The Royals still have a lot of work to do this offseason

What’s next?

The Royals have been one of the more active teams early this off-season, re-signing a major free agent in Michael Wacha and engineering a good ol’ fashioned baseball trade when they swapped Brady Singer for Jonathan India. General manager J.J. Picollo identified adding an on-base hitter as the top priority, and India has been one of the best in the game at getting on base in the last few years.

These moves reflect an aggressive approach that should be applauded for a team that could have been content with this year’s improvements. But there is still much work to be done. In fact, the India trade in some ways raises more questions than answers. Here is what the Royals have left to address this offseason.

Adding starting pitching depth

The Royals made the playoffs in large part by employing one of the best starting rotations in baseball. By trading Singer, they eat into that depth, requiring someone to fill his shoes. And not just his shoes, but they will need more than just five starting pitchers. As Picollo said in his end-of-the-season press conference, “We have to go into the season seven, eight, nine starting pitchers deep, because things happen during the year.”

The Royals are projected to begin the year with Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, and Michael Wacha in the rotation for sure. Alec Marsh seems like a good bet, and Kris Bubic could move into the rotation after a solid year in the pen returning from injury. Kyle Wright is a former 21-game winner in 2022 also returning from injury who could be an interesting wild card. And Noah Cameron is the best pitcher in the upper minors of the Royals organization who could make his MLB debut at some point this year.

This free agent class is deeper in starting pitching than perhaps any other position, so the Royals can also look externally to add depth. Bringing back Michael Lorenzen makes a lot of sense, as the cost shouldn’t be prohibitively high and he offers flexibility as a starter who can also pitch out of the pen. That kind of flexibility is likely what the Royals are looking for. Other pitchers who could fit that bill include Andrew Heaney, Colin Rea, Spencer Turnbull, Michael Soroka, or Joe Ross.

Resolving the outfield situation

Royals outfielders collectively hit .222/.281/.367 this year, the fourth-worst OPS in baseball. The team is likely stuck with Hunter Renfroe and his $7.5 million contract for this year in right. Kyle Isbel provides great defense but little offense in center. And MJ Melendez has yet to live up to his potential in left, while making uneven progress with the glove.

The acquisition of India clears up the hitting lineup, but it muddles up the defensive alignment. India has only played second base at the big league level, a position that Michael Massey has primarily played. India spent a year in the minors at third base and has experimented in left field in spring training, but he also has a poor arm that may not be suited for either position. Massey could move to the outfield - his chronic back injuries seem to stem from playing second base. But his bat, while average for a second baseman, may not play as well in the outfield.

Massey or India could move to third, which is currently occupied by Maikel Garcia. Picollo mentioned Garcia is athletic enough to play the outfield, but the Royals need an offensive upgrade and Garcia slumped at the plate this year.

The Royals should still be in the market for a true offensive upgrade in the outfield instead of counting on internal options to suddenly figure it out. Players like Massey, Garcia, or Melendez could be offered in trades to teams that can afford to have more patience to allow them to figure things out. But the Royals need production now.

Roster depth

In September, the Royals lost Vinnie Pasquantino to a thumb injury that cost him the remainder of the regular season, and it devastated the lineup. Rather than turn to former first-round pick Nick Pratto in Triple-A, the Royals scrambled outside the organization and acquired a 40-year-old Yuli Gurriel instead. The club used very little help from the minors this year, instead turning to external help when needed. That’s understandable considering how years of poor drafts hollowed out the organization.

But looking outside the organization can be expensive and may not be sustainable. The Royals have stated before that they need a pipeline of talent to succeed as a small market team. Drafting and signing players in the international market is a way of acquiring talent, but there are other ways to build depth - minor league free agency, the minor league Rule 5 draft, and of course trades. The Dodgers and Rays make trades all the time involving players you’ve never heard of but they pop up in October and suddenly have a 97 mph heater with movement. The Royals have made some progress but they have a lot of work to do restock a farm system in sore need of talent.