After ending their 40+ year wait for a World Series in 2024, Baltimore (93-69) cashed in to repeat as champions, defeating the hundred-win Milwaukee Brewers (101-61) 4-3 in the World Series.
The Royals finished with a losing record, 80-82, and in the AL Central. A disappointing season saw them miss out on the playoffs by virtue of their divisional record, with Detroit (80-82) grabbing the
final playoff spot.
2025 was a balanced season, reaching the All Star break at
48-50 before playing .500 ball over the rest of the season. With Detroit playing one game under .500 post-All Star, this was an opportunity missed by the Royals.
Detroit did gain some revenge for the AL Central, inflicting on the Rangers the sweep the Royals had suffered in 2024.
The Royals squandered a second start franchise-history making season from
Bobby Witt Jr. in 2025, along with a record setting strikeout pitching battery.
Witt Jr. followed up his 8.1 WAR 2024 season with another best-in-franchise-history season, earning the club 8.4 WAR. In addition, he added his name to the all-time lists for slugging pct (6th - 0.565), and OPS (9th - 0.947). He was named the American League MVP in the end of season awards.
The pitching staff, led by off season acquisition
Matthew Boyd struck out batters everywhere they went. Boyd (3rd – 238) finished 6 strikeouts from the all-time franchise record of Dennis Leonard (1977), while setting a franchise record for K/9 (11.1) and joining the top ten for K:BB rate (10th - 3.35). In addition,
Brooks Raley had 40 saves (9th),
Carlos Hernandez (4th – 219; 2nd – 10.3) and
Mason Barnett (5th – 209; 7th – 8.8) joined Boyd on the season strikeout and K/9 lists respectively. Hernandez also joined the top ten for OAVG (2nd – 0.199) while
Anthony Veneziano was a strike out king out of the pen, joining the K/9 top ten (5th – 9).
Awards
The highlights of Awards Season were (former Royal)
Carlos Beltran winning Manager of the Year in his rookie season with Milwaukee, the Cubs'
Justin Steele repeating as NL Cy Young winner, and for the Royals, Bobby Witt Jr. becoming their first MVP since George Brett in 1980.
AL Great Gloves
NL Great Gloves
AL Platinum Sticks
NL Platinum Sticks (Bobby Witt Jr. SS KC)
AL Manager of the Year –
Brandon Hyde BAL
NL Manager of the Year –
Carlos Beltran MIL
AL Reliever of the Year –
Justin Topa MIN
NL Reliever of the Year –
James Karinchak PHI
AL Rookie of the Year –
Coby Mayo BAL
NL Rookie of the Year –
James Wood WAS
AL Cy Young –
Shane McClanahan TB
NL Cy Young –
Justin Steele CHC
AL MVP –
Bobby Witt Jr. KC
NL MVP –
Shohei Ohtani LAD
Major Injuries
The Royals once again avoided major injuries, with none of the roster suffering season ending injury.
Notable injuries around the league:
PITCHERS
- Cionel Perez BAL diagnosed with a torn labrum, will miss 10-11 months.
- Dylan Smith MIA diagnosed with a damaged elbow ligament, will miss 11 months.
- Wilmer Flores DET diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament, will miss 14 months.
- Cade Cavalli WAS diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff, will miss 13-14 months.
- Jake Odorizzi OAK diagnosed with a partially torn labrum, will miss 3 months.
- Carlos Rodriguez MIL diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff, will miss 4 months.
- Shane Bieber CLE diagnosed with bone chips in his elbow, will miss 8 months.
- Justin Lawrence ARI diagnosed with a damaged elbow ligament, will miss 13 months.
- Kyle Funkhouser TEX diagnosed with a ruptured disc, will miss 8 months.
- Brandon Sproat NYM diagnosed with bone chips in his elbow, will miss 4-5 months.
- Kervin Castro SF has suffered a setback in his recovery. He is not expected to recover for another 8 months.
- A.J. Minter MIN diagnosed with a torn labrum, will miss 5-6 months.
- Humberto Mejia WAS diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff, will miss 9 months.
- Orion Kerkering CLE diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff, will miss 12-13 months.
- Jeff Hoffman BAL diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff, will miss 10-11 months.
- Ronan Kopp LAD diagnosed with a partially torn labrum, will miss 4 months.
BATTERS
- Justin Turner SAD diagnosed with a torn posterior cruciate ligament, will miss 6-7 months.
- Kristian Robinson OAK diagnosed with a torn labrum, will miss 6-7 months.
- Dylan Crews WAS diagnosed with a severely strained hip muscle, will miss 4-5 months.
- Orlando Arcia ATL diagnosed with a broken bone in the elbow, will miss 4-5 months.
- Zack Gelof OAK diagnosed with a concussion, will miss 9 months.
- TJ Friedl CIN diagnosed with a broken bone in the elbow, will miss 4-5 months.
- Geraldo Quintero TOR diagnosed with a torn posterior cruciate ligament, will miss 7 months.
- Owen Caissie CHC diagnosed with a broken kneecap, will miss 9 months.
Trades
It was a much quieter trade deadline for the 2025 Royals, with only three trades over the final week before the deadline, none of which changed the trajectory of the team or the club.
- The Pittsburgh Pirates traded 36-year old RHP David Buchanan and 24-year old minor league 1B Malcom Nunez to the Kansas City Royals, getting 23-year old minor league RHP Mason Moore in return.
- The San Diego Padres traded 17-year old minor league RHP Jesus Pacheco, 21-year old minor league RF Daniel Montesino, 24-year old minor league LHP Jesus Gonzalez, and 22-year old minor league C Caleb Lomavita to the Kansas City Royals, getting 29-year old RHP Kyle Wright in return.
- The Kansas City Royals traded 21-year old minor league 2B Daniel Vazquez to the Philadelphia Phillies, getting 29-year old minor league C Cody Roberts in return.
Draft
The 2024 draft saw the Royals with the 21st pick in the draft. For the second year, Kansas City drafted a high school player in the first round, this time SP
Marco Paz.
A plus fastball and plus slider are part of a four-pitch arsenal that could provide great stuff, with his potential movement and control looking to develop to average. Paz is a starting rotation potential arm, although likely nearer the bottom than the top according to OSA. Two years in rookie ball have seen some development, although his potential stuff has dropped from a 70 to a 55.
Round 1, Pick 1 - Colorado Rockies: 3B
Ethan Holliday, age 18 out of high school
Round 1, Pick 2 - Chicago White Sox: 3B
Brady Ebel, age 17 out of high school
Round 1, Pick 3 - Miami Marlins: CF
Cam Cannarella, age 21 out of college
Round 1, Pick 4 - Oakland Athletics: LF
Jace LaViolette, age 21 out of college
Round 1, Pick 5 - Cincinnati Reds: SS
Quentin Young, age 18 out of high school
The Royals failed to sign 3rd round draft pick
Jack Lafflam but will receive additional pick compensation in the 2026 draft.
Next up, the 2025 Off Season