3 urgent moves the KC Royals must make after quiet winter meetings

Show the fanbase this leadership is serious by extending Bobby Witt Jr.

Whenever this topic comes up, the unanimous response is that the Royals are too cheap and shortsighted to retain Bobby Witt Jr. The move would begin offseason transactions with a bang, make fans hopeful once again, and keep one of the game's brightest young stars under contract for years to come.

Sounds like a win-win-win to me.

This move is not just speculation, but one that both parties have discussed this offseason. Royals general manager J.J. Picollo talked about extension talks in his post-season presser in October.

“We are working on that,” Picollo said. “I don’t really want to comment on it more than (saying it’s) a goal of ours. It would be exciting to do so, as he is a special player. We want to keep special players in our uniform.”

Meanwhile, it's clear Witt wants to work something out and stay in Kansas City.

The Royals extending Witt would likely be a historic one and a move that would have been cheaper just a season ago. He already has a jersey in Cooperstown after his 30-49 season. He is off to a historic career start, and the Royals should ensure his career lasts longer in Kansas City.

Like the process over the results, fans will not care much about the money, incentives, or contract details. What matters most is that the extension happens to keep Witt in a Royals uniform for the prime years of his career.

Put pressure on pitchers by adding quality competition.

King Solomon, the writer of Proverbs in the Christian bible, wrote a phrase translated today as "iron sharpens iron." Those three words' meaning has changed over the years, but I think of it like how a chef sharpens a knife. They don't use wood or a sponge; they use a whetstone or sharpening steel. Similarly, hard materials hone the knife into a stronger and more precise tool.

All that to say is this: adding quality pitching options to the rotation and bullpen should make the existing pitchers better. If not, then they did not belong in the first place.

The Royals went into 2023 still leaning on their young group of pitchers, hoping for them to take the next step. That still has not happened. Kris Bubic and Daniel Lynch IV missed time with injuries, Brady Singer regressed from his promising 2022, and other internal options provided little optimism. If Kansas City wants to improve the major-league product now, they need to identify those solid players on the open market.

Kansas City has been linked to several top pitchers this offseason, including Rodríguez and Sonny Gray. Both of those players would fit the bill, but quality options remain. The Royals pursuing those players is a pleasant surprise, but bringing one to Kansas City is the only concrete result that matters.

Those free agents would not only improve results but hopefully bring along less experienced members of the rotation. Quality players can lead by example and show existing players what they need for success in the MLB, not just get by in Kansas City. It is not a quantifiable result, but Royals fans saw this before with the James Shields addition.

Execute on evaluation results by moving on from more players.

The fanbase had the "evaluation year" idea drilled into their minds by Royals' leadership this past season. While I appreciate the leadership being transparent about their approach, the evaluation doesn't matter if they do not make changes based on that evaluation.

The Dylan Coleman trade feels like a great example. Coleman, who posted - .4fWAR in 2023, struggled with location all season. His 85 Location+ ranked dead last among Royals relievers and negated his 106 Stuff+. He only pitched in 18 1/3 MLB innings in 2023, being demoted twice after meltdown performances. It did not take years of MLB scouting experience to see that Coleman was not a contributor last season, with few positives for 2024 and beyond.

The Royals identified this and traded Coleman to the Houston Astros for an international prospect. Fans widely disapproved of the move and cited Coleman's 2022 stats as reasons to believe in his potential. The thing is, it is hypocritical to preach potential while wanting immediate improvements. The organization evaluated and deemed Coleman expendable. Since they moved him, they were able to pick Matt Sauer in the Rule 5 Draft.

There are plenty of players still on the 40-man roster that Kansas City should move on from, if at all possible. No organization has the 40-best players in the league on their roster, but the best have deep rosters at the very least. If the organization is out on a player, they need to move on. It is best for all parties and at least gives the Royals a chance to mold the team and give fans reasons for optimism.