The Kansas City Royals made some key moves this offseason to address their pitching staff.
They acquired hard-throwing left-hander Amir Garrett from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for starter Mike Minor and also brought back a familiar face, signing veteran right-hander Zack Greinke to a one-year, $13 million deal.
Royals’ general manager J.J. Picollo seems to have high hopes about his club entering the 2022 season.
When asked about the key to the team’s success this year, Picollo cited the starting rotation as the X-factor, saying that if they can take steps forward, the Royals could be a contending ballclub, at least in his mind.
Royals GM J.J. Picollo
"Our success is going to be based on our rotation. If they take a step forward, a couple of them take a step forward, I think we'll be a pretty good team." #Royals
— Josh Vernier (@JoshVernier610) April 3, 2022
GM Bets On Rotation
This is a bold statement by the general manager.
The Royals have not reached the postseason since winning the World Series back in 2015.
However, they do have some promising young starters in their rotation besides Greinke, most notably Brad Keller and Brady Singer.
If those two can pitch to their potential, Kansas City will have a solid top three in their rotation.
But with Bobby Witt Jr. getting the call to the big leagues and earning a spot on the club’s Opening Day roster, the Royals have some solid bats too.
Their lineup consists of Salvador Perez, Carlos Santana, Whit Merrifield, Hunter Dozier, Andrew Benintendi, and now Witt.
These are some solid offensive pieces that could help the Royals score a decent amount of runs in 2022.
But Picollo is placing his bet on the team’s rotation, which can be a strength if their young starters can take steps forward.
We’ll see if Keller and Singer can show their potential and help lead this team into contention for the first time since 2016.
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