elsewhere. For that, and for the dreadful product on the field, Finley was despised in Kansas City.

But for at least a few weeks, Finley endeared himself to a mostly non-baseball segment of the city when he ponied up a small fortune to convince the Beatles to add a stop on their tour of the U.S., a fall concert at Municipal Stadium.

While the Royals plan to celebrate the anniversary of the concert on Aug. 16, the actual concert occurred on Sept. 17. For the Beatles Night at the K game against the New York Mets, the Royals promise a fireworks show set to Beatles music. And with the purchase of a special theme ticket will come a Beatles mug. You can bet there will be plenty of Beatles songs, videos and trivia throughout the night.

Known for his deep pockets and extremely short arms, as well as his antipathy for Kansas City, the curmudgeonly A’s owner hardly seems like the type to fawn over rock stars. But Finley hounded the Beatles into coming to KC, and paid dearly for it.

At a time when Frank Sinatra commanded $10,000 to $15,000 per show, Finley offered $50,000. “No” was the band’s response. They were making between $20,000 and $40,000 per appearance, but they relished their few days off too much.

How about $100,000? “Still no,” the band replied. Finally Finley offered the unfathomable sum of $150,000 for a concert at Municipal Stadium – by far the most anyone had ever paid for a musical performance. The band relented.

Municipal Stadium was available for the added concert because Finley’s A’s were on a road trip on Sept. 17, 1964. They were en route to a 57-105 record, so no one in Kansas City missed them.

Finley was going to have a hard time recouping his investment considering that tickets sold for between $2 and $8.50 a seat. On top, he promised to make a $25,000 donation to Children’s Mercy Hospital to celebrate the event. Surprisingly, a few seats went unsold for the show.

Following a show in New Orleans, the Beatles flew into KC and stayed at the Hotel Muehlbach. The hotel removed all the furniture from the lobby for fear of being overrun by fans. The bed sheets from the Fab Four’s suites were cut into one-inch pieces and sold.

Following some warm-up acts, the Beatles opened with “Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey,” Finley’s investment didn’t buy any extra music from the visitors. They played for just 31 minutes. They finished with an encore of “Going to Kansas City.”

The Beatles 1964 concert in Kansas City stands out for a few reasons. The 41,000-seat stadium was one of the biggest the Beatles played on the tour, and Kansas City was one of the smallest markets. The concert was one of the few that didn’t sell out, and was probably the only show to lose money.

A lot has changed in 55 years. Today’s Royals players might be hard pressed to name more than a couple of Beatles songs. Alex Gordon could just about pay what it took to bring the Beatles to town with what he will earn on Beatles Night at the K – he earns $123,456 per game.

Finley and the A’s moved to Oakland after the 1967 season, without many tears from Kansas Citians. The Royals arrived for the 1969 campaign. The Beatles broke up in 1970. Two of the four members of the band have since passed away.

But for one night, the Beatles and baseball will intersect, in a union less strange than a Stranger Things Night at the K.

How are those players doing today, and how does the Royals’ replacement plan look? This week, I’m taking a look at each of the five players celebrated on the last day of 2017 and what the Royals are doing at their respective positions:

Read Monday’s look at Eric Hosmer and the Royals’ plan to replace him.

Read Tuesday’s look at Alcides Escobar and the Royals’ plan to replace him.

Read Wednesday’s look at Mike Moustakas and the Royals’ plan to replace him.

Thursday – Jason Vargas, P: Remember him?

Unlike the others celebrated at the close of 2017, Vargas felt the least “ours.” He had pitched for eight seasons in other cities before joining the Royals. He was an integral part of the run to the World Series in 2014, but then was injured for most of 2015 and 2016. He as not active for the 2015 playoffs and therefore played no part in winning the championship.

But Vargas did lead the American League in wins in 2017, earning a spot in the All Star Game. He led the Royals’ pitching staff in WAR with 3.9.

But like Hosmer and Cain, Vargas was deemed too expensive to retain, and thus KC bid him farewell.

While one can still debate whether signing the others to long term deals would have made sense for the Royals, there was no such consideration in Vargas’ case. His 2017 appeared to be built on sand. The Royals were pretty certain the then-34-year-old would not be a valuable pitcher for the long haul.

For some reason, the New York Mets believed otherwise. They gave him $6 million for 2018, $8 million for 2019, and will pay him $2 million more when they most certainly cut him loose after that.

So, what are they getting from that investment? Vargas went 7-9 with a 5.77 ERA on a team that quickly turned into a disaster. He was only good for 92 innings, and in those he merited a -0.3 WAR. That means that in the little that he did pitch, the Mets would have been better off with some minor leaguer taking his place.

So the Royals wisely dodged this bullet. But what did they do in 2018 in his place? The story only gets better. When the Royals scrambled to find a fifth starter early in the year, they turned to an unlikely candidate in Brad Keller. Keller was plucked from the Rule 5 Draft just a few weeks before, meaning his previous team didn’t think he was worth protecting.

All Keller did with the opportunity was post the highest WAR of any rookie pitcher in 2018. He went 9-6 for a dreadful team, and his 3.08 ERA was second best amongst rookies who threw more than 120 innings.

Keller will be a building block for Kansas City. He is costing the Royals pennies, meaning most of the money saved from not signing Vargas can be reinvested in the team rebuild.

