8 Royals Who Won't Return in 2025 Season

The Royals' magical season came to a disappointing end on Thursday as Kansas City fell to the hated New York Yankees in the AL Division Series. It was a phenomenal year for the Boys in Blue and despite the bitter end, this is clearly a team that can compete moving forward.

J.J. Picollo, Matt Quatraro and their respective staffs did an incredible job engineering one of the greatest turnarounds in MLB history. That being said, there are obvious holes on the team and the roster won't look the same in 2025.

As the organization tries to get over the hump and win the AL Central and a pennant, let's look at eight players who won't be back next year.

8 Royals Who Won't Return

1. Michael Wacha - SP

While Michael Wacha has a player option for next season, he's highly unlikely to exercise it given the large contract he'll command on the open market. The former NLCS MVP was spectacular in his first year with the Royals, notching a 13-8 record and 3.35 ERA in 166.2 innings with 145 strikeouts and only 45 walks.

In his 29 starts, Wacha surrendered more than three runs only four times. He was marvelously consistent, nearly always giving his team a chance to win.

While he took the loss in the final game against the Yankees, Wacha was unquestionably one of this club's best players in 2024.

There's a possibility that Wacha gets an extension from the Royals. At the very least, Kansas City will make him an offer. Wacha is 33 years old though and should be one of the most coveted pitchers on the market.

In all likelihood, some team with a bigger payroll will make Wacha an offer he can't refuse. If that's the case, he'll forever be remembered as one of the architects of one of the more memorable seasons in Royals history.