Will Royals' Biggest 2024 'What-If' Spell Doom For Their Playoff Chances?
The Kansas City Royals didn't want to be in this position, but they're in it now.
One week of baseball will decide the playoff fate of not only the Royals, but the Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins, and Seattle Mariners as well. Though the Royals were in the driver's seat for a playoff spot all summer, they're now just fighting to stay alive.
It's taken a pair of seven-game losing streaks in September for the Royals to be in this position, as K.C. once had a 6 1/2-game cushion separating them from playoff extinction. But while the offense has been the main culprit in September, another issue has plagued the Royals all season long.
Kansas City's bullpen has been profoundly mediocre this season, preventing them from winning some games they should have had in hand. That's a key cause for the white-knuckling going on around the fan base during the season's final week.
On Tuesday, Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report named failing to prioritize the bullpen as the number-one "what-if" from the Royals' 2024 season.
"A year after signing Aroldis Chapman to a one-year deal and flipping him for Cole Ragans at the trade deadline, the Kansas City Royals decided to punt the closer's role heading into the 2024 season," Reuter said.
"The front office went out and acquired Hunter Harvey and Lucas Erceg at the trade deadline, and Erceg has taken over as the team's primary ninth-inning guy, but the bullpen still looks like a glaring weakness heading into October."
Erceg has been excellent since coming to Kansas City, spinning a 3.27 ERA with a tiny 1.26 FIP in 20 outings. But the rest of the bullpen has left a lot to be desired all season. Royals relievers have a combined ERA of 4.33, which ranks 23rd in Major League Baseball.
In fairness to the Royals, they've made plenty of bullpen additions. John Schreiber, Will Smith, and Nick Anderson all arrived in the preseason, later to be joined by Erceg and Harvey. They just never went out and locked down a surefire closer.
Over this final week, the Royals bullpen will have one last chance to help save the team's season. And if any late-game blowup contributes to K.C. missing the dance, the "what-ifs" will continue long into 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