Kansas City Royals fans have made their feelings clear: if you want to point to the biggest reason the club owns the American League’s worst record at the halfway mark, start with the roster.
In SB Nation Reacts voting, roster construction drew the largest share of blame at 37%, though that was hardly a runaway. Poor management followed at 27%, poor coaching landed at 23%, and the players themselves took just 13% of the blame.
That split says plenty. The frustration is spread around, but the roster remains the central complaint.
And for many fans, the issue goes beyond day-to-day decisions. The bigger problem is how the team was built in the first place.
The lineup decisions have only added to the irritation. Even with several projected starters missing, the handling of the batting order has been a sore spot. Salvador Perez batting fifth or sixth every night despite a .568 OPS was singled out as especially hard to understand.
Still, the roster-building critique is where the conversation really lands. The Royals made only two major league free-agent signings before the season, bringing in Lane Thomas and Starling Marte. They also added Nick Mears, Isaac Collins, and Matt Strahm via trades.
Those trade pickups have not gone the way anyone wanted, but Collins has at least been productive in one important way: he has carried an OBP over .330 in every month this year. The point is simple enough - if the 2025 Royals had gotten that kind of outfield production last season, the postseason might have been in reach.
The free-agent moves, meanwhile, were modest by design and cost a combined $6 million. Thomas has been slumping lately while playing nearly every day since Kyle Isbel’s injury, but he was brought in with the expectation of roughly half a Win Above Replacement, and he is on pace to deliver that. Marte has been nearly as valuable at one-fifth the cost.
That budget reality matters. The Royals only had $7 million to spend on free agents, which naturally raises the question of whether Jonathan India arbitration money could have been used differently.
The comparison point, though, is not especially flattering for the alternatives. Rob Refsnyder and Cedric Mullins got similar money, and the answer to whether the Royals would be better with either of them is no.
There is also a broader question about how the Royals allocate money to keep players versus adding them. The club has spent to retain India, Seth Lugo, and Michael Wacha, and those decisions have generally held up.
And while there are plenty of questions for J.J. Picollo’s front office and the pitching coaches, especially with how many relievers have turned into disasters over the past three years, the organization has also had some real wins when it has had more money to work with.
Lugo and Wacha have been key pieces. Hunter Renfroe was strong in 2024 outside of April.
Carlos Estévez worked well for the club until the second year of the deal arrived.
So while not everyone outside John Sherman is off the hook, the pattern is hard to ignore. The Royals have gotten better results when bigger dollars have been involved, and the ownership group sits at the center of that conversation. Lugo has not matched expectations this year, but he was solid through the first two months, and there is still hope he can bounce back after a rough June.
In Other News...
Salvador Perez Just Gave The Royals Their Latest Injury Scare
Salvador Perez was out of the lineup with left elbow soreness, and the Royals moved quickly to add catching depth by calling up Luke Maile from Triple-A Omaha. It was part of a busy roster shuffle that also sent John Rave and Jose Cuas to Omaha, designated Eric Cerantola for assignment and activated Stephen Kolek from the family medical emergency list.
For a club that has already had to navigate pitching injuries and constant roster churn, any issue involving Perez is going to draw immediate attention. Kansas City also confirmed more long-term concern in the rotation and on the injured list, so the next checkpoint around Perez will matter even more as the Royals try to keep the position-player side from joining the growing list of problems. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Take Cautious Approach With Stephen Kolek After Emotional Return
Stephen Koleks return to the mound for Kansas City came after a difficult stretch away from the club, and the Royals were careful not to turn an emotional comeback into something more taxing than it needed to be. He had been away while his family dealt with the premature birth of his daughter, and the team made room for him on the family medical emergency list so he could stay close to home during that time.
Kolek got into the second inning before the Royals pulled him as a precaution, with fatigue and workload concerns guiding the decision. After a week that asked plenty of him away from baseball, the club is clearly taking a measured approach to what comes next, and the question now is how quickly he can settle back into a normal routine once the family situation allows it. [Read more 🡒]