Since the Royals won the World Series in 1985, they’ve made the playoffs only twice, with both instances resulting in a trip to the World Series (loss in 2014 and a win in 2015).
Last year Kansas City ranked 21st in ERA (4.65). Their bullpen had 33 wins, 25 losses and 37 saves with a 4.22 ERA (19th). The Royals continue to have weakness in their offense, leading to poor finishes in runs (686 – 24th) and home runs (163 – 27th). However, they led the majors in stolen bases (124).
The only free agent signing in mid-January was SP Taylor Clarke. The Royals lost SP Jakob Junis, RP Ervin Santana, RP Greg Holland and RP Jesse Hahn.
