Frustration and change give way to October, at last
Pinch me, I’m dreaming.
It took 3,253 days for the Kansas City Royals to find redemption. That’s how many days we’ve seen since the Royals won the World Series on November 1, 2015. In the eight seasons following the team’s victory over New York, the win-loss record finished at 499-695. From 2016 through 2023, the team saw three Managers, two General Managers, and two team Owners. Long-time owner, David Glass, passed away in January 2020, giving way to a nearly unprecedented track of change for the organization.
In the years since 2020, the Royals have welcomed new ownership while saying goodbye to one-time beloved General Manager, Dayton Moore. Moore oversaw the team’s rise in 2014 and 2015 before managing the team in one of the darkest five-year spans in franchise history. New General Manager and long-time Moore executive, J.J. Picollo, was given the task of turning around an organization in despair. Then came the arrival of new Manager Matt Quatraro. Mike Matheny had managed the team for just three seasons following the retirement of Ned Yost. Now, despite all of that organizational change, the Royals stand on the cusp of just their third playoff run this century.
A year full of rarities headlines the 2024 Royals season
It hardly feels real, to this point. Perhaps it will start to feel more real when the Royals take the field in Baltimore or Houston in October. The Playoff Royals have long been an elusive dream, a fairytale that exists only in the 2014-15 Fever Dream that was. Yet, here we are. Just a season following a franchise-worst 106 losses in 2023, Kansas City has done the improbable. The impossible, even. A 30-game improvement over a season ago would mark the sixth-largest single-season improvement in the Divisional Era. With their 86th win of the season, that’s exactly what these Royals have accomplished.
In less than a calendar year, the Royals have done each of the following:
- Spent $100+ million in free-agent contracts
- Signed the largest contract in franchise history (11/$287m for Bobby Witt Jr.)
- Made the Postseason
It’s the first $200 million contract in franchise history. It’s just the second time since at least 2011 that the team has spent over $100 million in one offseason (2016) and it’s just the third time, of course, that they’ve made the postseason this century. As easy as one, two, three, right? All of the years of frustration have amounted finally to this: a new era of Kansas City Royals baseball. These aren’t your grandfather’s Royals.
Frustration and doubt create motivation for these Royals
All of the frustration and losses made it easy to discount the Royals again entering this season. Even into June, there were many asking if the Royals were just a flash in the pan, destined to flame out as they did in 2003. That doubt just fueled the team. Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez willed the team to contention for much of the season. Then, despite two long losing streaks in August and September, the rest of the roster pulled it out. Manager Matt Quatraro has been nothing short of masterful. He threw the entire bench out there on Thursday, culminating in a clutch, go-ahead hit from pinch hitter Adam Frazier.
Frazier, long the ire of the fanbase this season, capped off the regular season with perhaps one of the most important hits of the entire year. That’s the true story of these Kansas City Royals. They see your doubt, your frustration, your cynicism, and they make it happen in spite. Instead of wearing the doubt as a burden, these Royals have pinned it right there on their chest. They’re happy to revel in that doubt and prove everyone wrong in the process. Now, on the cusp of the playoffs, this roster should see some pressure subside.
So much pressure built up in just making the playoffs. It all compacted in the season’s final month. By the sixth straight loss on September 21, it became clear in the clubhouse and on the field that everyone was feeling it. The clubhouse, once fun and noisy, had instead become quiet and subdued. Now, the Royals’ roster can breathe a sigh of relief. This team can get back to what made them so successful all season long — playing fun baseball and proving the doubters wrong.
First October, but then, better days remain ahead
The Royals weren’t supposed to be here. No one out there predicted they’d compete for the Division this season. No one out there had them as a playoff contender. That makes this season all that much sweeter. The future in Kansas City is bright because of how far ahead of schedule the roster has become. The extreme success of the new look starting rotation has moved the team’s timeline light years ahead of where it was just a year ago. The arrival of Superstar Bobby Witt Jr. just furthered that advancement and improvements in player development in the minor leagues lengthen the window beyond this season.
It’s a perfect blend of success that has the Royals poised to do something they haven’t done since the late 1970s — win consistently. The rotation is more or less here to stay for the foreseeable future. Seth Lugo, Brady Singer, and Cole Ragans will all be back next season. Michael Wacha could be as well, depending on the outcome of his player option for 2025. Even if he isn’t, the team’s revamped pitching development has prospects Noah Cameron and Steven Zobac on the cusp of big league innings. This isn’t 2003-plus. Kansas City will enter the offseason an attractive landing spot for free agents and will return many of the elements that made this year’s Royals a success.
At the same time, the front office has a clear picture of where they can improve to continue winning. Third base is a clear need, as are the corner outfield spots. Hunter Harvey, Kris Bubic, and Lucas Erceg will hopefully be the backbone of next year’s bullpen, but more is needed. The elements are in place for the Royals to make a solid three-year run (at least) of consistent, winning baseball. With the way the team’s new leadership has proven themselves so far, my money would be on even longer. This Royals front office isn’t content to “break even” or just win here or there, and that’s excellent news for fans. The future is extremely bright for the Royals, but for now, soak it all in. It doesn’t feel real quite yet, but soon enough, playoff baseball will be back for Kansas City.