The Kansas City Royals have been one of the pleasant surprises of the 2024 MLB season. Owners of a 39-27 record, they have been one of the more consistent teams in the American League.
They are currently four games behind the Cleveland Guardians for first place in the AL Central and are 6.0 games clear in the Wild Card race. Strong performances from Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans are pacing the pitching staff in the starting rotation.
In the lineup, emerging star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. is an MVP candidate and Salvador Perez is having a huge bounceback season, slashing .299/.372/.491. However, if the Kansas City Royals want to hold onto their current standing, they could use some reinforcements.
Over at ESPN, MLB insider Jeff Passan has shared an early preview of the 2024 MLB Trade Deadline. For the Royals, some help in the bullpen will be targeted, along with another outfield to mix into the lineup.
“The Royals are already canvassing the league for relief pitching, a sign that they intend to add to one of the most surprising rosters in baseball. Even after recent struggles, Kansas City holds the fourth-best record in the AL, and beyond an acute need for bullpen help, the Royals could use an outfielder who can hit. In 685 plate appearances this season, their outfielders are hitting .204/.271/.324, good for a wOBA of .267 — the worst among all big league outfields,” Passan wrote.
The Kansas City Royals are seemingly ahead on their rebuild. But, this is something they should be looking to take advantage of, as they haven’t made the postseason since winning the World Series in 2015.
Addressing the outfield makes sense. Garrett Hampson and Dairon Blanco, both part-time players, are the only outfielders hitting above .250. Neither offers much in the power department either, combining for only nine extra-base hits.
Out of the bullpen, three of their five most-used arms have an ERA of at least 5.27, including closer James McArthur. If the Kansas City Royals want to stay in the playoff picture, they need to improve the bullpen or some late-inning collapses could ultimately doom them.
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