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3 Players Who Won't be on the Royals Roster Next Season
In the shortened 2020 MLB season, the Kansas City Royals finished 26-34 and in fourth place in the AL Central division. The team needs to make some changes in the offseason if they want to be able to compete with the powerhouse teams atop their division (Minnesota Twins, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians).
One way to do that is making sure there are open spots on the roster to sign and trade for new players. With that in mind, here are three players that will not be on the Royals' roster when the 2021 MLB season begins.
1. Maikel Franco
After signing a one-year deal with the Royals this past offseason, Franco had a decent season as the team's everyday third baseman hitting .278 with 8 home runs and 38 RBIs. With Hunter Dozier returning from his injury midway through the season, it is assumed he will be back at third base for the Royals next season and beyond. Franco's production may drive his price tag in free agency a bit too high for the Royals since they would likely only want to bring him back as a bat off of the bench. It may be best to use that money to sign some pitching or upgrade at a different position.
2. Ian Kennedy
Kennedy was signed to be a starter for this team, but ended up being moved to the bullpen and became a solid closer in 2019 saving 30 games. However, he lost that spot this past season as he struggled posting a 9.00 ERA in 14 innings pitched. The veteran pitcher's contract has now expired and it would be smart for the Royals to let him go and look at other options. With younger players on the team such as Josh Staumont and Scott Barlow showing signs of closer potential, it wouldn't make much sense to bring back a mid-level reliever on the back end of his career.
3. Mike Montgomery
As another player who signed a one-year deal last offseason, Montgomery is now up for arbitration and is under team control through next season. However, it would be smart for the Royals to non-tender Montgomery and move on from the veteran pitcher. The five-man rotation for next season already seems set in Kansas City and it does not include Montgomery. At best, he would be used as a long reliever. A lat injury caused Montgomery to miss almost all of last season, but he didn't look impressive before that posting a 5.06 ERA in 5.1 innings pitched. If the Royals want to continue rebuilding, they should look at some younger arms rather than bring Montgomery back.
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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.