Kansas City Royals: Are More Dark Years Just Around the Corner

Even diehard fans may not remember that around 20 years ago the Kansas City Royals were completely irrelevant for close to a decade. Twenty years ago, Kauffman Stadium was mostly empty and the Royals were bottom feeders in the MLB.

Any KC Royals fan that remembers those tumultuous times might recognize the state the Royals are in right now. Back then, the Kansas City Royals were laughable, and right now it seems like the Royals have become laughable once again.

As our own Leigh Oleszczak noted, the Royals contention window is slowly slipping away from them. Many thought that at one point the Royals would return to a state of average ball play, but it was anticipated to be around next season when the core Royals left. This season is now proving seems that the Royals contention window may be slipping faster than any fan could think.

It is fairly early in the season to really tell whether 2017 has taken a turn for the worse or not, but what is clear is that if the Royals do not win now, it may be hard to win later.

For starters, the KC Royals’ bats have been silent. The starting pitching has been great, but without runs, it’s tough to win games.

The potential is there for the Royals to start winning once again this season. With the bullpen being consistent for the most part and the starting pitching throwing quality games, the Royals are fixable. The problem is that the future of the Royals organization may be far from fixable.

After next season, the Royals could potentially see the departures of Eric Hosmer, Jason Vargas, Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain, and Alcides Escobar. These Royals make up the core of the World Series teams that made magical runs in the postseason.

It would be the end of an era for the Kansas City ball club. These players represent the Kansas City Royals magic that was so consistent during the Cinderella run of the 2014 postseason. There will be even more departures are on the table in 2019, so what can the Royals do?

Simply said, the Royals need to win now. This is the last season before these major departures start happening.

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Let’s also not forget how costly some of the Royals current deals are. Alex Gordon is an aging left fielder that will milk his four year $72,000,000 contract for as long as he can. Right now, however, Gordon is definitely not playing to the price tag on his contract.

The Royals can win now because they have the answers for a deep playoff run, but soon that will not be the case. Change is definitely coming. If you remember the dark years that these Royals suffered through, it may be on the horizon and nobody wants that.

Can the Royals salvage the season ahead of them? Yes, there is plenty of time left in the season for the Royals to improve. Their standing in the AL Central can improve especially towards contention in the playoffs. If the bats awaken, the Royals are definitely back in it.

Hopefully the Royals can reignite the offense and start attacking the AL Central for the conference crown. Right now it looks as if the future of the organization is in jeopardy. With expensive contracts on aging players and potential 2018 free agents that may be allowed to hit the market, the Royals have a at best a questionable future.

Even though this doom and gloom scenario is hard to hear for any Royals fan, this season can be saved. This season has the potential to eventually end in a World Series, but just know, it may be the last time the Royals are in contention for awhile.

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