Bleacher Report Praises Royals' Sherman In MLB Ownership Rankings: 'Good On Him'

Are the Royals in good hands with the principal owner?

Jul 25, 2021; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals owners group principal owner John Sherman applauds during warm ups before the game against the Detroit Tigers at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Being a fan of a small-market team can be frustrating at times, but some ownership groups are better than others.

The Kansas City Royals, who play in the smallest media market in the American League, will never match the Los Angeles Dodgers or New York Mets when it comes to payroll. But fans still have to acknowledge the improved commitment to winning principal owner John Sherman has begun showing.

Last winter, the Royals not only extended superstar shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., but they spent big on starting pitching, which keyed their surprise playoff run. Though the expenditures haven't been as eye-popping heading into 2025, the Royals will once again have a higher payroll.

So how should Royals fans feel about being owned by Sherman compared to other financial titans across the sport? Bleacher Report attempted to answer that question on Friday.

In BR's MLB "ownership situation" rankings, author Zachary D. Rymer ranked Sherman and the Royals 19th out of 30 teams, mostly due to their still-small payroll, but heaped praise on Sherman for his increased budget over the last two seasons.

"This is where you have to give Sherman credit. With Bobby Witt Jr.'s $288.8 million extension serving as the headliner, he greenlit the second-most expensive spending spree of the 2023-24 offseason. And in 2025, payroll will rise once again," Rymer wrote.

"For the record, the Royals play in the smallest market in the American League. Yet what Sherman seems intent to prove is that it's not market size that matters so much as the owner's tenacity. And good on him for that."

Sherman took over the franchise in 2020, and last season was the first time the Royals made the playoffs under his watch. But those early failures can be pinned equally on the Royals' drafting and player development, as their prospect pipeline has been weak apart from the notable exception of Witt.

If Sherman wants to climb rankings like these in the future, the pathway is clear: keep spending the money it takes to build a winner. And with the Royals hoping to drum up local support for a new ballpark, there's incentive to win even beyond bragging rights and glory.

More MLB: 3 Bold Predictions For Kansas City Royals' 2025 Season: Bobby Witt Jr. 40/40?