Royals off-season goes into overdrive!

• Transactionist : [tran-sak-shuhn-ist]

  • Noun -

    • 1) One who conducts transactions

    • 2) See also “J.J. Picollo”

OK, so maybe transactionist isn’t a real word but it should be. In one week Royals chief transactionist/GM JJ Picollo has erased all the accusations from dumdums like me that his regime was just a continuation of Dayton Moore’s. In just a few days since the end of the winter meetings, Picollo has retooled the Royals roster and relit fan expectations for 2024. Let’s take a look at how he did it….

Traded RHP Dylan Coleman to Houston for RHP Carlos Mateo - Coleman was the Nuke LaLoosh of the Royals pitching staff….zillion dollar arm and ten cent head. Coleman has always struggled mightily to throw strikes, and suffered a significant drop in fastball velocity from 97.6 in 2022 to 95.2 last season. Mateo turned 20 years old yesterday and is a lottery ticket. We’ll keep an eye on him.

Selected RHP Matt Sauer from the Yankees in the Rule 5 draft - The real purpose of the Coleman trade was to open a spot on the 40 man roster so that the Royals could utilize their #2 pick in the Rule 5 draft. With that pick they selected Sauer. The 24 year old hasn’t pitched above AA, but has good strikeout numbers and doesn’t walk a bunch of hitters. Primarily a starter in the Yankees system, he will be a bullpen piece for the Royals.

Remember that Rule 5 picks have to stay on the big league roster all season or be offered back to their original team. Sauer is going to get his shot at the majors in 2024.

Designated RHP Collin Snider for assigment - Another move to clear a spot on the 40 man roster. Snider made 62 appearances out of the pen for the Kansas City over the last 2 seasons, most of them atrocious. The Royals won’t miss his 5.93 ERA and 1.68 WHIP.

Signed LHP Will Smith to a 1 year, $5M contract - Royals nation perked up its ears when the team signed the free agent lefty reliever. The 34 year old has had an excellent career after making his MLB debut with the Royals in 2012. KC traded him to Milwaukee after the 2013 season for OF Nori Aoki. If you watch post-season baseball you are familiar with Will Smith, he has been a member of each of the last 3 World Series champions. He is the first player in MLB history to do this with 3different teams.

A terrific signing by the Royals, Smith will be the anchor of the bullpen at least for the first half of the year. If the team is out of it at the deadline, don’t be surprised to see the Royals deal Smith to a contender.

Traded RHP Taylor Clarke to Milwaukee - In another roster clearing move the Royals dealt Clarke to the Brewers in exchange for two minor leaguers, SS Cam Devanney and RHP Ryan Brady.

Signed RHP Seth Lugo - JJ made good on his promise to acquire starting pitching in the free agent market by inking the 34 year old Lugo to a 3 yr, $45M contract. Year three is a player option. Lugo pitched his first 7 years with the Mets before signing with the San Diego Padres last year. He has one of the best curveballs in baseball, and has used it to record a career 3.50 ERA and 1.17 WHIP over 301 career appearances.

New York used him primarily as a reliever, 2023 was his first season as a full-time starter. He made 26 starts and pitched 146 innings last year, by far the most of his career. Lugo has been a favored acquisition target for a bunch of Royals observers for a couple years. The only concern really is health and durability….can he continue to make 25-30 starts every year? Regardless, he is a quality major league starter and a big upgrade to the KC rotation.

Signed RHP Michael Wacha - The rotation renovations didn’t stop with Lugo as the Royals then signed the veteran Wacha to a 2 yr, $32M contract that includes a player option for year 2. Unlike his 2023 Padres teammmate Lugo, Wacha has been a starter his entire career (228 starts over 11 seasons) and has a career 3.96 ERA and 1.29 WHIP.

The Royals have seen plenty of Wacha over the years, he has a 4-2 record and 3.14 ERA in 11 appearances against Kansas City. The Royals rotation desperately needed a proven quality starter and Wacha fills that role perfectly.

