The Royals began the offseason with a three-year signing to keep their excellent rotation intact. They traded from that starting staff a month later to acquire a new leadoff hitter. Kansas City hoped to follow up with an impact offensive acquisition that never materialized. They instead turned to the relief market late in the winter to add a veteran closer.
Major League Signings
- RHP Michael Wacha: Three years, $51MM (including buyout of 2028 club option)
- RHP Carlos Estévez: Two years, $22MM (including buyout of 2027 club option)
- RHP Michael Lorenzen: One year, $7MM (including buyout of 2026 mutual option)
2025 spending: $35MM
Total spending: $80MM
Option Decisions
- RF Hunter Renfroe exercised $7.5MM player option
- RHP Chris Stratton exercised $4.5MM player option
- Team declined $8.5MM mutual option on 2B Adam Frazier in favor of $2.5MM buyout
Trades and Claims
- Acquired 2B Jonathan India and RF Joey Wiemer from Reds for RHP Brady Singer
- Claimed SS Braden Shewmake from White Sox (later lost on waivers to Yankees)
Extensions
- Signed LHP Cole Ragans to three-year, $13.25MM deal to cover final pre-arb year and first two arbitration seasons
Notable Minor League Signings
- Cavan Biggio, Harold Castro, Taylor Clarke, Austin Cox, Junior Fernández, Jordan Groshans, Thomas Hatch, Luke Maile, Ross Stripling
Notable Losses
- Brady Singer, Will Smith, Adam Frazier, Garrett Hampson, Tommy Pham, Paul DeJong, Robbie Grossman, Yuli Gurriel
The Royals were perhaps the most surprising playoff team of 2024. Kansas City had a 30-win improvement relative to the preceding season. They held the Orioles to one run in two games to sweep their Wild Card series. The Yankees knocked K.C. off in the Division Series, but the Royals' window has reopened after a nine-year postseason drought.
They remain one of the more top-heavy contenders. Kansas City's success was built around an elite rotation and an MVP-caliber season from Bobby Witt Jr. They preserved a crucial piece of that rotation just before free agency opened. Kansas City signed Michael Wacha to a three-year, $51MM extension to keep him from opting out and testing free agency. The veteran righty rejoins Seth Lugo as the 2-3 arms behind breakout left-hander Cole Ragans.
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Anyone have some inside knowledge on how Massey, India and Garcia are doing trying alternate positions? It appears they’ve decided Massey is best suited at 2B, as India has logged way more ST innings in LF (as well as 3B). Garcia has played some CF, and I hear he’s holding his own there. What are y’all seeing/hearing?
haymaker9;
Depth charts in MLB are dead for multiple reasons.
Teams – especially small market teams – have to have position players on their roster for every single game in which the majority can play more than one position.
The Royals manager came from the Rays, which were the pioneering organization to take this course of action due to their payroll limitations. It’s worked.
Check a half-dozen Royals box scores from 2024. Note how many times the starting 8 position players played the entire game.
Prank and Samuel cancel each other out
It seems like India isn’t super-comfortable in left so far. My guess is we see him more at 3rd, & the team just really, REALLY hopes MJ Melendez improves at the plate with his new swing. If he doesn’t, they’ll be looking at the deadline to fix the problem for sure ( assuming they’re competitive at that point, natch ).
Literally every AL Central team aside from the White Sox has a legitimate shot at the division.
Maybe even the White Soc at this Rate
Pitching Improvement:
The Royals have made moves to bolster their rotation and bullpen, showing a clear focus on pitching. The returning of Wacha, and the addition of Lorenzen, are solid moves. There is still some questions about the bullpen consistancy. This area would likely receive a B to B+ grade.
Offensive Consistency:
With Bobby Witt Jr. leading the offense, the Royals have a strong foundation. The addition of Jonathan India should help. The ability for the rest of the lineup to produce consistantly is still a question. This area would likely receive a B- grade.
Defensive Reinforcement:
The Royals are working to solidify their defense, with a focus on consistent performance. This area would likely receive a B grade.
Strategic Roster Additions:
The Royals have made some moves to add veteran players, which should help with the development of the younger players. This area would receive a B grade.
Overall Evaluation:
The Royals’ offseason demonstrates a clear effort to build a more competitive team. Overall, they would likely receive a grade in the B- to B range.
A realistic win projection for the Royals would be in the 75-82 win range.
Reads like a corporate press release. AI?
@Dumpster Divin Theo
Yes, sir. Nothing wrong with a corporate press release…
Lotsa places for English majors to end up. Or journalists now that newspapers went belly up. No longer having to muster up copy for the Sears catalogs
D+
They did some things. Nothing exciting.
Hello 4th place my old friend
Oddly this team might be better last years. The Yankees survived Kansas City in the playoffs last year.