5 Royals Leaving Kansas City in the New Year

3. Garrett Hampson - OF

Garrett Hampson came up big for the Royals multiple times during the year, including notching a hit in all three postseason at-bats and even driving in three runs in the process. However, his season-long performance was unexceptional and he's a logical player to move on from.

In 213 at-bats, Hampson didn't hit a single home run. He has nonexistent power and poor plate discipline, compiling just 14 walks while striking out 59 times. He can play across the outfield and at second base and shortstop as a plus defender, though his lack of offensive output puts a ceiling on his value.

The Royals' eventual undoing was their lack of consistent offense. Too many spots in the lineup were taken up by unsuccessful hitters, putting a tremendous amount of pressure on Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez, and Vinnie Pasquantino. Once those three experienced inevitable slumps, Kansas City's offense cratered.

Hampson is a solid player who could have value for more established teams, but the Royals desperately need offense that he can't provide. He managed to count for 0.4 WAR (Wins Above Replacement), yet it became clear that Hampson wasn't productive enough to stick around.

Kansas City may need to sacrifice some of its elite defense in order to improve the offense. Finding players who are excellent in both categories is obviously difficult to do, which is why Hampson was acquired in the first place.

Moving forward though, a slight organizational shift is necessary. The Royals had too many guys like Hampson and fans should expect the end of the bench to change in 2025.