2 players from last year's KC Royals team who will be missed, 3 who won't

Opening Day is now less than a month away, and the Kansas City Royals are experimenting at spring training to ensure they lock in the best squad possible for the 2025 season. Coming off a historic comeback campaign last year, the Royals are going into this season with a clear goal of returning to the playoffs, and hopefully playing even deeper than they managed in 2024.

While many players from last year's team are still on the roster, there are also new faces scattered amongst the group, and plenty of former Royals now playing elsewhere. So, of the slew of 2024 Royals that won't be returning this season, who will be missed, and who won't?

The KC Royals will not miss Robbie Grossman

Fans could've blinked and missed Robbie Grossman's time with the Royals, but for those who witnessed it, they likely wish they hadn't. Having started the 2024 season with the Chicago White Sox before being traded to the Texas Rangers in June, Grossman was claimed him off waivers by the Royals in August as part of Kansas City's push to bolster the offense, particularly against lefty pitchers.

Unfortunately, the utility man had very little impact, posting an abysmal .125/.263/.125 line with just 4 hits — all singles — and 13 strikeouts in 38 plate appearances. When the Royals advanced to the playoffs, it was hardly surprising that Grossman was left off the 26-man rosters for both the Wild Card Series and ALDS, and he became a free agent at the end of the season.

Spring training is now well underway, and Grossman is yet to find a new team for 2025. He may still land a minor league deal somewhere, but it definitely won't be with the Royals.

The KC Royals will miss Yuli Gurriel

Looking for offensive depth after first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino was ruled out for the rest of the season with a broken thumb, the Royals acquired Yuli Gurriel in a minor-league trade with the Atlanta Braves on August 31. Fortunately, Pasquantino ended up recovering in time for the playoffs, but the Royals' trade for Gurriel was still an overall success, with the 40-year-old being one of the team's more effective hitters over the last few weeks of the regular season.

Upon being traded from the Braves' minor leagues, Gurriel was immediately promoted to the majors in Kansas City. He played in 18 games for the Royals before the end of the regular season, and while his .241/.338/.296 line with 6 RBI and 1 stolen base in 65 plate appearances placed him below average amongst MLB hitters, he still managed a career-high 13.8% walk rate and surpassed his career average in exit velocity. He went on to play in all six of the Royals' postseason games, managing four much-needed hits when much of the team's offense had gone cold.

Having become a free agent at the end of the 2024 season, Gurriel signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres on February 17. His deal included an invite to spring training, and he played in his first Cactus League game as a Padre on February 22.

Gurriel's stint with the Royals was brief, but he offered offensive output when it was needed most, and brought a mature energy to the clubhouse during the team's first postseason berth in almost a decade. While his 4 hits in the playoffs weren't enough to prove he was worth a new deal for the 2025 season, the fact that the Royals never found the middle-of-the-lineup bat they were looking for this winter means Gurriel's offense may be missed this year, even if it was only ever mediocre.

The KC Royals will not miss Will Smith

Will Smith made his MLB debut with the Royals in 2012 before being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers at the end of 2013, and eleven years and five teams later, the reliever returned to KC for 2024. Unfortunately, his time in Kansas City didn't exactly end on a high note.

Coming off three consecutive World Series wins with the Atlanta Braves (2021), Houston Astros (2022), and Texas Rangers (2023), Smith signed with the Royals out of free agency on a one-year, $5 million deal for the 2024 season. Locked in to be the team's closer, it didn't take long for cracks to show, and after being rocked on the mound one too many times, the Royals quickly transitioned Smith to a low-leverage role in the bullpen.

A back injury in August ended Smith's season — and his time in Kansas City. After finishing 2024 with an underwhelming 6.53 ERA in 41.1 innings of work, Smith entered free agency, and now four months later, that's exactly where he remains. The 35-year-old may still get picked up by a team looking for relief depth before Opening Day, but he certainly won't be returning for a third stint with the Royals.

The KC Royals will miss Paul DeJong

After hitting an impressive 18 home runs to start the 2024 season with the Chicago White Sox, Paul DeJong was traded to the Royals in exchange for pitcher Jarold Rosado at the trade deadline. The 31-year-old went on to appear in 37 games for Kansas City before the end of the regular season, slashing .222/.277/.417 with a further 6 home runs in 119 plate appearances.

DeJong has flown relatively under the radar throughout his MLB career, but his first month with the Royals proved what he's capable of. In August, he posted 18 hits, 3 doubles, and 6 homers in 68 at-bats for a .265 batting average and .574 total slugging. Unfortunately, he fell apart in September, but looking at his brief period in Kansas City overall, his acquisition was a net positive, and he played an important role in pushing the team to the playoffs.

Having become a free agent at the end of the 2024 season, DeJong signed a one-year, $1 million deal with the Washington Nationals for 2025. His contract includes performance incentives that could be worth an additional $600,000.

The KC Royals will not miss Adam Frazier

Last winter, the Royals signed utility man Adam Frazier to a one-year, $2 million deal with an $8.5 million mutual option for 2025 or a $2.5 million buyout. After Frazier's underwhelming performance last season, the Royals' decision to pay the buyout likely wasn't a difficult one.

Kansas City's decision to sign Frazier was curious at the time, and as the season progressed and he was demoted from a regular position at second base to a utility man who was only occasionally in the lineup, the reasoning behind the acquisition failed to grow any clearer. In 294 plate appearances last season, Frazier posted an abysmal .202/.282/.294 line with 4 home runs and 22 RBI, marking a third consecutive season in which his batting stats trended downward.

After the Royals declined their end of his mutual option for 2025, Frazier signed a one-year, $1.525 million contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates on January 29, marking the utility man's second stint with the team. Having initially been drafted by the Pirates in 2013, Frazier made his MLB debut in 2016 and played for Pittsburgh until he was traded to the San Diego Padres in July 2021.

Perhaps he'll have more success now that he's playing for a familiar team, but regardless, Frazier will not be missed by the Royals.