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KC Royals Predictions: 3 players who won't return next season

Roster cuts are coming in Kansas City.

By Mike Gillespie |
/ Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
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KC Royals general manager J.J. Picollo has his work cut out for him this winter. The man most responsible for putting together the team Matt Quatraro will manage next season — the Royals' chief mechanic, so to speak — Picollo must change out some parts. Something between a tune-up and an overhaul is what these Royals need.

The task won't be easy. Although the Royals speak of spending some money this winter, just how much cash principal owner John Sherman is willing to put on the table to improve the status quo remains to be seen, especially when consummating a long-term deal with Bobby Witt Jr. is an absolute imperative.

While what immediate help Picollo brings to Kansas City will drive most of the Hot Stove attention and speculation, who he chooses to part with is also important. Scattered about the Royals' 40-man roster are players the club just doesn't need in 2024, and who probably won't be back when the season opens in late March.

Who are they? We recently cast considerable doubt on Jackson Kowar's KC future, but definitively answering such a question is difficult when it comes to teams like the Royals, who have so many expendables but won't let them all go.

Here are some predictions.

Infielder Matt Duffy won't be with the KC Royals when next season starts

Predicting Duffy's departure is easy, not because he isn't a good player or his free agent status makes his leaving Kansas City likely, but instead because the Royals will have Nick Loftin. Duffy's Kansas City career will end, while Loftin's is just beginning.

Under other circumstances, the club might bring Duffy back: he was, over 78 games, the effective utility infielder the Royals signed him to be. Duffy played every infield position and his .251 average was, in the context of how Quatraro used him, serviceable.

But Loftin is a rising star (MLB Pipeline says he's the organization's fifth-best prospect) whose versatility rivals Duffy's. And although it's derived from a small, 19-game sample, the .323/.368/.435 line he put up after the Royals called him up in September is promising.

Next?

It's time for the KC Royals to move on from first baseman Nick Pratto

Projecting the downfall of Nick Pratto as a Royal was unthinkable when the 2021 season ended. Coming off a flashy campaign split between Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha, he won a minor league Gold Glove, clubbed 36 homers, fell two RBIs short of 100, slashed .265/.385/.602, and looked every bit the hot major league prospect he'd become.

But he hasn't hit consistently well since. He broke into the majors last season, but his .184 average and an unfortunately high strikeout rate forced the Royals to send him back to Omaha in September. Pratto returned to Kansas City this season, but his average improved to just .232, which still isn't good for a corner infielder, and he struck out more often (40%) than he did in 2022 (36.3%). (Pratto spent some time in the minors this year and dealt with a groin issue, but still played in 95 big league games).

Now, Pratto is expendable, and for more than one reason. He strikes out too much, the kind of power he displayed in 2021 hasn't returned (he's hit 14 homers in 144 major league appearances), and without him the Royals should be in good shape at first base next season. Vinnie Pasquantino, who spent most of 2023 on the Injured List following shoulder surgery, should be back; if he isn't, expect Loftin and Salvador Perez to share the position. All three potential first-sackers hit better than Pratto.

With that kind of first base depth, Picollo can try to find a trade partner for a Pratto-involved deal.

Who's next?

If Brad Keller plays in 2024, it won't be for the KC Royals

No one can legitimately dispute that Brad Keller has had his good moments with the Royals. He went 9-6 with a 3.08 ERA as a rookie in 2018 and 5-3, 2.47 in the short 2020 season.

That he's lost 14 games twice and 12 once and is 24-44 in his other three Kansas City seasons, though, proves the enigma he is. Consistency on the mound isn't something associated with Keller anymore, making him an unlikely candidate to return to the Royals, who desperately need pitching consistency from someone.

And injuries compound Keller's shaky status. Because his battles with right shoulder impingement and symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome kept him on the Injured List most of his 2023 season and ended it prematurely, he pitched only 11 times for the club. It's hard not to blame his health, at least in part, for his 3-4 record and 8.93 BB/9.

Then there's free agency, which Keller gets to test for the first time when the World Series ends. The Royals don't sign many of their own free agents, and some team or teams may be willing to take a chance on Keller. In any event, don't expect to see him pitching anywhere in the KC organization next season.

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