2023-24 MLB Offseason Recap: Kansas City Royals

Even though there were some — and by some, we mean very few — brights spots for the Royals in 2023, the Kansas City front office had a rather active offseason to tweak their 2024 roster. Kansas City added several veteran arms, as well as a slugger with six 20+ home run campaigns. Here’s a look at our Royals’ 2023-24 MLB offseason recap.

Notable Additions

Last season, the Royals pitching staff owned the third-worst team ERA (5.17) and fifth-worst SIERA (4.53). Heading into 2024, that rotation will look very different.

Kansas City signed starters Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha, both of whom have good fastballs and secondary offerings and pitched well in San Diego last season. Lugo struck out 140 over 146.1 IP in his first season as a starter since 2017, while Wacha limited hard-hit contact en route to a 14-win campaign last year.

The Royals also added to their bullpen, as veteran relievers Nick Anderson, Will Smith, and Chris Stratton joined Kansas City. On the offensive side, slugger Hunter Renfroe and Adam Frazier are among the new bats in KC.

On top of all the signings to improve the pitching staff, the Royals front office locked up franchise bat Bobby Witt Jr. in February for the long haul.

Now, let’s move on to the part of our Royals offseason recap that focuses on the notable losses.

Notable Subtractions

There weren’t many notable losses for a Royals team with a young core this offseason. Notably, the Royals traded former first-round pick Jackson Kowar to the Braves for Kyle Wright. Wright will likely not pitch in 2024

Zack Greinke also returned to the market after a rough 2023 campaign. The 40-year-old posted a 5.06 ERA and went 2-15 last season.

What to Expect in 2024

It’s taken a while for the Royals to get back into the playoff conversation after a lengthy overhaul in the late 2010s. Heading into 2024, Kansas City has a solid chance to improve from their 106-loss campaign in 2023 and compete for a playoff spot.

The additions of Lugo and Wacha are massive. Granted, the two may be potential trade chips should things go south for KC. But for now, Lugo and Wacha add stability to a rotation that didn’t have much of it in 2023. The ex-Padres join youngster Brady Singer and Cole Ragans, the latter of whom was electric over the final two months.

And as for the offense, Renfroe’s power bat does bring another threat for the Royals.

It’s wise not to expect a Texas Rangers-like renaissance for the Royals in 2024. With Renfroe, Witt Jr., Salvador Perez, and a healthy Vinnie Pasquantino, Kansas City could be a sleeper team in what’s poised to be a weak AL Central.