Major Additions: Jason Hammel, Travis Wood, Brandon Moss, Jorge Soler, Nathan Karns
Major Losses: Yordano Ventura, Wade Davis, Kendrys Morales, Edinson Volquez, Dillon Gee
Strengths: Offensive Depth
Weaknesses: Bullpen, Rotation Depth
Potential Breakout Stars: Jorge Soler, Raul Mondesi, Peter O'Brien, Hunter Dozier
The Royals team appears significantly downgraded from last season. The tragic loss of Yordano Ventura was a huge blow off the field, but it left them with a big hole in the rotation as well, especially with Edinson Volquez and Dillon Gee departing too. They signed Jason Hammel and traded for Nathan Karns to take over for the three of them. Brandon Moss is also a downgrade from Kendrys Morales. However, the offense is the best attribute of this club. Veterans Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer, Alex Gordon, Mike Moustakas, and Salvador Perez once again form the core, and a healthy Moustakas will especially be a big boon. Moss slots in at DH in Morales' stead, and Jorge Soler is a welcome addition to the outfield. After three decent seasons that saw him slash a combined .258/.328/.434, a change of scenery might be just what he needs to break out in his age 25 season. Most impressive about this offense is the bench, which includes quite a few players who could have big seasons. Cheslor Cuthbert did a great job of filling in for Moustakas last season by slashing .274/.318/.413 with 12 home runs in 128 games, while Christian Colon is still just 27 after being drafted fourth overall back in 2010. Raul Mondesi had been on prospect charts for seemingly forever after making his minor league debut at just 16 years old in 2012, and he's still just 21 and already has 47 major league games under his belt. Billy Burns brings the speed in the outfield, and Paulo Orlando quietly slashed .302/.329/.405 as a fourth outfielder last season. A bench with Cuthbert, Colon, Mondesi, Burns, Orlando, and potential power hitting rookies Peter O'Brien and Hunter Dozier could be among the best in baseball. Where this team will struggle, however, is on the mound. Three pitchers that combined to start 82 of their 162 games last season in Ventura (32), Volquez (34), and Gee (14) will not be returning, replaced only by Hammel, Karns, and possibly Travis Wood. Hammel is a veteran big league starter with plenty of success, but Karns struggled last season (5.15 ERA, 1.48 WHIP) and is far from a sure thing to stick in the rotation all year. Wood was excellent as a reliever last season (2.95 ERA, 1.13 WHIP) but hasn't been a full time starter since 2014, where he wasn't nearly as good (5.03 ERA, 1.53 WHIP). If Wood earns a rotation spot instead of landing in the bullpen, he is going to have to translate his bullpen success to the rotation. Jason Vargas is another question mark in the rotation, as he is plenty talented and proven, but injuries have limited him to just twelve total starts over the past two seasons. There is a good chance prospects Eric Skoglund, Jake Junis, and/or, if we're really lucky, the flame-throwing Josh Staumont could be called up at some point to help out in this shallow rotation. There is room for optimism at the top of the rotation, as Ian Kennedy (3.68 ERA, 1.22 WHIP) is as reliable a force as any, and Danny Duffy is coming off a big breakout season (3.51 ERA, 1.14 WHIP) which at one point had him in contention for the AL Cy Young Award. Had he not put up a 6.37 ERA over his final seven starts (inflating his season ERA from 2.66 to 3.51), he may very well have won it. In the bullpen, the Royals have two proven commodities in the back in Kelvin Herrera and Joakim Soria, but not having Wade Davis will be a big negative impact. Brian Flynn falling off a barn will also be a setback. Wood could offset that somewhat, but that would be at the expense of not having him in the rotation. Bobby Parnell could be a help, but injuries have kept him from posting a full season since 2013. Kansas City will have to rely on the continued emergence of 25 year old Matt Strahm, who posted a 1.23 ERA as a rookie over 21 appearances after a call-up straight from AA. Overall, this team has as much offensive depth as any team in baseball, but in order to win, pretty much everything has to go right with the pitching staff. An injury to Duffy, Kennedy, Hammel, or Herrera could be the big blow to knock Kansas City to the bottom of the division.
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