3 players who complicated the KC Royals’ offseason

Freddy Fermin, C

Only fellow Venezuelan catcher Salvador Perez has been with the Royals organization longer than Freddy Fermin, but the former's franchise impact came a decade earlier than the latter. 2024 was Fermin's first full season with in Kansas City, and he made a larger impact than most backup catcher's in MLB.

Fermin recorded several career highs in 2024, such as his 111 appearances and 92 hits, but some of his rates were among the AL's best. His .271 batting average tied for third-best among AL catchers, while his 41.7% caught stealing rate led MLB catchers by a wide margin. Upon initial inspection, Fermin's 2024 season should not be included in this list. But a stone-cold ending to the season cast doubts on his dependability and may hinder his overall trade value.

Once August began, Fermin's bat cooled off immensely. He posted a 43 wRC+ for the rest of the season, trailing behind highly criticized players like Hunter Renfroe, Maikel Garcia, and Adam Frazier. Fermin wasn't known for hitting the ball hard, but a sharp uptick in his groundballs pulled his batting average down, and he didn't have enough extra-base hits to outweigh those routine plays. Things only got worse for Fermin in September, as he hit .154 in the season's final month.

If Fermin had carried pre-August .304/.354/.441 slash line to the season's end, he would have been one of the league's best performers. Catchers are not known for their offensive contributions, rather helping with their glove and arm. In fact, the position has only posted an average or great wRC+ four times — 1871, 1872, 1877, 1879. Not a great track record.

So, Fermin's role as the backup behind Perez and a well above-average batter could have made him a very enticing trade chip this offseason. Kansas City could have made him the primary player in adding a starting outfielder or restocking the farm's upper levels. Now, he ended the season as a marginally below average batter and showed how quickly he can go cold at the plate. No team is going to make a meaningful trade for a player of that caliber, and the Royals need all the meaningful trades they can get right now.

Fermin now likely reports to Arizona next year in the same role he was at that time in 2024, which isn't a bad thing for the Royals. But him closing out 2024 as one of the league's best hitters could have opened more doors this offseason that are now firmly shut.