On the Kansas City Royals’ offseason wish list? A new leadoff hitter and this

The Kansas City Royals are trending in the right direction.

In 2024, the Royals finished with an 86-76 record and made their first postseason appearance since 2015.

The Royals had a short-but-memorable stay in the playoffs. KC defeated the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Wild Card Series and squared off against the top-seeded New York Yankees in the following round.

The Yankees ultimately defeated the Royals in the ALDS. While the loss stung among several players, they each expressed optimism heading into the offseason.

On Monday, Royals general manager J.J. Picollo and manager Matt Quatraro both echoed further confidence in a postseason news conference.

“The expectations are higher,” Picollo said. “The players, I think they acknowledged it Thursday night after we lost. And, you know, that’s just part of it. There is going to be a little bit more of a target on our backs. We are not going to sneak up on anybody next year. They are going to expect us to be a good team, and with that comes the responsibility of living up to that.”

The Royals are content with their current coaching staff. Quatraro will retain his entire staff and will not look to make any changes. The stability helps the organization chart an offseason course aimed at building upon a competitive roster.

“There are less questions to answer,” Picollo said. “Two years ago, we were looking at manager, pitching coach and all those things. Last year, there were a lot of holes. This year, we had less holes. Now, it’s about: How do we refine this team and become a better team?”

KC Royals offseason wish list

The Royals will first look at their offense. The lineup struggled against quality pitching in the playoffs.

Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez and Vinnie Pasquantino fueled the offense all season. They each eclipsed 15 home runs and 90 RBIs. However, the rest of the lineup had limitations down the stretch.

The Royals hope to find more consistency and build a deeper offense this offseason. And it starts with finding a dependable leadoff hitter.

“You start with the leadoff man and then you try to find somebody to hit in the middle of the lineup as well,” Picollo said. “And the deeper you can get, the more explosive you can be as an offense and the tougher you are to defend.”

The Royals cycled multiple players in the leadoff spot. The club began the 2024 season with Maikel Garcia in the role. Then, Quatraro began inserting Adam Frazier and Tommy Pham at various points.

The leadoff role is an important spot for the Royals. It sets the tone for the entire lineup but also gives Witt more opportunities to drive in runs.

“You don’t ever have this game figured out,” Quatraro said. “You know, we kind of went from an area, like J.J. said, where there were a lot of things we needed to improve on to now it’s marginal improvements and continuing to play at a high level consistently.”

What about the Royals pitchers?

The Royals also could address their pitching staff. A big decision looms as veteran starter Michael Wacha mulls his $16 million player option. Wacha could decide to opt-out and explore free agency.

This season, Wacha was 13-8 with a 3.35 ERA in 29 starts. He brought valuable leadership and helped young pitchers such as Brady Singer and Alec Marsh improve.

“We would like to have him back,” Picollo said. “There is no question, we would like to have him back.”

The Royals hope to sit down with Wacha and his representatives in the upcoming weeks. His decision could alter how the Royals navigate the offseason.

KC currently has Singer, Marsh, Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo returning next season. The club expects injured starter Kyle Wright to return as well. Wright missed the entire 2024 campaign with a shoulder injury.

Other internal options include Daniel Lynch IV and Kris Bubic. However, both were strong options out of the bullpen this season.

In addition to Wacha’s player option, the Royals will need to replace veteran starter Michael Lorenzen as he hits free agency.

“If we are not fortunate enough to have Michael (Wacha) back, then we are going to have to look on the market or look to make a move,” Picollo said. “(Quatraro) has already hit on it, but we were remarkably healthy this year and that’s not the norm. So we have to go into the season with seven or eight or nine starters deep because things happen during the year.”

Starting pitching was key for the Royals this season. It helped propel them to the postseason.

Adding offense appears the focal point for now.

“Overall, it’s continuing to push forward and not be satisfied with where we got to this year,” Quatraro said. “And I don’t think that is an issue at all. I think those guys left the room the other night with a really sour taste in their mouth and I think that will be motivation enough to really fight through and continue to get better.”