3 roles KC Royals must address this offseason

With the re-signing of Michael Wacha on November 3, the Kansas City Royals have locked in their starting rotation for next season. As such, general manager J.J. Picollo confirmed at the recent GM Meetings that the Royals "don’t expect to be in the market for a starter moving forward," and are "going to focus on some other things."

So with the starting rotation sorted, what other things should the Royals front office be focused on?

Acquiring a leadoff hitter is the KC Royals' top priority

The Royals started 2024 with Maikel Garcia in the leadoff spot, though Adam Frazier, Michael Massey, and Tommy Pham were all tried out in the role before the end of the regular season, each to limited success. At the end-of-season press conference, Picollo said that acquiring a reliable hitter to lead the batting lineup is a priority this winter.

“That leadoff spot, we were circulating guys all year long, trying to find the right person,” Picollo told reporters. “...that’s one that stands out when you evaluate our lineup.”

It's still early in the offseason, but the Royals have already been linked to a number of potential targets to fill the leadoff hitter role. Most recently, The Athletic's C. Trent Rosecrans and Ken Rosenthal reported that Kansas City was discussing the possibility of a trade for Cincinnati Reds' second baseman Jonathan India, and free agent Teoscar Hernández has also been floated as a potential fit for the Royals' lineup.

“We’re looking at trying to add some on-base to our team," Picollo said at the GM Meetings. "It would lend itself well to Bobby hitting two, Vinnie hitting three, hitting four. So on-base is a big focus, especially when we want to put the game in motion and be athletic. And ideally, it would be in the leadoff spot and maybe somewhere in the middle of the lineup. If we could do that, I think we’d have a much better team."

KC Royals need offensive power in the outfield

At the end-of-season press conference, Picollo was clear that the outfield's offensive production in 2024 simply wasn't good enough.

“The offense from the outfield positions has to get better,” he told reporters. “Generally speaking, when you’re looking at left field, right field, that’s where you’re thinking about power guys. And we know this ballpark doesn’t lend itself to homers, but it does lend itself to slug. So we’ve got to be more productive there.”

In 2024, the Royals' outfield consisted of MJ Melendez, Hunter Renfroe, Kyle Isbel, Tommy Pham, and Garrett Hampson, and none of them put up particularly impressive numbers at the plate. Each of the five outfielders posted an OPS under .700 during the regular season, and Hampson's .230 batting average was somehow the best recorded amongst them.

While the Royals are unlikely to be in contention to sign superstar slugger Juan Soto, who Sportrac projects will sign a 14-year, $513 million deal this offseason, there are a range of other options available in free agency for the team to consider.

Hernández is far-and-away the best outfielder on the market after Soto, and on October 31, The Athletic's Jim Bowden named the Royals a "best team fit" for the 32-year-old. Tyler O'Neill is another free agent that would suit Kansas City's needs, and MLB.com's Anne Rogers recently suggested that a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks for Jake McCarthy could be an unexpected solution to the Royals' outfield woes.

Relief pitching should be a priority for the KC Royals this winter

In 2024, the Royals' bullpen posted some underwhelming results, ranking 20th in MLB with a combined ERA of 4.13, 23rd in WHIP at 1.33, and last in strikeouts with 463. Still, Picollo isn't set on acquiring a reliever pitcher this winter.

“That’s something we’ll let play out in the offseason," Picollo told MLB.com at the GM Meetings. "Somebody else we’re looking forward to having back is Hunter Harvey. When we acquired him and Erceg, we figured that was our eighth and ninth innings. Then we had some of our guys get hurt, but we had some young pitchers step up. And they really performed exceptionally well, which is exciting for us. And they did it on big stages, in big moments, and that was really encouraging."

"So we feel very good about our bullpen," Picollo continued. "Doesn’t mean we won’t do anything, but we feel very good about the depth of our bullpen right now.”

Picollo's faith in the Royals' bullpen is optimistic at best and delusional at worst. Other than closer Lucas Erceg — who was acquired in a trade with the Oakland Athletics at the end of July — Kansas City's relievers were scrambling in 2024, and if the team wants to contend for another playoff campaign next season, relying on the current staff just isn't realistic.