The Kansas City Royals 2018 campaign has been a roller coaster of emotions.
It was great being a Kansas City Royals fan.
For the first time in decades, the Royals were relevant. Aside from the incomprehensible 2003 campaign, Kansas City was back on the baseball map. They came agonizingly close to winning the 2014 World Series, stopped only by the incredible force of nature that was postseason Madison Bumgarner. Then, in 2015, the Royals took their revenge, literally fighting everyone in their path, refusing to relent until they took home the championship. The Royals were baseball royalty once again.
That offseason saw the Royals look to keep their window of contention open. Alex Gordon was surprisingly retained, signing the richest contract in team history. Ian Kennedy signed a five year deal with an opt-out after two years, as the Royals looked to fill the void left by the departure of Johnny Cueto. Even though the Royals failed to reach the postseason that year, there was optimism for 2017.
However, that optimism proved to be misplaced. Ventura tragically passed away in a car accident in the Dominican Republic, leaving a major void. Even with his loss, the Royals were still in contention at the trade deadline, and added pitching help in their quest for one final run. Instead, the trade failed miserably, as the Royals faltered down the stretch.
This season, meanwhile, has been a disaster. Eric Hosmer and Lorenzo Cain departed as free agents. Although Mike Moustakas and Alcides Escobar returned, the Royals struggled out of the gate. The fire sale has already begun, with Jon Jay and Kelvin Herrera being sent out. it is a matter of time before Moustakas joins them, sent to a team with postseason aspirations. Meanwhile, the Royals are languishing at the bottom of the standings in a race for the first overall pick in the 2019 Draft.
After the recent success of the Kansas City Royals, this season has been an unpleasant surprise. But we need to cope with reality. Here are the five stages of the Royals 2018 campaign.