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January 14, 2025 — From the Desk to the Dugout - How the 2025 Royals Will Measure Success
(OOTP25 Royals Journey – GM/Manager's Dual Log)
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Opening Clubhouse Reflection — Preseason Begins

I stood in front of the room this morning before anyone had a chance to settle in. This was the first day of pre-season, and I wanted to speak to everyone while the clubhouse energy was still lively.

Some of them were still shaking off the offseason.
Some of them were anxious.
Some of them were wondering where they fit — or if they fit at all.

So, I didn't waste time…

“I told you this season doesn't start with speeches about rebuilding, timelines, or patience. We've said those words before. They don't apply anymore.

2025 starts with expectation.

Not pressure for pressure's sake — but expectation born from the work we've already done. Every move this winter, every contract signed or refused, every prospect promoted or cut, every dollar allocated or held back was done with this room in mind.

As your general manager, I can tell you this:
We didn't build this roster to survive the season. We built it to declare itself.

As your manager, I'll tell you something just as plainly:
No one in this room is here by accident — and no one is guaranteed anything beyond today.

This season isn't about hope. It's about responsibility.

Responsibility to the rotation to take the ball and keep us in games.
Responsibility to the lineup to grind at-bats and pass pressure forward.
Responsibility to the bullpen to shorten nights instead of extending them.
Responsibility to each other to make this room difficult to play against — every night, in every park.

We're no longer chasing the league. We're not hiding behind the idea of progress. And we're not waiting for someone else to define us.

This season will tell us who we are.

And that starts now — not in April, not on Opening Day, not when things go well. It begins today, with how we prepare, how we compete, and how we hold each other accountable.

Everything that follows — every key, every standard, every expectation — flows from that truth.

Here's what I see as our Keys to Success in 2025.”

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🔑 Key #1 — Rotation Stability Is Non-Negotiable

Everything flows from the rotation.

The signing of Jordan Montgomery wasn't about headlines — it was about gravity. His presence changes how the rest of the staff is used, protected, and evaluated. He doesn't need to dominate. He needs to normalize.

Behind him, this season hinges on roles becoming real:

• Brady Singer defining whether he is a long-term fixture or trade leverage
• Zac Eflin delivering dependability, not perfection
• Kyle Wright providing present value rather than chasing past form
• Cole Ragans supplying the upside variable that can quietly tilt outcomes

The key isn’t excellence. It’s avoiding collapse.
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🔑 Key #2 — Runs Prevented Matter More Than Runs Scored

This is a philosophical shift.

For years, the organization chased offense to mask instability elsewhere. This season flips that logic. From arbitration to free agency to development lab focus, the priority has been damage control before damage creation.

Defense, bullpen structure, pitch efficiency, and situational discipline will define this team more than home-run totals.

Winning 4–3 consistently beats losing 7–6 occasionally.
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🔑 Key #3 — Bobby Witt Jr. Sets the Ceiling

Every team has a center of gravity.
Ours wears number 7.

Bobby Witt Jr. no longer represents potential — he represents standard. His tone dictates the room. His consistency stabilizes the lineup. His composure under pressure becomes permission for everyone else to breathe.

This season doesn't require an MVP campaign.
It requires presence.
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🔑 Key #4 — The Bullpen Cannot Be a Question Mark

This bullpen doesn't need a star.
It needs trust.

Defined leverage, matchup clarity, and routine outs in the late innings will decide more games than any single signing.

Nothing erodes belief faster than a shaky eighth inning.
Nothing builds it faster than predictability.
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🔑 Key #5 — Young Players Must Declare Themselves

Ambiguity is no longer affordable.

Depth exists now. Real depth. That means roster spots will belong to players who force decisions, not those who merely avoid mistakes.

This applies to everyone — veterans included.

2025 is not a year for drifting.
It’s a year for claiming space.
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🔑 Key #6 — The Front Office Must Stay Patient

This may be the hardest key.

There will be moments when pressure invites reaction — a slow April, a rough road trip, a bad series. The discipline shown all winter must survive those moments.

The plan was never to rush.
Never chase noise.
Never sacrifice the future for relief.

Patience is part of the competitive edge now.
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Closing Thought — What Success Looks Like

Success in 2025 doesn't require a banner.

