These stars spent last year of career with KC Royals

It only seems like lately the KC Royals have signed former stars to see if they can squeeze another few months of production from them.

Throughout their history, however, the KC Royals inked established players who are near the end of their career.  Since this article focuses on players in their last season, it is obviously not a banner statistical year for them.  Being able to see them perform with a KC jersey on is still a satisfying oddity.

In the Royals defense, many teams take a stab at an older player partly based on past performance, partly on hopes the change of scenery will rejuvenate them.  Their signing generally does not cost the team much and if it works out they come across as geniuses.

Some came along at a time when the team was winning, others win it was a struggle to put wins on the board.  So, if the signing of these players were able to move ticket sales, great. The worst-case scenario is maybe owning a unique jersey of a star who spent the majority of their career elsewhere.

In this article, we are going to take a look at former, or future all-stars, whose time in Kansas City was brief and the end of their careers.  The names will ring familiar to both older and younger generations as we dive into the records of teams from the ’70s through the 2000s.

While researching this a flood of memories from not only the KC Royals teams of that year came back but also the player who joined the team.  Big-name players that you never, or rarely, hear about their time in Kansas City or players you have a hard time believing they ever put on the powder blue are included.

Enjoy this trip down Royals’ memory lane!