It’s tough to find fault with the greatest year in baseball history and it shows for this Royals team. They weren’t elite on the bases or defensively but they more than made up for it across most other categories, clearly the best offense and defense in baseball.
Catcher
The trade deadline change at Catcher didn’t help during the regular season as neither Canjura nor Montoya provided any offense to speak of, although both had positive framing, the key metric for a Royals catcher.
Both are slated for minimum contracts in 2047 and the Royals would be happy should they be the opening day combination, but an internal promotion or the acquisition of an international free agent shouldn’t be ruled out.
Infield
1B Luis Aceves put up 4 WAR, had an above average defensive efficiency, and entered the Royals top ten season lists for slugging (4th, .619), OPS (9th, .963), and HRs (5th, 41). The Royals are not missing Gilberto Matos, and Aceves will be worth his $7.6m arbitration value.
2B Arturo Oramas has his best season as a Royal, with a .307 average helping him to 4.7 WAR. He finished 3 RBI short of a 100-100 R-RBI season, demonstrating his worth to the Royals. An arbitration figure of under $5m is very good value for the elite infielder.
3B Luis Aguilar benefitted from a fast start to the season and clung on to his role with a 106 wRC+ and 19 HRs. However, he is a negative defender at 3B and is certainly at risk of replacement over the offseason. Estanislau Covete hit 30 HRs in a primarily DH role, contributing only 1.8 WAR as he remains a below average defender. His 113 wRC+ is not exceptional and his demand for a 3-year $15m contract reflects that. Even $15m may be too rich for the Royals though and it would seem likely the Royals let Covete test free agency.
Jadon Tezeno was 8% above average defensively, and hit .295 with a 118 wRC+. He is also durable with 5 years more on a contract paying him less than $15m annually. The Royals have no need to go SS shopping this offseason.
Edgar Noriega was unlucky to miss out at the start of the season after a Spring Training injury and never got a chance to show his ability until a September call up that saw him struggle in limited At Bats. An elite infielder, and high end outfielder, Noriega is only 24 so has growth potential. A strong offseason should set him up to compete for a place on the 26-man roster for 2027.
Edgar Mir’s defence continues to decline but he managed to shift into a back up infielder successfully, appearing in 120 games, batting .266 and adding 2.0 WAR. He has a $12m Team Option and, in line with the approach of this front office, the Royals will likely pick this up for the club legend.
Outfield
The outfield for the Royals flourished, after several off season changes. This was headlined by RF Bobby Nickelberry, who had a more than bounce back year as his .360 average saw him clinch the AL Batting Title. This was the second best average in Royals history, with his season also adding him to the Top Ten lists in slugging (1st; .678), OPS (2nd; 1.074), WAR (4th; 7.8), runs (8th; 115), hits (6th; 207), total bases (1st; 390), doubles (10th; 47), HRs (3rd; 44), and RBIs (2nd; 138). It will go down as one of the greatest Royals seasons ever.
In Center Field, Jorge Corujo followed up a strong rookie season with an exceptional sophomore year, as he hit .303 on his way to 5.9 WAR. He didn’t reach his 2045 SB heights, but only finished 2 short with the 4th best season in Royals history.
LF Juan Minnelli, the 2045 offseason acquisition, scored the 5th most runs in a season for the Royals (118), and contributed 4.1 WAR behind a 133 wRC+. Minnelli is looking for a 10-year contract taking him to 38, a deal the Royals are simply unwilling to make for a 28-year old. They will submit the QO and take the 1st round supplementary pick, but there will be a big hole to fill.
The Chris’, Kern and Albright, will have first shot at becoming that every day player. Both put up wRC+ above 115 from over 200 ABs with Albright the quicker, better defender, while Kern has the better walk rate (17%), as well as gap power. Both are arbitration eligible at under $5m, deals worth completing with likely suitors for both if the Royals do decide on a different direction.
