Several 2024 KC Royals having hard time on free agent market

Tommy Pham, OF

Kansas City grabbed Pham on a waiver claim just hours before he would have been ineligible for postseason play. By all accounts, Pham gave his ninth team in 11 major league seasons some valuable veteran presence and savvy down the stretch, and went 5-for-11 with two RBI against the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series.

Pham may well find a new baseball home before spring training camps open, but his age — he'll turn 37 in March — may work against him, if it hasn't already. Don't look for the Royals to bring him back.

Robbie Grossman, OF

The Royals claimed Grossman on waivers from the Chicago White Sox on the same day they claimed Pham from the St. Louis Cardinals. Grossman didn't play as much as Pham did and collected only four hits, none of them for extra bases, in 32 at-bats. Grossman's best bet is probably finding a club that will offer him a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.

Paul DeJong, INF

DeJong was one of two big surprises the Royals sprang as the trade deadline clock wound down on July 30. Almost contemporaneously with their acquisition of valuable reliever Lucas Erceg from Oakland, they traded minor league pitcher Jarold Rosado to the Chicago White Sox for DeJong.

DeJong's power — he'd homered 18 times in 102 games for the White Sox — was what Kansas City wanted, and to an extent it's what they received. DeJong, a big leaguer since 2017, hit six homers and drove in 15 runs in 108 post-trade at-bats. But because the Royals are well-stocked with infielders, he's not a good prospect to return to Kansas City next season.