Royals must decide if they will be buyers or sellers at trade deadline

By Brad Ziegler

Before the fans had exited Kauffman Stadium last October, after the Royals were eliminated in the playoffs by the Yankees, expectations for the 2025 season were already riding high. After one of the greatest year-to-year turnarounds in league history, the Royals appeared to have taken a big step towards becoming one of the favorites to not only return to the playoffs, but go on an even deeper playoff run. There was hope that the team was just a key player or two away from contending for a division title.

The team’s offseason moves were more limited than fans had hoped. The addition of leadoff hitter Jonathan India and closer Carlos Estevez, re-signings of pitchers Michael Wacha and Michael Lorenzen, and extension of All Star ace Cole Ragans left fans worried about the lack of offense needed to take the team to the next step.

A slow start

Concerns about offense appeared to be well-founded in April. India’s on-base percentage was down 30 points over his previous season in Cincinnati. Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez were hitting a combined .206 in the 3 and 4 spots in the lineup. Bobby Witt, Jr. continued to lead the team’s offense but with numbers below the level of his tremendous 2024 season when he was the runner up for American League MVP.

Even worse was the production from the outfield, which returned the same three starters from 2024–MJ Melendez, Hunter Renfro and Kyle Isbel. The trio hit a combined .193 in April. Melendez was sent down to AAA while Renfro was released in mid-May.

Different combinations of offseason signings Mark Canha and Cavan Biggio, and AAA call-ups Drew Waters, Nick Lofton and John Rave, have been inserted into the starting outfield in their places. The team’s top 2024 draft pick, Jac Caglianone, was also promoted from Omaha, after just 12 games in AAA, and added to the lineup in an effort to ignite some offense.

Injuries have also chipped away at the team’s roster. Relievers Lucas Erceg and Hunter Harvey both started the season with a bang. Both have been placed on the injury list joined by Ragans. Infielder Michael Massey was sidelined in early June, after early season struggles at the plate, and has not returned to the team after suffering setbacks during his rehabilitation starts in AAA.

Despite the sputtering offense, the Royals reached the end of May with a record of 31-28, seven games back from the division leaders, the Detroit Tigers.

June

The team’s struggles escalated in June as they lost 18 of 26 games, including 12 losses in 13 games at Kauffman Stadium. Nine of the home losses were to division leading opponents, but the team appeared to be falling out of the wild card hunt by month end with a record of 39-46. The offense scored two runs or less in more than half of their June games.

Even though Pasquantino’s production continued to surge during the month after a turnaround in early May, and Perez seemed to regain his power and productivity, Witt tailed off dramatically, hitting just .212 over a 30- game stretch and the team’s overall offensive efficiency was stagnant. Their team batting average with runners in scoring position was one of the lowest in the league.

A few bright spots have emerged for the team in the first half. Maikel Garcia has hit at or above .300 for most of the season while playing a variety of positions. Kris Bubic is among the league’s top pitchers in several categories. St. Joseph native Noah Cameron has excelled with a team-leading 2.31 ERA in 12 starts since being called up from Omaha to replace Ragans in the rotation. Closer Carlos Estevez tied a team record with 25 saves before the All Star break and joined Garcia, Bubic and Witt on the All Star game roster.

July

After going 10-7 in July, the Royals have a 49-53 record through Tuesday and are 4.5 games back from the last wild card spot. The schedule softens for the team after the break with only 22 of the remaining 60 games being against teams who are currently above .500.

How the Royals handle the upcoming homestand against the Guardians and the Braves will likely determine whether they are a buyer or a seller as they approach the July 31 trade deadline. With so many other teams still in the running to reach the playoffs, any real help for the offense will come at a price that they may not be able to match. Minor league depth at catcher and major league talent at starting pitcher are about all they have to give up in exchange for an outfield bat that can make a difference.