Chasing AFC West title, Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes predicts division crown ... for Royals
Patrick Mahomes has called his shot, predicting a division championship.
Not for his Chiefs, who can clinch the AFC West on Monday with a victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, but the Royals — a team in which Mahomes holds an ownership stake.
“I think they have as good a chance as any to win the division,” Mahomes said Thursday.
Count the Chiefs’ MVP quarterback among those caught up in the swirl of enthusiasm over the Royals’ moves the past few weeks.
Among their free agent additions are starting pitchers Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo, relievers Will Smith and Chris Stratton and slugger Hunter Renfroe.
The flurry of offseason additions followed a season in which the Royals lost 106 games and finished last in the AL Central for the second straight year. They haven’t posted a winning record since 2015, when they won the World Series.
Mahomes spent part of his weekly meeting with reporters sharing his excitement about the team across the Truman Sports Complex parking lot.
“It’s been down since I’ve been here, and I’ve talked to Travis (Kelce) a ton about how cool it was for those two World Series title runs,” Mahomes said. “Now they’re trying to rebuild that thing.”
Kelce, the All-Pro tight end, is the only Chiefs player who was in Kansas City for the Royals’ 2014 American League championship and 2015 World Series title.
Mahomes said he likes the Royals’ mixture of veteran acquisitions with a young group of players led by shortstop Bobby Witt, Jr. Witt became the first Royals player to join the 30/30 club (home runs and stolen bases) last season.
“The veterans will not only impact the team but will influence the young core, how you do things the right way” Mahomes said. “I want to see The K packed.”
Mahomes is excited about the club’s future.
“I’m an owner,” he said, “so I can’t really say anything ...”
But ...
“Hopefully we have Bobby Witt here for a long time.”
This story was originally published December 21, 2023 at 2:38 PM.