How Royals' 2025 Trades, Signings Stacked Up Against Rest Of MLB: Insider

Though they didn't make any of the headline moves of the winter, it was yet another solid offseason for the Kansas City Royals.

Last year, the Royals built on the momentum of their surprisingly pricy offseason to improve by 30 wins and make the playoffs for the first time in nine years. Though they won't be sneaking up on anyone in 2025, Kansas City did their best to keep their foot on the gas this winter.

The Royals started their offseason by re-signing starting pitcher Michael Wacha. They made their big trade, sending Brady Singer to the Cincinnati Reds for new leadoff hitter Jonathan India. Plus, they added a potential closer in Carlos Estévez, a 2023 American League All-Star.

With all that, plus a couple more moves on the periphery, the Royals should be locked and loaded for a run at a division title. But how did their moves stack up against the rest of Major League Baseball?

On Thursday, USA Today's Gabe Lacques and Bob Nightengale graded all 30 MLB teams' offseasons, and the Royals got an optimistic "B" from the two writers.

"Adding Jonathan India and Carlos Estévez lengthens the lineup and bullpen, respectively, for a club that won 86 games and reached the AL Division Series," the authors wrote.

To get an "A," the Royals likely would have had to hit on some of the moves they weren't able to make. Outfielder Anthony Santander would have been a great addition, for example, but Kansas City only offered him a three-year deal (he signed with the Toronto Blue Jays for a deal that lasts a minimum of five seasons).

Still, Lacques and Nightengale only gave eight teams grades above "B," so it's not as though they had harsh criticism for Kansas City.

Soon, the report cards will be wiped away and the Royals will only care about where they sit in the standings. The only question will be whether or not they wish then that they had done more while they still could have.

More MLB: Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. Earns Rightful No. 1 Spot On Competitive Preseason List