Spring Training is upon us and the Kansas City Royals are officially playing baseball again. Following the incredible highs of 2024, the organization is determined to ensure 2025 is just as enjoyable for fans starved of true success.
While the team made significant strides to advance to the AL Divisional Round, their offense was overmatched in the final games and led to a disappointing exit. The front office brought in guys like Jonathan India to help fix the middling attack, though there's a difficult balance in letting players develop while still competing to win today.
India's arrival should have fans excited, as should the acquisition of Cavan Biggio on a minor-league deal, yet those additions that one promising veteran could be on the chopping block during Spring Training.
Maikel Garcia deserves ⭐️⭐️⭐️ today:
— Royals Muse (@KCRoyalsMuse) October 2, 2024
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His 6th inning doesn’t go unnoticed #WelcomeToTheCity pic.twitter.com/b22H8grtk7
Royals 3B Maikel Garcia on Chopping Block Starting Spring Training
Garcia is an excellent defender with stellar plate discipline and an ability to avoid strikeouts. That said, he doesn't have much pop, hitting just 11 home runs total over the last two years. He managed a mere .231 batting average last season and in 157 games, that's just not good enough.
Still only 24 years old, Garcia has plenty of time to become a quality hitter. The Royals' offseason decisions, however, suggest they're running out of patience. India and Michael Massey are both versatile second basemen, each possessing a bat that requires them to be in the lineup as often as possible. The Royals are figuring out how to accomplish that goal, which may mean leaving Garcia on the bench more than he's used to.
In the first Spring Training game, Massey played second base, India played left field, Nick Loftin played third base and Hunter Renfroe served as DH. Loftin is behind Garcia in the pecking order, but the others aren't. MJ Melendez wasn't in the lineup, and he's projected to frequently be in left field given his power potential.
There's a long way to go until Opening Day. As it stands, it looks probable that manager Matt Quatraro could settle on a lineup that includes Melendez in left, Renfroe at DH or right field, Massey or India at second, and the other at third.
Nelson Velasquez played in right field, which isn't a likelihood in the regular season, but it's increasingly obvious that Garcia won't reach the 157 games he played last year. For the betterment of the offense, it seems his time will be reduced to maximize his defensive impact.
That puts him on the chopping block and makes it clear that the franchise expects his bat to come around sooner rather than later.