9 Royals Who Won't Return in 2024

Now that the Rangers won the World Series by defeating an upstart Diamondbacks team that may look familiar, J.J. Picollo is officially on the clock to deliver a more competitive Royals team in 2024.

Not only must the Royals consider the typical incentives to win, but the organization must also convince a generational star to stick around for the long haul.

Let's be aggressive this offseason then, shall we? Here are nine players who won't be around next year as Kansas City pursues a competitive club:

9 Royals Who Won't Return in 2024

1. Salvador Pérez - C

This hurts me as much as it hurts you, but the clearest path to a lengthy Bobby WItt Jr. extension directly involves a Salvy trade.

The Royals were fielding calls on eight-time All-Star ahead of the trade deadline though no deal materialized, so they're at least open to the idea. Given Salvy will turn 34 years old in May and has already battled injuries, this may be the peak of his trade value.

Perhaps Dayton Moore's greatest sin was holding on to the past for too long, eschewing trades for the core of the 2015 World Series team when the players' value was peaking. Kansas City paid the price for that decision and I don't expect Picollo to follow in his predecessors' footsteps.

Pérez has 94 home runs over the last three seasons and would provide integral clubhouse leadership to a contending team. He likely carries the most immediately trade value for any Royals' asset, so the most beneficial action for the longterm health of the club is, sadly, to capitalize on that value.

2. Brad Keller - SP

I think we can all agree that the Keller experiment is over. He's shown promising flashes over his six seasons with the Royals, but inconsistent command always reared its ugly head.

The train completely flew off the tracks this season as Keller walked 45 batters in just 45.1 innings before spending time in the minors and injury rehab.

Keller is a free agent and given the Royals' need for pitching, I don't see the justification for signing him to another contract.

Consider this ugly truth: Keller appeared in only 11 games this season yet still issued the second-most walks on the entire team! Given the Royals' promising defense and litany of young pitchers the organization must evaluate, Keller doesn't serve much of a purpose on the 2024 team.

I'm hopeful he can turn things around with another club, but it's time for Kansas City to move on.

3. Zack Greinke - SP

This makes me sad.

Greinke is among my personal favorite Royals of all-time. I'll never forget exclaiming in Chemistry class in high school that he'd won the Cy Young in 2007 before my teacher reprimanded me for looking at my phone.

He's been an integral part of my Royals fandom and I'm grateful he pitched his final innings in a Royals uniform. The future Hall of Famer hasn't yet announced his retirement, but it'd be a surprise if he continued playing after posting a 5.06 ERA this season.

That being said, Greinke is still excellent defensively and can fool batters with his deception. I'd love to see him serve a bullpen role, but asking him to lead the rotation when the overall goal is to build a rotation for the future is unwise.

Would I mind keeping Greinke around to help mentor the rising star Cole Ragans? Absolutely not. That sounds wonderful.

Do I think it's likely? Absolutely not. That sounds fanciful.

4. MJ Melendez - RF

Freddy Fermín's strong performance renders Melendez's catching abilities moot, and the former heir apparent to Salvy hasn't progressed the way fans hoped he would.

Melendez hit just .235 with a -.4 WAR (Wins Above Replacement) and has limited defensive range. If he isn't hitting well, he's not positively contributing to the ballclub.

The Royals have to be aggressive and capitalize when players' trade value is high, similar to the Aroldis Chapman trade that landed us Cole Ragans.

Melendez boosted his value in the final two months of the year, hitting .280 in August and .261 in September with an impressive 18 walks and 12 RBI in the final month.

That sounds like the kind of "sell-high" opportunity the Royals have to take of advantage of, right?

5. Carlos Hernández - P

Hernández is another name the Royals were reportedly shopping ahead of the deadline, showcasing him in a closer role down the stretch in hopes of increasing his value before the offseason.

Things...didn't go too well. Hernández finished with a 5.27 ERA, technically an improvement from the 7.39 mark he posted in 2022, with six blown saves to only four converted saves.

Perhaps a team would be interested in the upside Hernández shows with his 99+ MPH fastball. He did strike out 77 batters in 70 innings pitched, so there's certainly a talented pitcher in there somewhere.

With a cost-controlled contract and over three years of big league experience despite being only 26 years old, Hernández may just need a change of scenery to reach the potential he's shown.

The Royals had the worst bullpen ERA in the American League last year (5.23) and must make drastic improvements to field a competitive club. Kansas City is out of time for Hernández to develop and it's time to move on.

6. Taylor Clarke, RP

Whew, do I ever wish the Royals traded Clarke away when he posted a 0.71 ERA in 12 appearances in May.

He looked like one of the most dominant relievers in the majors at the time, striking out 14 batters while holding opponents to a .200 batting average. Unfortunately, the wheels fell off rather quickly.

Clarke had a 9.00 ERA in June, a 10.45 ERA in July before suffering an injury and returning in September to record an 8.68 ERA. He's 30 years old and not under contract next season, so I see little point in giving him a roster spot instead of a younger arm with potential.

Similar to the argument for moving on from Hernández, Kansas City needs bullpen help and fast. Clarke had his opportunities to show he belonged, but things didn't work out the way he or the organization hoped.

7. Matt Duffy - 3B

If you're going to put a young nucleus around Bobby Witt Jr., it makes little sense to use a roster spot on a 32-year-old third baseman despite the versatility Duffy provides.

Duffy can play the entire infield, so he's a quality player to have on the bench over the course of a 162-game season. He hit .251 in 77 games for Kansas City this season though routinely put together veteran at-bats while giving other players an off-day when they needed it.

Make no mistake, Duffy has a role on a competitive team. That being said, the Royals have players like Devin Mann and Nick Loftin they need to evaluate in the infield as well, so Duffy just doesn't fit Kansas City's timeline.

I'm hopeful Duffy's jack-of-all-trades nature will see him land on a team competing for a championship next season.

8. Nick Pratto - 1B

Pratto is another infielder that shouldn't factor into the Royals' plans moving forward.

The organization's 2017 first-round draft pick looked like a future star in 2019, clubbing 36 home runs while winning a gold glove in the minors. Unfortunately, that minor league success hasn't translated to the majors.

He hit only .216 over two seasons with the Royals and lacks plate discipline, striking out a ridiculous 138 times in 306 at-bats in 2023. You could theoretically live with that if Pratto was going to hit 30+ homers, but he only had seven and hasn't displayed the kind of consistent power that makes you envision something greater.

Pratto still has the tools to be a successful player, so I imagine the Royals could obtain something of value for him over the next couple of months.

With Vinnie Pasquantino set to return from his season-ending injury and Loftin waiting in the wings, Kansas City doesn't have time to wait for Pratto to develop that plate discipline.

9. Josh Taylor - RP

Taylor was acquired in the Adalberto Mondesi trade, appearing in 17 games before being placed on the Injured List to end his season.

In his brief stint with the Royals, Taylor didn't inspire confidene that he can be a valuable contributor to the 2024 bullpen.

He struck out 26 hitters in 17.2 innings, which is impressive, but he allowed 22 hits and four home runs, culminating in an 8.15 ERA. His 1.75 WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) saw him surrender too many base runners and he's battled several injuries throughout his career.

On the wrong side of 30 for a team focused on development, Taylor shouldn't factor into the Royals' plans for 2024 and beyond.

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