3 mistakes the KC Royals must avoid this offseason

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(Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports) /

Much to the surprise and delight of many, the KC Royals were uncharacteristically active last winter. They signed several “name” free agents, including Carlos Santana, Mike Minor, Ervin Santana, and Wade Davis, and traded for Andrew Benintendi. The results were mixed.

Now, the fact the Royals have a new personnel point man—longtime Assistant General Manager J.J. Picollo took over as GM last month—complicates predicting what they’ll do this offseason, although things probably won’t be drastically different with Dayton Moore still involved.

But whatever approach Picollo takes, the club needs help. An accomplished starter, an everyday right fielder, and a more offensively productive backup catcher wouldn’t hurt.

There are some mistakes, however, Picollo must avoid.

The KC Royals need to let Wade Davis and Greg Holland go this winter.

Strong ties, especially those linking long-past-prime players to certain teams, are hard to break. But gently severing the ties between relievers Wade Davis and Greg Holland is something J.J. Picollo must do.

In an important sense, saying goodbye to two pitchers who played such instrumental roles with Kansas City’s 2014 and 2016 successes is easy—both become free agents when the World Series ends, meaning Picollo can let them walk without saying a word to either.

But that’s not who the Royals are, and Picollo has been part of the franchise culture for 15 years. He simply needs to sit down with both, thank them for their two tours of duty with the club, and let them know they’re no longer part of the master plan.

It’s the right move. Davis is far from the lockdown reliever he once was: he returned to KC this year after two poor seasons with Colorado, went 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA, allowed a .270 BAA, and finished the campaign on the Injured List.

Holland was better, but still lost five games in relief, blew four of 12 save opportunities, and posted a 4.85 ERA, a number too big for clutch relievers.

Letting Davis and Holland go won’t be easy, but keeping them will be a mistake. The Royals have more effective bullpen pieces.

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There isn’t room for this player on the KC Royals’ Opening Day roster.

His career .215 career average and .294 OBP are woefully inadequate. He strikes out too much and doesn’t walk enough. And Kansas City really doesn’t have a position for him.

That’s why it would be a mistake to include Ryan O’Hearn in the Royals’ 2022 plans.

O’Hearn was, of course, well on his way to becoming a bona fide big league ballplayer in 2018, when he made his major league debut Aug. 1 and clubbed 12 homers, drove in 30 runs, and slashed .262/.353/.597 with a 153 wRC+ the rest of the way. He played 105 games the next year with 14 homers, but plunged to .195, an average he repeated in 2020’s short season.

Not much improved this season. O’Hearn homered nine times and hit .225 in 84 games. Manager Mike Matheny tried him in right field 25 times, but O’Hearn couldn’t stick there. (He also DH’d in 29 games, and played first base 20 times and left field once, but those aren’t positions he’d be considered for full time).

O’Hearn is no longer the promising prospect he once was and nothing suggests he’ll ever approach his rookie season performance. The KC Royals’ roster is too crowded to save a spot for him, an unfortunate fact Picollo and the club need to accept.

(Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports) /

The clamor to trade Whit Merrifield may be loud. The club must not listen.

It’s a familiar refrain, a midsummer and winter tune sung by many but never rewarded.

Trade Whit Merrifield, the song goes. Deal him away at the trade deadline or in the offseason, before it’s too late and age robs him of his high market value.

So far, the KC Royals have been wise to ignore those recurring external cries, and would be mistaken to give in to the temptation to move one of their best players this offseason.

Why? Statistics aren’t necessary to prove he’s too valuable to a franchise on the verge of contending again; while catcher Salvador Perez is the club’s backbone and most valuable player, Merrifield is a uniquely versatile player who consistently performs well no matter where Manager Mike Matheny chooses to play him. As his 468 consecutive games played streak proves, he shows up every day ready to play.

He’s also a consummate professional who lets his bat and glove do the talking. His is the kind of example the KC Royals’ bevy of hot prospects need, and will need, as they continue to arrive in Kansas City. He is, in every sense, a model Royal.

At this point in club history, Merrifield needs to stay.

Next. Nicky Lopez finally arrives. dark

J.J. Picollo’s first winter as Kansas City’s general manager will be worth watching. There are mistakes he mustn’t make.

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The KC Royals need to let Wade Davis and Greg Holland go this winter.

There isn’t room for this player on the KC Royals’ Opening Day roster.

The clamor to trade Whit Merrifield may be loud. The club must not listen.

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