3 moves for the Kansas City Royals this offseason

Address the bullpen

The Kansas City Royals rotation had its shortcomings and growing pains. However, the bullpen was a disaster, possibly keeping the Royals from finishing closer to .500.

There are pieces to form the core of a solid bullpen. Scott Barlow may be a future closer. Josh Staumont, Jake Brentz, and Richard Lovelady showed plenty of potential. But if the Royals are going to take that step forward and look to compete, they need to improve their bullpen depth dramatically.

Fortunately, there are plenty of relievers that will be available. While there are not many closers that will be out there, and the ones that are will be expensive, there should be plenty of options for setup men and middle relievers. Chance are, the Royals will be able to fix the middle of their bullpen without too large of an expenditure.

The bullpen could provide the biggest boost for the Royals. If the starting rotation and offense can be at least in the middle of the pack, having a strong bullpen could make all the difference. That dominant bullpen was a hallmark of the Royals teams when they were contenders, and that may be the case again going forward.

The Kansas City Royals bullpen was a disaster in 2021. It is something they need to address this offseason.