The Kansas City Royals shocked the baseball world by not only making the MLB playoffs, but by upsetting the Baltimore Orioles in the Wild Card Series. Unfortunately, their improbable run ended more quickly than they would have liked, as they lost in four hard-fought games in the ALDS against the New York Yankees.

Despite the bitter ending, the 2024 campaign was a true success for Kansas City. Bobby Witt Jr. has risen through the ranks and is now one of the best players in the league. Free agent signings such as Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha have proven to work extremely well. Cole Ragans confirmed he’s an ace. This Royals team should be competitive for several years.

The future is still bright in Kansas City, but it will take time to recover from this frustrating ALDS loss. Sure, it hurts a little less since they were clear underdogs, but the final score of that series was 14-12 New York. Every game was tough and if a few things had gone in the Royals’ favor, they could have easily won the series.

Although it’s difficult to turn the page to 2025, that’s exactly what the Royals need to do. One of the first decisions they will have to make is whether to let some future free agents go. Three in particular stand out.

3) Will Smith was bad luck for the Royals

One of the craziest feats that not many people talked about was that Will Smith had been the ultimate good luck charm in the playoffs. In 2021, he was the closer against the unlikely World Series champion Atlanta Braves and had a dominant postseason to boot. He did not make the 2022 playoffs, but was part of the Houston Astros team that won the World Series. He didn’t pitch well in 2023, but was with the Texas Rangers from start to finish, winning their third straight World Series title.

When he signed a one-year deal to join the Kansas City Royals this past offseason, most MLB fans sighed because the left-hander had essentially given up his chance at a fourth straight title in the World Series. It felt like Smith’s luck had rubbed off a bit on Kansas City as they made their improbable run to the playoffs. Unfortunately, that chance ended in the ALDS.

Smith struggled with the Royals, posting a 6.53 ERA in 45 appearances and 41.1 innings of work. He started the year as Kansas City’s closer, but struggled so mightily to the point where he was quickly removed from that role and was eventually used primarily in low-leverage spots.

The worst part of Smith’s season is that he has been sidelined with a back injury since late August, so he has not appeared in a playoff game for the Royals. Maybe if he had been healthy, Kansas City would have found a way to make a deeper run.

All jokes aside, though, with the way Smith pitched in Kansas City for much of the season, there’s little reason for Kansas City to stage a reunion, especially with its World Series streak over.

Adam Frazier signed a one-year deal to join the Royals this past offseason as their starting second baseman. As the season progressed, Frazier became more of a utility player who spent time at several different positions but did not play regularly. He spent time at five different defensive positions as well as the DH spot, but unfortunately, he never started attacking.

The 32-year-old slashed .202/.282/.294 with four home runs and 22 RBIs in 104 games played. He was an All-Star in 2021, but saw his numbers drop significantly in 2022 and 2023, and was at his worst in what should be his only season in Kansas City.

Frazier has some value as a solid defender who can play virtually any position needed. He also happens to put the ball into play a lot. Frazier is not a starter-caliber player, however, as evidenced by his only start in Kansas City’s four playoff games. His $8.5 million mutual option makes no sense for the Royals, and given his performance in Kansas City, it wouldn’t make sense to explore a return.

The Royals did their best to try to improve their offensive depth, particularly against left-handed pitchers, by claiming Tommy Pham and Robbie Grossman off waivers in late August. Pham has struggled for most of his short tenure with the Royals, but had a huge game on Thursday, recording three hits in the loss. Grossman, unfortunately, didn’t have a big moment for Royals fans to remember and enjoy.

The 35-year-old had a total of four hits in 32 at-bats with the Royals, striking out 13 times. These four hits were singles. He was brought to Kansas City with one goal in mind: to crush left-handed pitchers. He failed to achieve this goal during his month with the Royals, leading to the decision to leave him off their roster in the Wild Card Series and the ALDS.

Grossman’s .800 OPS against lefties might land him a part-time role somewhere, but the fact that he’s primarily a DH at this point in his career and had an overall rough year in 2024, especially with Kansas City, begs the question of whether there is any. the team will sign him. One thing that seems certain, however, is that the Royals won’t express any interest in a reunion with Grossman, nor should they.