It requires:

• Meaningful games in August
• Rotation stability into summer
• A clearer long-term core
• At least one genuine breakout
• And the feeling that the organization is moving forward — not resetting

For the first time in this journey, the Royals aren't asking if they can compete.

They're asking how soon.
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After sharing some coffee and banter with the guys in the team room and getting a sense of how they received my new season's motivational speech, I headed back to my desk with J.J. Picollo to share more thoughts on how we'll define and measure our success throughout the season. Success isn't just about wins and losses — it's about whether the organization proves it can act with intention once the games start.

As the preseason begins, the situation has changed. Ownership increased the budget cap again, raising it from $178M to $190M, not to encourage reckless spending, but to allow us to stay adaptable. That adaptability matters — not now, but in March, May, and July, when injuries reveal weak planning and contenders distinguish themselves from hopefuls.

We enter 2025 with positive offseason momentum, ranking among the league leaders in net WAR gained. That matters less than how it was achieved. We didn't buy identity. We built flexibility — the ability to respond without dismantling the core we've spent months stabilizing.

Figure 1 — League Offseason WAR Movement

📊 Teams Sorted by WAR Gained



Perspective: The Royals' offseason gains landed squarely in the middle of the league. While several clubs surged forward and others tore themselves down, Kansas City's path remained deliberate — betting on internal growth, stability, and timing rather than headline-chasing volatility.

This is why success also looks like restraint.

There is money available — roughly $12M in surplus, plus additional offseason carryover — and it will be used deliberately. That may mean adding a corner outfielder if spring performance exposes a gap. It may mean securing mid-rotation insurance rather than chasing a name. It may also mean reinvesting quietly into scouting, development, or the draft — decisions that don’t show up on Opening Day scoreboards but decide seasons in August.

Figure 2 — Financial Reality Check

💰 Preseason Front Office Financial Overview




Perspective: A clear picture of where the organization stands heading into 2025. Flexibility remains, but every dollar carries intent — preserving optionality while ensuring the roster is supported without compromising long-term stability.

Success, then, also requires alignment with the long view.

This is the year we must hit the ownership benchmarks set last offseason — progress, competitiveness, and credibility. But the more critical work is accelerating toward the 2026 objectives: elevating a top 20 prospect into the system, rebuilding fan connection through visible growth, and letting the farm system compound rather than reset. Those goals are now reachable — not theoretical — if development momentum continues and if we resist the temptation to shortcut the process.

Figure 3 — Ownership Expectations & Alignment

👑 Owner Goals & Organizational Mandates




Perspective: The standards were clear before the first pitch was ever thrown. Progress, competitiveness, and internal growth form the baseline — not as pressure, but as alignment between ownership, front office, and clubhouse.

That means hard decisions are still coming.

Some coaching roles will be reevaluated as early returns from the development lab arrive. Some veterans may be repositioned if value emerges. And some young players will either take advantage of the opportunity or quietly age out of it. This season will clarify more than it comforts.

And finally, success looks like accountability — mine included.

I believe this roster can reach the postseason. Even a wildcard would represent tangible progress and validate the structure we’ve built. But this year also carries consequences. If the plan fails, if the decisions don't hold, if the direction proves flawed — then this chapter may close for me as both general manager and manager.

That reality sharpens everything.

Which is why success in 2025 isn’t about dreaming forward. It’s about executing right now, with discipline, clarity, and honesty — and allowing the season to reveal whether this experiment truly worked.
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Final Word — Before We Take the Field

Before we broke this morning, I told the room one last thing.

I don't need speeches echoed back to me. I don't need promises, slogans, or spring-training optimism. What I need — what this season needs — is honesty in the work.

Honest preparation. Honest effort. Honest accountability when things don't go our way.

Every job in this room matters. Every inning matters. Every at-bat, every rep, every conversation between teammates matters more than you think it does in January — because those habits are exactly what show up in August.

No one here has to be perfect, but everyone here has to be present.

We're not trying to surprise the league anymore. We're trying to earn respect, one game at a time, until it's no longer optional to take us seriously.

So, when we walk out of this clubhouse today, understand this clearly:

This isn't the start of a season,

It's the start of a standard.

Let's go to work.
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👑 FOR THE CROWN — ALWAYS

Kansas City Royals 2025 Preseason | January 2025

⚾ Prepared by: Manager & General Manager — Kansas City Royals Organization
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