2043 4th round draft pick Domingo Carrillo made his debut as a September call up and struggled in his limited opportunities but does provide the switch hitting option that Minnelli provided, along with good speed and plus defence. His rounded profile should make him a consistent player and the Royals will either try to realise the known contact potential to plus or gamble and attempt to find some unrealised power potential from above average.
Offseason / Early 2047 Overview
C Nelson Canjura
1B Luis Aceves
2B Arturo Oramas
3B TBC
SS Jadon Tezeno
LF Chris Kern
CF Jorge Corujo
RF Bobby Nickelberry
DH Domingo Carrillo
C Luis Montoya
IF Edgar Mir
IF Edgar Noriega
OF Chris Albright
Starters
Chris Kuehn first full season in Kansas City saw his lead the AL in wins, with 21, good for 3rd= on the Royals single season list. By winning percent, .913, it was the most successful year for a Royals pitcher, a reflection of the Royals dominance as well as Kuehn’s. The 28-year-old had 5.1 WAR with a FIP- of 74, centred on a HR/9 below 1 and a K/9 above 9. He is out of contract though, and looking for an 8-year contract, which is too high for the Royals. A QO and a 1st round supplemental pick is the likeliest outcome.
Ben Lane had a second year of 30+ starts, earning 16 wins, a FIP- rating of 80. He is set to move up to the top of the rotation with the departure of Kuehn and should be ready to do so.
The star of the season on the mound was Ethan Chafin. Wrecked physically, and always underappreciated, Chafin went 19-3, with 200 K in 195 IP. His .864 winning percentage is good for 3rd on the Royals single season list and he tops the Royals all time winning percentage with .750. He has also moved into the top ten for wins (9th; 105), WAR (9th; 27.8), and Ks (5th; 1403). He is another player with a TO that the Royals will pick up, $15m for his age 33 year.
Chad Johnson did an adequate job in 15 starts with an ERA below 5.00 while the two midseason acquisitions Cason Willard and Benton Geldart improved the rotation. Willard in particular had an ERA of 2.52 in his 11 starts, going 6-0.
Willard is guaranteed a place in the rotation, with the Angels picking up 35% of his $11m salary while both Johnson and Geldart will hope to use Spring Training to earn a spot.
Bullpen
The Royals had four start in the bullpen but they operated as part of a group that were successful all the way through.
Dan Nicols had 11 wins and 7 saves, along with a 23-9 shutdown : meltdown ratio while pitching 92 innings. That took his total for the Royals over 500, and he now heads the career ERA for Royals pitchers, all as a reliever. Nichols is a free agent again and looking for a multi-year contract that the Royals may decide is too big of a risk for a player who turned 41 during the season.
Luis Danys Rhodes was the workhorse, 105 IP with a 58 FIP- and 3.2 WAR setting him up for post season award consideration while Juan Anaya (15:4) and Joe Manley (21:3) could both be guaranteed to solidify a win. Both Rhodes and Manley signed contract extensions during the regular season while Anaya will be arbitration eligible again; he is likely to return unless the Royals receive a very generous offer.
Among the rest of the bullpen, Albert Regalado had an 8:0 ratio in his 36 appearances while Bob Capozziello was 8:3 in his 46.1 IP. Capozziello is arbitration eligible and will likely return at $1.7m while the other arbitration eligible pitcher Jeremy Ogans was good not great in his move to the bullpen and the Royals are likely to see if there is any trade value available for him.
The final team option contract is for Curt Bogans who is recovering well from injury and the Royals are likely to bring him back at $1.8m to give him the chance to end his career on his own terms.
Offseason / Early 2047 Overview
SP Ben Lane
SP Cason Willard
SP Ethan Chafin
SP Benton Geldart
SP Chad Johnson
RP Joe Manley
RP Luis Danys Rhodes
RP Dan Nichols
RP Juan Anaya
RP Curt Bogans
RP Bob Capozziello
RP Albert Regalado
RP TBC
RP TBC