Royals Review Roundtable: A crummy season concludes
Let’s talk about it, then agree never to discuss it again.
The Kansas City Royals had a disappointing 2025 season, losing 93 games, as they failed to contend and experienced numerous issues from blown leads and cold lineups. However, there were some positive moments, such as the emergence of Carter Jensen and Jac Caglianone, as well as the comeback performances of Michael Wacha and Noah Cameron.
The team's front office struggled to replenish talent through trades and internal sources, as they lacked sufficient organizational depth in the upper minors. This depth issue severely limited their ability to improve the roster during the offseason.
The biggest reason for the 93 losses was attributed to the bullpen, which was catastrophically bad, putting up a total of 4.1 fWAR, then -3.2 in the following year. The difference in wins would have been 7, potentially reaching 76 or 77, just shy of the playoffs. The bullpen's poor performance was a significant factor, along with the offensive struggles, starting pitching injuries, and the offensive lineup's slow starts to key players.
Additionally, the rotation took a hit when Cole Ragans went down, leaving no available replacements in the organization.
Despite the challenges, there were some bright spots in the season. Sterlingice enjoyed Carter Jensen's chase for the franchise home run record and Jac Caglianone's strong performance. Jeremy Greco highlighted the star turn of Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen, noting their potential to become superstar players. Matthew LaMar was particularly impressed with Jensen's strong season, achieving 27 home runs and nearly 4 WAR as a 22-year-old, demonstrating his consistent improvement.
Cullen Jekel appreciated the team's Opening Day at Kauffman, as well as Jensen's growth as a catcher during the season.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
