Insider Praises Royals' 'Aggressive Approach' To 2024 Season With Playoff Bid Likely
A year can make a huge difference in Major League Baseball. Just ask the Kansas City Royals.
At this time last season, no game the Royals played meant anything to them in the standings. They were putting together a dismal record and hoping only to finish without baseball's worst record, which they did, thanks to the Oakland Athletics.
In 2024, though, everything has changed. The Royals are on the rise, sitting at 79-66 entering play Tuesday, and could clinch a playoff berth by the end of next week.
Not many believed that the Royals could be playoff contenders in 2024. But Royals brass seemingly did, and that caught the eyes of one of baseball's most respected insiders at the time.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic heaped praise on the Royals' ownership and front office on Tuesday, saying their steadfast belief that this season could be successful has paid off in a major way.
"Coming off 106 losses, the Royals spent almost $110 million on free agents last offseason, hellbent on returning to contention. They continued their aggressive approach at the trade deadline and during the August waiver period," Rosenthal said.
"(Their) owner and front office seized the moment. It made a difference."
Rosenthal specifically praised the signing of Seth Lugo and the extension for superstar shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., in addition to the last-minute waiver pickups of Tommy Pham and Robbie Grossman. Kansas City also wisely invested $16 million in Michael Wacha, who has a 12-7 record this season.
The Royals are hoping to build a new stadium in the coming years, and many believe Royals owner John Sherman's spending spree has been in hopes of gathering support for the stadium project. But Rosenthal says in this case, the ends justify the means.
"Perhaps Sherman’s relative largesse is tied to his push for a new ballpark, but think about it: A celebrity who makes a charitable donation for image-making purposes is still doing a good deed," Rosenthal said.
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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