2024-25 MLB Offseason Recap: Kansas City Royals
2024-25 MLB Offseason Recap: Kansas City Royals
Blog Article
After a loud 2023-24 offseason, coupled with team progression, the Royals went from a 56-win team to an 86-win team. Kansas City’s new-look rotation excelled, while Bobby Witt Jr. Won the AL batting title and helped carry the team to the MLB Postseason. For 2025, the Royals will have a slightly different look.
Notable Additions
Kansas City as arguably the most active team early on in free agency in 2023-24. The Royals added veteran starters Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha, both of whom were excellent. Lugo tossed 206 frames and finished second in the AL Cy Young vote, while Wacha posted a strong 126 ERA+ last season.
This offseason the focus was on A) sorting out who will bat ahead of Bobby Witt Jr. And Salvador Perez and B) getting another consistent arm for the late-innings.
The Royals accomplished the first by acquiring former NL Rookie of the Year Jonathan India from the Reds. India posted a career .352 OBP over his first four MLB seasons, showing pop but more importantly, patience at the plate. The 28-year-old walked a career-best 80 times in 2024.
With India atop the Royals’ lineup, it should put Kansas City in better position to score runs. Basic baseball knowledge indicates that having someone who can get on base should put a team’s big bats in better position to produce.
Where India will play, however, will be interesting. Kansas City has used India at second, third, and left field this spring. The Royals still have Michael Massey, who had a career-high .743 OPS last year.
Kansas City also acquired Joey Wiemer in the Reds-Royals trade.
As for the Royals’ bullpen, it wasn’t the reason why the team fell in the ALDS to the Yankees. However, with depth issues caused by ineffectiveness and injury — James McArthur won’t be ready for Opening Day — the Royals opted to acquire former All-Star Carlos Estevez.
Estevez has a hard fastball/slider combo, a combo that helped him be a strong closer for much of 2023 and 2024. He’ll form a 1-2 punch in the late-innings along with Lucas Erceg.