What Kansas City Royals view as biggest strengths & weaknesses entering 2025 season
Kansas City Royals general manager J.J. Picollo, who earned a newly minted five-year contract extension, knows there is still work to do.
Picollo has aimed to bolster the Royals roster with re-signings and offseason acquisitions. KC re-signed veteran starters Michael Wacha and Michael Lorenzen this offseason. The Royals also swung a trade to acquire leadoff hitter Jonathan India and added closer Carlos Estévez.
The Royals finished 86-76 last season. KC snapped an eight-year playoff drought and came up short against the New York Yankees in the American League Divisional Series.
This spring, there is a new mentality in Royals camp. The club got a taste of postseason baseball, and now several players want more.
Picollo is tasked with constructing the best roster possible. It’s why he feels confident in the current state of the team.
“It’s very similar to last year,” Picollo said. “The strength, I think, is clearly in our pitching staff. Our starting rotation is deep and our bullpen is deep. And that’s where it all starts. They control the game and they take a lot of pressure off the offense.”
Still, Picollo believes there is room to grow. It’s the sweet spot in having a young core that is learning to win at the big-league level.
“I think from an offensive standpoint, I think we produced well last year,” Picollo said. “There is always room for improvement there. But we have to keep reminding ourselves, some of our guys are still young. They are in their second and third years in the big leagues.
“You look across the history of the game, hitters take a little while to develop. And we’ve got to be patient and we’ve got to give them those opportunities.”
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The Royals will feature four former All-Stars in their starting rotation. The group is headlined by 2024 AL Cy Young Award finalists Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans. They will join Wacha, Lorenzen and a yet to be determined fifth starter in the rotation.
“This year was more about retaining pitchers,” Picollo said. “Michael Wacha, clearly, and eventually Michael Lorenzen, they were two big pieces for us and we committed $80 million this year. So that’s a testament to (Royals owner) John (Sherman)‘s commitment to this team and commitment to this city about how important it is to put a good product on the field.”
Ragans received a new three-year contract extension this spring. He set career marks last season and will be under club control through the 2028 season.
The Royals have invested in their young talent as Ragans joins superstar Bobby Witt Jr. as recent players to receive contract extensions.
“I think what it gives us is cost certainty during those arbitration years,” Sherman said. “It’s one thing we got in the Bobby (Witt) contract. Bobby did a lot for his own security, but getting cost certainty for a player like (Ragans) this year and the next two years means a lot.”
The Royals’ ability to keep their core intact had added benefits. It allowed Picollo to try and improve one of the team’s weaker points in the outfield.
Picollo attempted to find a middle-of-the-order bat this offseason. KC was reportedly interested in free-agents Jurickson Profar and Anthony Santander. However, both signed elsewhere as Profar landed with the Atlanta Braves and Santander with the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Royals’ pursuit shifted elsewhere. They decided to sign Estévez to strengthen their bullpen for the upcoming season.
“I think, at the end of the day, when we added Carlos Estévez that was really the best thing we could do at the time to make our team better,” Sherman said.
Now, the Royals are depending on outfielders MJ Melendez, Hunter Renfroe and Kyle Isbel to return to form. The club is also experimenting with India and infielders Michael Massey and Maikel Garcia in the outfield this spring.
The outfield production will be important. How the Royals overcome one of their biggest challenges will dictate how far they go this season.
Per Fangraphs, Royals corner outfielders combined for an OPS lower than .650 and a negative-2.5 WAR (wins above replacement) in 2024.
“We don’t want to talk to (Melendez) about hitting home runs,” Picollo said. “We want him to drive balls through the gaps. But he is capable, and when you see a hitter do that for short periods of time, you know it’s in there. And you just want to get it out on a more consistent basis. He can be very impactful on this team.”
Picollo also mentioned Renfroe entered camp healthy. He said Renfroe slimmed down and made adjustments for a bounce-back campaign. The Royals are optimistic he can provide similar production as players available in free agency.
“We believed, when we evaluated the free-agent market on right-handed hitting outfielders, he compares exceptionally well with the available hitters that were out there,” Picollo said. “Hunter is very capable and that would be a huge boost to our offense for him to get going again.”
How the Royals find additional offense is worth monitoring this season. The pitching staff is a known strength and any improved outfield production could push the Royals upward toward the top of the AL standings.
“Our city is hungry for a good team,” Picollo said. “You know, we need to bring it to them this year. I think they feel like they have a good team, and now they are just hungry for opening day.”
This story was originally published February 18, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
