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

It is without a doubt that the Winter Meetings this year were an absolute dud. The Juan Soto trade to New York and Eduardo Rodríguez's signing with the Arizona Diamondbacks somewhat redeemed the meetings, but it was still a boring few days for fans. KC Royals fans can groan all they want about the team's lack of impact moves in Nashville, but that was also the case for most of baseball.

The KC Royals need to increase their urgency and results this offseason.

Yet, the offseason should kick up a notch once superstar Shohei Ohtani announces his next destination. He, along with pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, are the biggest dominoes MLB teams are waiting to fall. The Royals may not be in on either player, but players are likely waiting for clear options once the big-money players are signed.

Some fans respect the offseason process, but most simply want results. After Kansas City's terrible season and the front office repeating that they were better than their 106 losses, results need to happen. The Royals opted to retain most of their coaching staff despite lackluster player performance, and most of the 2023 roster is still under contract. Kansas City could be waiting to add players before moving on from underperforming ones, but moves need to start rolling in before the new year begins.

The fanbase needs a reason to believe. The front office needs to prove they are better than their predecessors. The ownership needs to invest in the payroll. Most of all, the Royals need to improve the on-field product. How should the Royals do all those things quickly and expeditiously?

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.