With Vargas out of the way, and as other veteran starters fell by the wayside in 2018, the Royals were able to audition a host of youngsters, including Heath Fillmyer, Eric Skoglund, Burch Smith, Glenn Sparkman and Jorge Lopez. Instead of trotting a flagging veteran to the mound, the Royals did extensive evaluation on what they have moving forward. While they didn’t win a lot of games, the trials will prove extremely beneficial.

Saying goodbye to Cain, Hosmer and Moustakas was painful. Losing Vargas hurt far less. And now, one year later, the Royals are smelling like roses for their handling of his replacement.

Only two teams since 1961 have finished a season with a winning percentage below .300. Amazingly, that number could double this season as the Royals and the Baltimore Orioles are neck-and-neck in terms of futility.

The Royals spent the All-Star break sitting on a .284 winning percentage, slightly worse than Baltimore’s .289. That puts them on pace to finish the seasons with a 46-116 record. If they do so, they’ll avoid the ignominious claim to the worst team ever. The 1962 New York Mets finished 40-120 (.250). The 2003 Detroit Tigers were also slightly worse than this year’s Royals, coming in at 43-119 (.265).

The record is far from safe, however. Kansas City traded two of its best players in June, and subsequently went 2-11 in July prior to the All-Star break. They’re now poised to deal Mike Moustakas and possibly others. They may turn entirely to playing rookies and unproven prospects. As bad as they’ve been, they could conceivably get worse.

They are comfortably on pace to eclipse the worst record in team history. The 2005 Royals went 56-106, finishing dead last in the majors, the only time the Royals have ever done so. Consider, this team could be 10 games worse than the worst in franchise history.

Digging a bit deeper, you see that no part of this team is good. At the break, the Royals had scored the fewest runs in baseball, while surrendering the most. Only one team in history allowed more than 2.0 runs than they scored per game – the 2003 Tigers run differential was 2.08. They 2018 Royals entered the break with a 2.03 run differential.

Finishing in last place isn’t all bad, of course. It earns you the first pick in the amateur draft the following year. But hopefully that isn’t the only thing the Royals have left to gain in 2018. They muddled along playing a set of veterans the first half of the year, and all it got them was historically bad. It’s time to ditch the veterans, starting with Moustakas, who is on the last months of his contract, and be daring with this rebuild. They need to make some bold moves and some tough decisions.

Bold moves:

The Royals could plod along the rest of the season playing the same players they’ve been playing, or they could get radical. Here are some aggressive moves to accelerate the rebuild:

Release Jason Hammel if he can’t be traded. By moving Hammel to the bullpen, they are making a last ditch attempt to restore at least some of his value. A contender in need of bullpen help might take a chance on him. But he has zero value left as a starter. If he can’t be traded, he should be released so his innings can be given to a prospect.

Pitch anyone not named Ian Kennedy. The Royals should pitch Kennedy only to provide rest to the younger members of the staff. With two years and $33 million left on his deal, the Royals won’t release him. The radical move would be to do so. But at least the Royals could devote his innings to someone who will be around when the team is good again.

Trade or release Paulo Orlando. If the Royals were a contender, the 32-year-old Orlando would provide some valuable depth. But since they aren’t, he’s just taking playing time away from someone a decade younger.

Trade or release Lucas Duda. (See Paulo Orlando.)

Give most of Alex Gordon’s playing time to someone else. According to the metrics, Gordon still has value. But he’s painful to watch at the plate, and isn’t tradable due to his contract. Once Jorge Soler or some other rookie is ready to get playing time, Gordon shouldn’t block them. Hard as it is to sit someone making $20 million, it should be done for the benefit of outfielders of the future.

Release Alcides Escobar. No one else will take him off our hands, but the future is now for Adalberto Mondesi.

Tough decisions:

The biggest question facing the Royals is whether they should trade three players – Salvador Perez, Danny Duffy and Whit Merrifield – who are under contract for several more years.

The pros and cons are one in the same when it comes to trading Merrifield. He is 29 years old, with four years left on his bargain-basement contract. With his ability to play numerous positions, Merrifield holds tons of value. He could still be around when the rebuild bears fruit, but he would be well into his 30s.

The case for trading Duffy: Duffy is 29, with three years left on his contract, making $15 million each season. Since the Royals probably won’t be competitive before the deal runs out, they could try to get what they can and devote the money to the rebuild. While he wants to be a leader of a rebuild, he’s not the steady figure needed for that role.

The case for keeping Duffy: He runs hot and cold. When he’s off, he’s still better than anyone else the Royals have, but when he’s on, he’s one of the best lefties in the game. The Royals have few prospects ready to start in the big leagues. He gives a bad team a chance to win every fifth day.

The case for trading Perez: Perez is 28 and it appears his skills are deteriorating. Time is not kind to catchers, and Salvy probably doesn’t have the bat to merit moving to another position.

The case for trading Perez: He’s a fan favorite and borderline Hall of Famer. Developing young pitchers is tough, and having a great handler behind the plate would really help. His infectious spirit can help carry the team through the rebuild.

With nothing to gain but the first pick in the 2019 draft, losses aren’t a bad thing moving forward. Much as it would hurt to be known as the worst team in history, the Royals need to make losing count.