Royals Writer Declares Winning AL Central 'Won't Be Easy'

The 2025 season has begun, and the Kansas City Royals are off to a bit of a slow start following a Wild Card berth last season.

The team began the year by dropping two out of three against the reigning American League Central champion Cleveland Guardians. Cleveland beat Kansas City to the top last year by 6 1/2 games.

It's still early in the season, so there is plenty of time for the Royals to turn things around, and it is too early for fans to panic. However, Anne Rogers of MLB.com pointed out that getting to the top of the division is going to be a tall task for Kansas City.

"The Royals haven’t been shy about their goal this year, beyond making the postseason -- they want to win the AL Central. To do so, they’re going to have to beat the reigning division champs in Cleveland," Rogers wrote.

"On Friday, the Royals came back late and forced extra innings before eventually losing in the 10th. On Saturday, the Royals came back late again, but this time sealed the win. Sunday wasn’t as close, but even down six runs late, the Royals finally got some offense going and scored two runs in the eighth, and brought the tying run to the plate, forcing the Guardians to turn to their best relievers again."

The Royals could easily emerge as the division's best team. However, the Guardians showed that the road to the top still runs through Cleveland.

Taking down the Guardians is going to be a tall order for the Royals. It certainly isn't impossible, but they'll have to contend with the reigning Central champs and also deal with the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins.

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