The Kansas City Royals, to the surprise of many, have been arguably the most active team in free agency this offseason. Perhaps that is a way of indicating to those in and out of the organization they’re serious about emerging from the basement.
Kansas City has finished fourth or fifth in the American League Central each of the last six seasons, but a promising young core is coming together– headlined by one of the most electric players in baseball in Bobby Witt Jr.
Despite winning a dreadful 56 games last season, the Royals have spent this offseason. They’ve added Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo to the rotation, with Will Smith and Chris Stratton joining the bullpen. They also added to the outfield with Hunter Renfroe.
It’s a sign that there’s blood in the water in the AL Central, which is largely wide open. The Twins are the obvious frontrunner, but they don’t have a stranglehold on the division.
Despite all the activity to bring in free agents, there might not be a bigger move the Royals could reasonably make this offseason than to commit long term to Witt. Royals general manager J.J. Picollo indicated Thursday on Cody & Gold that’s very much on the radar.
“Yeah, we will (explore extending young players),” Piccolo said. “It’s a little bit of a slow process and we have to respect it. I think it’s no secret we love Bobby Witt Jr., and there are others we like a lot on our team – but those things take some time.
“But I’m hopeful with what we’ve done, the support of ownership, what we’ve done is a clear indication that we plan to build something that’s sustainable and this is a great place to play your entire career. So, hopefully that will help those types of discussions moving forward.”
Witt and Cole Ragans seem like the most obvious young players to extend. Firming up a young core and establishing some continuity on the roster could go a long way to returning the Royals to contender status.