3 former KC Royals we'll be glad are gone in 2024 and 2 we'll wish stayed

Stay: Edward Olivares

Will we miss Edward Olivares out in left field? No, certainly not. But, if the cards fall wrong for Kansas City this season, they will certainly miss his bat in the lineup.

Olivares and superstar Bobby Witt Jr. were the only Royals batters last season with at least 300 plate appearances and an OPS+ above league average. Olivares' 109 mark was not All-Star worthy but made him a valuable bat nonetheless. He had a second-half surge that brought some hope about his MLB future and clouded Kansas City's decision about what to do with him this offseason.

The fact is this front office is more transactional than its predecessor. For a struggling team like the Royals, that mainly looks like offloading underperforming players in exchange for any other option. For Olivares' situation, that meant trading him while he had any value rather than hoping for the best outcome. He had just played a career-high 107 games and still only posted a .4 fWAR, thanks to atrocious defense.

Kansas City sent him to the Pittsburgh Pirates this offseason, opening up a valuable roster spot while acquiring some minor-league talent. PNC Park is not kind to right-handed batters, but Olivares should have a starting role for the struggling NL Central team. If he has any semblance of success for Pittsburgh, Royals fans will question if the team made the right call trading him away. I think it was time for Olivares to move on from Kansas City, and hopefully find success elsewhere.