2024 Record: 86-76
General Manager: J.J. Picollo (entering year 3)
Manager: Matt Quatraro (entering year 3)
Notable Offseason Acquisitions: RP Carlos Estevez (2 years, 22 million), SP Michael Lorenzen (1 year, 7 million), 2B Jonathan India (trade acquisition from CIN)
The Kansas City Royals had been on the outside looking in during the playoffs for years. After their World Series victory against the New York Mets in 2015, the Royals fell off the map and sunk to the bottom of the standings. 2024 was a return to form of sorts, as Kansas City made the postseason for the first time since that memorable run led by their stars in shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and starting pitcher Cole Ragans.
Witt was terrific for the Royals as he won the AL batting title with a .332 average and put up a 30-30 season, all the while taking home the gold glove at shortstop and placing 2nd in AL MVP voting. Ragans broke out in his first full year since being traded from the Texas Rangers. He showed out to the Kansas City fanbase with a 3.14 ERA and struck out nearly 225 hitters over 186 innings, front lining a deep Kansas City rotation.
The Royals went out early in the ALDS, losing to the New York Yankees. However, with general manager J.J. Picollo’s team breaking the barrier in 2024, he was tasked with bringing Kansas City to new heights in 2025 with their roster construction. Did Picollo succeed? Yes, but not as much as hoped.
Bringing back Michael Lorenzen was a solid move to fortify the back end of the rotation and provide depth. A group of Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Alec Marsh, and Lorenzen is a very talented core that should be one of MLB’s best. Signing reliever Carlos Estevez was another big acquisition, as he has been one of the better relief pitchers in baseball since he left the thin air at Coors Field.
Trading away starting pitcher Brady Singer for second baseman Jonathan India? That is very puzzling to me quite frankly. India has been on the decline for the last several years since his Rookie of the Year win back in 2021. Singer put up a solid season for the Royals in 2024 and was finding his groove at age 27. I know the offense was lacking a bat, but India does induce confidence in my mind.
They also did not bring any other offensive pieces besides the aforementioned India. Kansas City must rely on internal improvement from players such as infielder Michael Massey, outfielder M.J. Melendez, first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, and outfielder Hunter Renfroe if the Royals want to take the next step forward as a group.
Even with a slightly underwhelming offseason, the Kansas City Royals should be a good team in 2025. They will be competitive in the AL Central conversation and should be able to test the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians for first place. I think the offensive floor is mediocre, even with the superb level of arms they have at their disposal so it will be a challenge. But at the very least, they should be fun to watch at Kauffman Stadium this year and fans in the area should tune in.
