Royals Rank High On MLB Writer's List Of 'Most Likely' Playoff Teams To Flop In 2025
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Almost no one outside the offices at Kauffman Stadium expected the Kansas City Royals to make the playoffs in 2024, but that's exactly what they did.
Repeating the feat in 2025, though, is an entirely different challenge. And it's reasonable to question whether the Royals, who did look to upgrade the roster on many different fronts, will be able to rise to the occasion now that they're a known commodity across the sport.
One Major League Baseball writer isn't convinced the Royals have done enough to cement their spot in October for a second-straight year.
On Tuesday, R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports named the Royals as the second-most likely playoff team from 2024 to miss out on the postseason this time around. Only the division-rival Detroit Tigers ranked higher on the list.
"Unfortunately, I have to rank Kansas City high on this list because … well, the Royals didn't attack this offseason with the same fervor as last. I was fine with the Jonathan India trade and the Carlos Estévez signing, and I don't mind retaining Michael Wacha and Michael Lorenzen," Anderson wrote.
"But I would have liked to have seen the Royals show more aggressiveness in improving a lineup that ranked 13th in runs scored, 19th in on-base percentage, and 20th in FanGraphs' park-adjusted wRC+ metric."
In particular, the outfield could have used some serious retooling this offseason. Rather than replacing either MJ Melendez or Hunter Renfroe with a star free-agent like Anthony Santander or Teoscar Hernández, the Royals appear content to either run back the same formula or convert an infielder to left field.
Of course, this Royals team could still have a Most Valuable Player contender in Bobby Witt Jr. and a pair of top-10 Cy Young finishers in Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo. There's a world where everything clicks and Kansas City makes Anderson and other skeptics look positively foolish.
But if Kansas City fails to capitalize on last year's momentum and goes right back to missing the playoffs for the ninth time in 10 years? It's safe to say the front office will catch some flack for their decisions over the winter.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org
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