The Royals don’t need this postseason to tell them that one ace and a hot bullpen can take you a long way. They do need it to underline the part that gets lost when everyone fixates on relievers blowing games: you still have to cover innings with real starters.
That’s the clearest lesson from this World Series, where the Rays and Brewers got there by leaning on starting pitching every game, even when it wasn’t always the obvious choice. Meanwhile, the White Sox pushed through the ALDS and the Guardians made the ALCS with extremely limited use of starters, only to run into trouble once the bullpen wear piled up.
The White Sox opened the ALDS with a 2-0 lead behind their relievers, but couldn’t keep the run going. The Guardians made the decision to lean on their exceptionally effective bullpen instead of letting Tanner Bibee start a playoff game, and it came back on them in the ALCS when their relief arms were used up and overexposed. The Padres came in with the best bullpen in baseball, yet they dropped two games to the Brewers because they didn’t trust any of their starters outside Michael King.
That doesn’t erase what the Royals learned in 2014. Their championship run showed how far an elite bullpen can carry a team, but they also had competent starting pitching that kept games within reach for five-plus innings and kept the relievers from getting burned out. The idea that they could have thrown a true bullpen game in Game 7 of the World Series is still there, but they only got that far because they didn’t rely on it earlier.
This is really about balance, not a death sentence for starting pitchers. The point is that a team needs four competent starters, because even the best bullpen can crack if it’s asked to cover too many innings against the same opponent over and over again.
The article has been part of the conversation since at least 2024, especially with the discussion of how overusing relievers can create the same kind of penalty as the third time through the order. Ironically, that same realization helped push teams toward the very usage patterns now coming back to bite them.
The Royals should also be studying how the Rays and Brewers keep remaking their rosters. Tampa Bay beat Cleveland in the ALCS with home runs from Junior Caminero and Yandy Díaz, two players the Guardians traded to the Rays. According to FanGraphs, the Rays have the most players in baseball on their 26-man roster who were acquired by trade, with the Brewers third among big-league teams.
And if the Royals aren’t going to spend more, that matters. The Royals could be better if they spent more money, but if that’s not the route, then they need to copy the Rays and Brewers and trade constantly. That means not just making trades, but making the right kind of trades - the ones that can help now and later.
A recent look at transactions showed the difference. The Brewers made 69 transactions, and 41 of them were trades.
The Royals made 55 transactions, with 30 trades. But the bigger split came in the kind of trades they made: only 15 of Kansas City’s 30 trades were for players who might help beyond a season or two, while the Brewers made 27 such trades.
That’s why the Freddy Fermin deal stands out. Sending him to San Diego for Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek gave the Royals help in the moment and improved the future too. That’s the sort of deal the Rays and Brewers keep making.
The larger point is that both clubs are willing to keep moving pieces even when not every move works out. The Rays have had trades like Tristan Peters to the White Sox for cash, José Cabellero to the Yankees for Everson Pereira before Cabellero was released, and Jeffrey Springs and Jacob Lopez to the Athletics for three minor leaguers.
The Brewers sent Tyrone Taylor and Adrian Houser for Coleman Crow, and the Corbin Burnes-for-D.L. Hall-and-Joey Ortiz deal didn’t look great until recently.
The Freddy Peralta and Durbin trades haven’t looked great either.
But neither team freezes up because of that. They keep making moves, keep trying to recover value, and keep shaping the roster through trades. That’s a model the Royals should be watching closely.
In Other News...
Royals Just Pushed Several Pitchers Off The 40-Man Picture
The Royals spent the start of the week trimming their pitching depth, outrighting five right-handers to Triple-A Omaha after each cleared waivers. Alex Lange, Mason Black, Connor Seabold, Alec Marsh and Easton McGee all came off the 40-man picture in one sweep, a reminder of how quickly roster spots can vanish once the offseason churn starts.
For Kansas City, the move also reshapes the fringe of its pitching depth chart in a way that could matter again soon. Seabold and McGee have already chosen free agency, Marsh and Lange are eligible to do the same, and Black remains in the organization in a non-roster role, leaving the Royals with a thinner pool of familiar arms as they continue sorting through the pitching staff. [Read more 🡒]
Royals May Need A Bigger Outfield Swing Than Fans Expected
The Royals offseason outfield search may be more aggressive than it first sounded, and Steven Kwan is the kind of player who makes sense on paper. He brings defensive versatility, gives a lineup a steadier left-handed presence, and has the kind of all-around profile that would fit neatly into a Kansas City roster looking for more certainty in the corners and center field. His projected salary also matters, because the Royals have to balance upgrading a clear weak spot with keeping the rest of the payroll flexible.
Kwan is also the sort of name that immediately raises the price, since he would come from a division rival in Cleveland. Any pursuit would likely come with an in-division premium, which is part of why this remains more of a fit-and-fit only conversation than a real transaction at this stage. Still, the fact that he keeps surfacing speaks to how badly the Royals may need to swing bigger than a simple depth move if they want the outfield to look materially different next season. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Suddenly Have A Tough Nate Pearson Decision This Winter
Nate Pearsons arrival gave the Royals a useful arm at a time when they could use one, and for a stretch it looked like Kansas City had found a steady fit for a reliever with a long major league track record. The right-hander, drafted by the Blue Jays in 2017, has spent much of his career working through injuries and bouncing between clubs, but after being designated for assignment by the Astros and dealt to the Royals in 2026, he delivered strong work over his first 20 outings in Kansas City.
The late-season downturn, though, leaves the club with a tougher winter call than it might have expected when it acquired him. Pearson is still arbitration-eligible for one more season, which puts the Royals in the familiar spot of deciding whether to keep a pitcher with upside and risk, or move on before a non-tender deadline turns the question into a formality. [Read more 🡒]