The Kansas City Royals' season has been anything but a success. A fifth-place finish in the AL Central with a 48-68 record easily shows that. Manager Matt Quatraro has made poor coaching decisions game after game; injuries have been an issue all year, and general manager J.J. Picollo seems to think all is well, as Kansas City was ultra-quiet at the trade deadline.
As the Royals' inner belief among the team remains that they can dig themselves out of this hole and make a run for playoff contention, the reality of the situation is that this is a lost season and they may as well begin looking forward to next year.
Whether or not Quatraro is kept on as the lead voice in the dugout remains unseen, but Kansas City does possess some really good, ascending young talent. And it seems like the Royals brain trust is banking on those guys to lead the way for the coming years.
According to ESPN's Jeff Passan via Sleeper MLB on Twitter/X, the Royals are not in any mindset to rebuild the ballclub. They are set in their belief in the young core of guys, most notably Bobby Witt Jr., Jac Caglianone, Maikel Garcia, Carter Jensen, and Vinnie Pasquantino.
Royals have no intentions of rebuilding in the midst of wildly disappointing season
This sentiment doesn't come as a shock, as most rational Royals fans would agree that the above players are all guys that should be built around and can win a lot of games in the league. But the conflicting timelines are where the issue lies.
Picollo was staunch on keeping veteran pitchers Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha past the trade deadline this season, despite their best years potentially behind them. Which is backwards thinking if the core of guys you're placing your trust in are younger and ascending
The Royals could quickly find themselves in contention with the talent they have at bat. But on the mound is where the trouble is, both in age and depth. Cole Ragans should be a cornerstone starting pitcher, but injuries have plagued him, and we might not even see him play next season.
The Royals bullpen has been in absolute turmoil all year, and KC did little to relieve themselves of worthless contracts at the deadline. Perhaps the biggest thing Royals fans have to worry about is how long a superstar like Witt decides he wants to stay around before this team begins to consistently find itself in the playoffs.
He is still young, having just turned 26, and there seems to be no ill will at this moment. But emotions change fast in the big leagues, and while Witt seems committed right now to the future of this team, those feelings could quickly fade if KC does not put the best possible pieces around him to succeed.
Add us as a preferred source on Google