Signed OF Hunter Renfroe - The rumors that JJ wanted so sign a veteran free agent outfielder were confirmed when Renfroe agreed to a 2 yr, $13M deal. He also has a player opt-out in year 2. Renfroe slashed 233/297/416 in 2023, dividing time between the Angels and Reds. He’s got some pop, he hit 20 HRs last year and has hit 30+ twice in his career (2019, 2021).

Primarily a right fielder, Renfroe has a great arm and limited range. Let’s be honest, for fans that have been used to seeing MJ Melendez in RF Renfroe will look like Mike Trout out there, in more ways than one…

Mike Trout has a doppelganger teammate

Traded OF Edward Olivares to Pittsburgh - The Renfroe signing upped the Royals outfielder count to 7, and Oli probably won’t be the last one to go. Olivares has been a frustrating guy for Royals fans, a good bat with an absolute cast-iron skillet glove. He’s one of the worst outfielders I have ever seen, and I was around for Lonnie “Skates” Smith’s tenure in Kansas City. In return the Royals received 21 year old minor league INF Deivis Nadal.

Signed RHP Chris Stratton - The Royals further solidified their 2024 pen by inking Stratton to a 2 yr, $8M deal with a player option in year 2. The 33 year old split 2023 between the Cardinals and Rangers, compiling a 3.92 ERA and 1.13 WHIP over 64 relief appearances. He’s not just a 1 inning guy either, he threw 82.2 innings in those 64 appearances last year.

Other additions - The Royals have also signed several players to minor league deals. The most intriguing is RHP Dan Altavilla. The 31 year old reliever hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2021 due to injury. He has been pitching in the Dominican this winter, and reportedly has his fastball velocity back up to 98 mph. A great risk-free signing that could turn into a valuable bullpen piece in 2024.

What does it all mean?

It means that Royals CEO John Sherman is serious about the Royals not being a laughingstock in 2024. The cynical amoung us (me included) will ascribe some of his motivation to wanting to grease the wheels for the new stadium he wants. Whatever the motivation, the fact is he has opened the checkbook and allowed JJ Picollo to make a number of moves that substantially improve the roster.

A rotation of Ragans-Wacha-Lugo-Singer-Lyles/Lynch/Bubic is a quantum leap forward from what the team had to offer in 2023. If Wacha and Lugo remain healthy and perform to their 2023 level, this will be an 80 win team. Maybe 85. There’s no guarantee that they do that, but 80-85 wins has you smack dab in the middle of the hunt in the AL Central.

Regardless of what the rotation does, the bullpen is going to be much improved in 2024. How dould it not be, the 2023 pen was among the worst in baseball. The additions of Smith, Stratton, and Nick Anderson gives the pen a solid foundation. The rotation improvements will also allow guys like Alec Marsh and maybe even Daniel Lynch and (gasp!) Jordan Lyles to move to the pen where their skills could be better utilized.

Maybe the biggest bullpen question is can Carlos Hernandez return to form? I think he can, as long as the Royals keep him out of high-leverage situations. I’ve seen enough of that to know that Hernandez absolutely does not have the tummy for it.

The addiiton of Renfroe means the Opening Day outfield will probably be Melendez in left, Kyle Isbel or Drew Waters in center, and Renfroe in right.

The infield appears set (or does it?) with Maikel Garcia (3B), Bobby Witt Jr (SS), Michael Massey (2B), and the return of Vinnie Pasquantino at 1B.

It’s important to note that although widely reported across the industry, the Wacha and Renfroe signings have not been officially announced by the team as of this morning. The Royals still need to clear 2 spaces ont he 40 man roster for Wacha and Renfroe. They have a number of DFA candidates on the roster, including pitchers Jonathan Heasley, Josh Taylor, Max Castillo, and Jonathan Bowlan.

It’s also possible they make roster room by trading a guy like Waters or Massey. One way or another, the roster moves are not done. DC will keep you up to date on everything you need to know as the 2024 season approaches, only 68 days until the first Cactus League game!