'Bold prediction' sees KC Royals ace win AL Cy Young Award in 2025

Cole Ragans' season debut wasn't the stellar outing he wanted. The left-hander took the mound for the Kansas City Royals on Opening Day, allowing the Cleveland Guardians to post five hits and three earned runs across five innings before the ball was turned over to the relief corps. The Royals went on to lose the March 27 game, and while Ragans certainly wasn't solely responsible — a good portion of the blame falls on the team's embarrassing baserunning mistake in the eighth inning — he definitely didn't help.

Still, one start is just one start, and Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter is confident Ragans will turn his 2025 campaign around in a big way. On March 30, Reuter posted "one bold prediction for every MLB team" this season, including a projection that Ragans will win the AL Cy Young Award.

"He has the potential to top Tarik Skubal, Garrett Crochet, Logan Gilbert, Framber Valdez, Jacob deGrom and others in this year's race," Reuter wrote.

Can the KC Royals' Cole Ragans win the AL Cy Young Award this season?

Ragans made his MLB debut with the Texas Rangers in August 2022, and on June 2023, he was traded to the Royals alongside minor league outfielder Roni Cabrera, with reliever Aroldis Chapman heading to the Rangers in return. Finishing out the 2023 season, Ragans posted a 2.64 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 89 strikeouts across 12 starts for Kansas City.

Last year, Ragans quickly emerged as an ace in the Royals' rotation. In 186.1 innings, he went 11-9 with a 3.14 ERA and 223 strikeouts, becoming just the fifth pitcher in franchise history to strike out at least 200 batters in a single season. In addition to receiving an All-Star selection and Gold Glove Award nomination, the 27-year-old finished fourth in AL Cy Young voting, only behind the Detroit Tigers' Tarik Skubal, fellow Royal Seth Lugo, and the Guardians' Emmanuel Clase.

This winter, the Royals signed Ragans to a three-year, $13.25 million contract, buying out his final pre-arbitration year (2025) and his first two seasons of arbitration-eligibility. He was selected as Kansas City's Opening Day starter, and it's clear the left-hander is viewed as an important part of the Royals' future.

So, could Ragans win the AL Cy Young this season? It's certainly not out of the question.

Ragans' season debut wasn't ideal, but there are a lot of starts left in 2025. As Reuter commented, predicting a Cy Young win for Ragans is bold, but if he continues improving the way he has over the last two seasons, it's definitely a possibility.