5 Royals Leaving Kansas City in the New Year

5. Adam Frazier - 2B

The logic for moving on from Adam Frazier is similar to why the team won't re-sign Robbie Grossman or Garrett Hampson. This lineup needs more consistent power and unfortunately, Frazier is a limited offensive player.

He finished the 2024 campaign with a .202 average, four home runs and 22 RBI with 22 walks and 59 strikeouts. The .202 average was the worst of his career by far, and the Royals were rightly disappointed given Frazier hit .324 with the Pirates back in 2021.

Frazier can play multiple positions and is a solid defender, though he's 33 years old and took a major step backward offensively. You'll notice a theme here. Kansas City will swap out the last handful of guys who got limited playing time for, hopefully, better hitters who prioritize getting on base.

Losing all of these strong defenders could pose an issue, but the organization has always done a great job finding replacements who can flash the leather. There's a healthy balance to find of not slumping too much defensively while simultaneously upgrading the offense in a significant way.

This is a young team with an elite starting rotation. Assuming players like Massey and Pasquantino continue to improve, the offense should get better naturally. That said, shrewd moves to improve the end of the lineup will be just as important.

Frazier even served as the leadoff hitter for long stretches in 2024, a sign of how thin this offensively-challenged group was. Jonathan India is expected to take over that role, and it'll be interesting to see how J.J. Picollo rounds out the roster in hopes of returning to the World Series for the first time since 2015.

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