3 potential season-wrecking disasters the KC Royals must avoid

Kansas City's new roster acquisitions can't fail

No Royals offseason storyline captured more attention than general manager J.J. Picollo's roster reconstruction project, a long-overdue project that drew far more praise than criticism and ushered Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo, Will Smith, Hunter Renfroe, Adam Frazier, Nick Anderson, Chris Stratton, and others into Kauffman Stadium.

That infusion of new talent triggered a level of excitement and optimism not seen around the Royals for years; "contention" is suddenly a relevant word, not one associated only with the past or pipedreams.

But with so much riding on that new blood, one thing is clear — it can't fail, at least not to any considerable degree. The revamped starting rotation won't succeed if Wacha and Lugo don't perform well, potentially better run production won't be as good if Renfroe, who's hit at least 20 homers in six of his nine big league seasons, doesn't hit, and the close games can't be won consistently if the bullpen and its new members struggle.

Picollo and principal owner John Sherman deserve credit for the changes the Royals were willing to make, and did make, this winter. The free agent signings and trades were breaths of fresh air for a fanbase tired of losing and longing for better teams.

But it will all go for naught if the new players don't come through.

Moving on again...