The Kansas City Royals season has come to an end at the hands of the New York Yankees. With a 3-1 loss on Thursday night in Game 4 of the American League Division Series, the Royals were eliminated from the postseason.
Now, the focus shifts to the offseason and how the Royals can prepare for the 2025 season. One can assume they’ll be back in the mix next season and will look to make improvements this winter.
One hole they may have to fill could be in their starting rotation. Michael Wacha is expected to opt out and return to free agency. However, the Royals could look into Wacha’s former Boston Red Sox teammate Nick Pivetta, who Zachary D. Rymer lists as one of the top free agent starters available.
“The good news? Pivetta misses a ton of bats, as he averaged 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings in four and a half seasons with Boston. The bad news? He’s a superspreader of home runs who’s given up 175 of them in eight seasons,” Rymer wrote. “He’s a high-risk, high-reward project.”
Of course, if the Royals are to target Pivetta, they’ll have to be cognizant of his tendency to allow home runs. Kauffman Stadium is a smaller ballpark than Fenway Park, so it won’t be easy to control.
However, he still is a serviceable veteran arm that could help the Royals out, and if the Red Sox don’t re-sign him, Kansas City should make an attempt to bring him on board.
