3 best front office decisions that fueled KC Royals' surge toward 2024 postseason

KC Royals acquired Yuli Gurriel as backup plan after Vinnie Pasquantino's injury

When Vinnie Pasquantino broke his thumb at the end of August and was subsequently ruled out for six to eight weeks, the Royals' front office needed to find a backup plan — and quickly. In an eleventh hour move before the cut-off to include a player on their postseason roster, the Royals acquired Yuli Gurriel in a minor-league trade with Atlanta Braves on August 31, and immediately promoted him to the majors.

Gurriel ended up being one of Kansas City's most effective hitters over the last few weeks of the regular season, slashing .241/.338/.296 with 6 RBI in 18 games. Despite Pasquantino's surprise return from the IL before the Wild Card series, Gurriel played in all six of the Royals' playoff games, recording 4 hits on a batting lineup that was worrying quiet.

Gurriel is unlikely to be back in Kansas City in 2025, but that doesn't mean the decision to add him to the lineup for the last month of the regular season wasn't a fantastic one. He played a crucial role in getting the Royals to the playoffs when the offense was otherwise shaky at best, and that's about as good as a last-minute emergency trade can get.