Another set of unfortunate news has hit the Kansas City Royals: their head coach shed tears as four of his star players made the decision to terminate their huge contracts.
The Kansas City Royals have been dealt yet another blow of bad news: their head coach broke down in tears as four of his best players decided to sever their enormous contracts.
The Kansas City Royals are in a position to win it all. A sentence that hasn’t been exchanged in almost nine seasons.
What precisely can the Royals achieve, then?
A desired postseason spot in the American League is the solution. There’s a potential to win the AL Central division if things become very good.
The 2015 campaign was the last time KC won the division. Turn back time to the 1985 campaign, when Hall of Famer George Brett was in attendance, before that.
A World Series championship concluded each of those seasons. In addition, throughout the past 40 years, the Royals have only made four playoff appearances.
But things might be different this season. The Royals intend to go full steam ahead as general manager J.J. Picollo looks to take the franchise into unknown territory once more.
Picollo remarked, “We all know there is sort of an artificial timeline.” “You’re going to encounter it. Yes, we will either have to enter or remain outside. Furthermore, I don’t think we will ever be sellers.
Making the playoffs is the team’s main objective, as Picollo emphasized. He likes the Royals’ present position in the Wild Card and divisional races.
He is now more determined than ever. He plans to streamline the 2024 roster in a “aggressive” manner.
Picollo stated, “All we can do is get ready and be ready for those calls.”
Here is a look at the assets the Royals own and may offer in a trade before those calls.
Best-in-class Royals prospects
Top prospects like Blake Mitchell (ranked first), Cayden Wallace (ranked second), and Ben Kurdna (ranked third) are not expected to be traded by the Royals. Every player, who is younger than 21, has made progress in the minor leagues.
Teams cherish their farm system highly. The Royals are competitive, but perhaps not enough to warrant thinking about changing the franchise.
Wallace could be the third baseman of the future for the Royals; he is hitting.282 in Double-A. At High-A Quad Cities, Kurdna has a 3.47 ERA and 55 strikeouts.
Some names that are long-term prospects with high ceilings and little chance of being traded are Frank Mozzicato (ranked No. 4), Blake Wolters (ranked No. 6), and Yandel Ricardo (ranked No. 8).
MLB-experienced players
To address their outfield depth and bullpen, the Royals might be able to locate a trade partner. However, there are a few things to take into account, including roster flexibility, financial cost, and team control.
Teams that oppose you can be drawn to guys with experience. There are a few guys on the Royals who suit the description.
Pitchers Daniel Lynch IV, Kris Bubic, and Austin Cox are with the Royals in Triple-A. First baseman Nick Pratto and outfielder Drew Waters have also played in Major League Baseball.
The young veterans of the Royals are highly valued. After Tommy John surgery, Bubic is presently assigned to a rehab facility and is unlikely to be transferred. When he returns to the majors, he should play in the bullpen.
As skilled players, Pratto and Waters have a variety of tools. Due to injuries on the team, both were called back earlier in the season.
Lynch has both relieved and started a number of games. Last season, Cox received good relief work out of the Royals bullpen.
It’s feasible that other teams will discover value in some of these guys to help broker a transaction if the Royals want to improve with minimal trades.
Those with fascinating futures
A number of the Royals’ prospects have the potential to improve with time.
Carter Jensen, a high-A catcher, possesses the power to simplify an offense. Gavin Cross, a former first-round choice, is succeeding in Double-A while this is going on. This season, his on-base plus slugging (OPS) is.827.
Pitchers with high ceilings in the lower levels include right-handers Eric Cerantola and Steven Zobac.
The Royals have moreover demonstrated familiarity with a fascinating prospect. KC acquired John Schreiber from the Boston Red Sox during spring training. In the deal, they forfeited starter David Sandlin, who is 23 years old.
As of right moment, Sandlin is the Red Sox organization’s 14th-ranked prospect. Following the deal, Picollo admitted it was a tough choice to trade Sandlin. He did point out that it was the price paid to acquire an MLB pitcher with years of team control.
When the sale was announced, Picollo stated, “As much as we might have tried to stay away from Sandlin, they were pretty (determined) and that’s who they wanted to acquire.” “And in the end, we determined it was optimal for the company.”
Now that he has settled into a setup role, Schreiber is an important member of the Royals bullpen. The Royals sacrificed an arm in order to strengthen their relief corps.
In July, there’s a chance the Royals locate a comparable trade.
It will take KC slightly over a month to make a final judgment after looking at every aspect of the company.
Is it for an all-around hitter in the outfield and two relievers? Time will tell.
Seven clubs were within ten games of the final AL Wild Card slot going into Wednesday’s play. After trailing the Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, and Minnesota Twins, the Royals are still in the running.
Seven teams in the National League are just four games out of the last postseason spot.
Since there are still clubs in the running, the Royals will have competition to strengthen their squad, which will give their assets comparable weight in any trade talks.
The Royals’ manager, Matt Quatraro, stated, “We set our goal to win the division and we are squarely in the middle of a race.” “To catch up to Cleveland, we are going to need to play well in the second half. There is still much space for improvement. That is my perspective on it.
