The KC Royals, a conspicuously bad team for two straight seasons, entered baseball’s winter hiatus pondering the unfortunate state of its starting rotation and bullpen, the uncertainty surrounding first base and the outfield, and the possible retirement of Alex Gordon. How to address these concerns was the club’s overarching winter question.
Halfway through the offseason, with Spring Training just weeks away, the answer is clear–the Royals have made one significant addition and, in a characteristically conservative fashion, added some inexpensive, low-risk pitchers.
Gauging the success or failure of these moves is a tricky business better postponed to a time, perhaps well into Spring Training, when these new Royals have been field-tested and their actual performance evaluated as it occurs.