3 players the KC Royals may regret losing this offseason

This offseason, the KC Royals desperately needed a roster restructure. After a challenging season on the field in 2023, general manager J.J. Picollo had to execute following the team's season of evaluation. He needed to trim the roster's fat while maintaining the Royals' talented core. Picollo faced the difficult task of making tough decisions to improve the team's performance. He had to carefully assess each player's contribution and potential, ensuring that the changes made would lead to a more competitive and successful season ahead.

The KC Royals had to make some tough roster choices this offseason.

The 2024 Royals will look very different than their 2023 counterparts. In all, 25 players appeared in at least a game for the 2023 Royals, who are with different teams or still available in free agency. Royals fans will not miss players like Mike Mayers or Nick Wittgren, but Kansas City moved on from guys like Edward Olivares and Dylan Coleman to open roster spots too. They and other players had traits that made them intriguing players but suboptimal performers in their respective roles.

We wanted Kansas City to be more transactional after Dayton Moore, and they have done just that. There are few qualms about that transactional attitude or the corresponding moves. Still, there are some former Royals that Kansas City moved on from too soon. Let's look at four players who fit that bill.

Brooks Kriske

This is getting into the weeds, but why Kansas City could not have retained Kriske on a minor-league contract is curious. The 29-year-old righty only appeared in 6⅔ innings last year for the Royals, posting a solid 1.05 WHIP and six strikeouts. Kriske did not finish the 2023 season in Triple-A Omaha, as Kansas City released him in July.

Kriske has a solid enough pitching arsenal, with okay results at both the Triple-A and MLB levels. Kansas City not committing further to Kriske while raising their bullpen ceiling is a fair tradeoff, but he is a veteran player who is good to have waiting in the minors. The Cincinnati Reds signed him to a minor-league contract this offseason, so he is not on any MLB roster.

Edward Olivares

Yes, yes, the Olivares experience was a wild ride during 2023. His defense was atrocious in left field, as he played a career-high 107 games for the Royals. The team wrecked his progression in previous seasons, yo-yoing him from Kansas City to Omaha. 2023 was supposed to be the year he put it all together and took his place as an everyday outfielder.

That was not the case, and Olivares' defensive woes made him expendable this offseason. The Royals traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates for minor-league utilityman Deivis Nadal in December. That trade also opened up a 40-man roster spot for free-agent reliever Chris Stratton in Kansas City's opening free-agent flurry.

Royals fans shouldn't be mad about the trade, but there is room to wonder what he could have done with another year. The Pirates desperately needed another outfielder, and Olivares should be in the mix for plenty of starts. His bat will certainly keep him in the running. Royals fans did not realize how good his bat was down the season's stretch.

Among Royals with at least 100 plate appearances in the season's second half, Olivares' 138 wRC+ only trailed shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. His .41 BB/K also ranked second in that split, as Olivares recorded a .355 on-base percentage. Olivares was still not average on the field, but his bat looked great and outweighed his shortcomings.

Olivares is earning $1.35 million with the Pirates this year, a palatable financial number. The Royals could have retained him and used the Hunter Renfroe contract money on another position of need. But the move is done. It remains to be seen if Kansas City offloaded Olivares at the right time or if they missed out on more.