3 former KC Royals we'll be glad are gone in 2024 and 2 we'll wish stayed

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I cannot believe how much the KC Royals roster has turned over from the 2023 season's end to now. The so-called evaluation season was brutal at times, resulting in 106 losses and a last-place finish once again. Now, executive vice president & general manager J.J. Picollo and manager Matt Quatraro turn the page to 2024.

The KC Royals roster looks very different from 2023 to present day.

The Royals, armed with several free-agent acquisitions, have an outside shot of competing in the weak AL Central. Oh, the hope that springs before Opening Day is a beautiful thing.

It is easy to forget the role players from 2023 who saw plenty of action, no matter how poor their performance was. Pouring over some of the blowout losses and struggling players still logging innings unearthed memories most Royals fans would rather forget. But, it also reminded me of those Kansas City players who still maybe had something to offer this team in 2024. Like I said, the hope that springs.

Let's take a look at which former Royals we are glad will not return, and the others we may miss.

Gone: Jackson Kowar

We have spent so much time talking about the 2018 draft class. All the metrics, all the results, all the what-ifs, it all amounts to this: those picks were a swing and a miss. Insane hype followed the Royals' selections that year, including pitcher Jackson Kowar.

Kowar was once the organization's top pitching prospect, but that talent and production never materialized at the MLB level. He was atrocious for Kansas City as a starter, posting an 11.27 ERA across eight starts in 2021. The bullpen transition offered no help, with a 7.63 ERA across 30 games the past two seasons.

Did Kowar have flashes in Kansas City? Sure, most MLB players do it once or twice. But he was terrible for the most part and Kansas City mercifully moved on. They traded Kowar to the Atlanta Braves for pitcher Kyle Wright, a starter Kansas City will not see in 2024. But that is still a surprising return for a pitcher with Kowar's track record.

The Florida alum now plays for the Seattle Mariners, slotting as a bullpen option in the AL West. No matter where Kowar plays, Royals fans will not be sad seeing him suit up for the other team.

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Stay: Edward Olivares

Will we miss Edward Olivares out in left field? No, certainly not. But, if the cards fall wrong for Kansas City this season, they will certainly miss his bat in the lineup.

Olivares and superstar Bobby Witt Jr. were the only Royals batters last season with at least 300 plate appearances and an OPS+ above league average. Olivares' 109 mark was not All-Star worthy but made him a valuable bat nonetheless. He had a second-half surge that brought some hope about his MLB future and clouded Kansas City's decision about what to do with him this offseason.

The fact is this front office is more transactional than its predecessor. For a struggling team like the Royals, that mainly looks like offloading underperforming players in exchange for any other option. For Olivares' situation, that meant trading him while he had any value rather than hoping for the best outcome. He had just played a career-high 107 games and still only posted a .4 fWAR, thanks to atrocious defense.

Kansas City sent him to the Pittsburgh Pirates this offseason, opening up a valuable roster spot while acquiring some minor-league talent. PNC Park is not kind to right-handed batters, but Olivares should have a starting role for the struggling NL Central team. If he has any semblance of success for Pittsburgh, Royals fans will question if the team made the right call trading him away. I think it was time for Olivares to move on from Kansas City, and hopefully find success elsewhere.

Gone: Matt Duffy

Injuries really wrecked the Royals' position players' plans in 2023. First baseman Vinnie Pasquantino missed most of the season, while the outfield was a revolving door at times. It was dizzying to keep track of who lined up where, much less how the batting order stacked up. The fact that veteran journeyman Matt Duffy appeared in 79 games last season shows how poor 2023 went in Kansas City.

The league runs on guys like Duffy, who make lengthy careers on short stints with a team. His career spans five teams, a missed 2020 season, and four different teams since 2019. Since then, he has been worth a measly .6 fWAR, but that is still better than most replacements. He wasn't any better in 2023 though, posting a -.1 fWAR for the Royals. Whether it be his baserunning, defense, or offense, Duffy wasn't performing well.

Duffy's performance with the bat was not up to the mark. He had a hot start, but his production waned as the season progressed. He hit two home runs with 16 RBI, and his overall slash line was .251/.306/.325. Duffy had a mere 75 OPS+ and 72 wRC+. Versatility kept Duffy's career going in Kansas City, but the bat was below expectations.

The Texas Rangers currently employ Duffy, albeit on a minor-league deal with a spring training invite. Duffy had plenty of opportunity to revitalize his career with the Royals. But, despite his positional fluidity, Duffy's career is on the backstretch.

Stay: Zack Greinke

This take may look bad this time next month, as Zack Greinke could certainly return to Kansas City. But the chances of that outcome diminish with every day as Opening Day approaches. If the future Hall of Fame doesn't return to Kauffman Stadium, it will be a real shame

Greinke's Cy Young-winning days are far behind him but, as many of our commenters say, a bulk pitcher role wouldn't be terrible in 2024. He was marginally worse coming out of the bullpen in his three opportunities. Greinke himself was questioning if his stuff was still there midseason, and it was painful to watch some of his starts.

Kansas City signing Greinke wouldn't be for his production as much for his mentoring and chasing milestones. The Royals pitching staff got much older this offseason, adding experienced players like Will Smith, Michael Wacha, and Seth Lugo. Greinke has still mentored Daniel Lynch IV and Brady Singer for years now, a role we cannot quantify.

What Royals fans can count is how close Greinke is to that exclusive 3,000-strikeout benchmark. His 2,979 strikeouts are third-most among active starters and only trail Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. Baseball's next pitcher to surpass 3,000 strikeouts may not happen for decades, with a wide gap between Clayton Kershaw's 2,944 and Chris Sale's 2,189.

I don't think Greinke will be much better than Kansas City's current pitching options, if at all. But, it would be nice to see the infamous righty on the mound for just one more season.

Gone: Taylor Clarke

There was a time when I believed in Taylor Clarke. He had an above-average 2022 season with the Royals, and then a very good start to the 2023 season. But a reliever's fortunes can be fickle things, as can a person's opinion.

Clarke walked away from the 2023 season with several career worsts. His 1.610 WHIP and 5.95 ERA are two career lows, and those led to his -.2 fWAR season in Kansas City. Clarke had points where he looked like the bullpen's best reliever and then other times he looked like the worst in all of baseball. It was a polarizing season for the 30-year-old veteran.

The fact that Kansas City saw any return for Clarke is a minor MLB miracle. The Milwaukee Brewers sent minor leaguers Ryan Brady and Cam Devanney to the Royals for Clarke's services back in December. The move both allowed Kansas City to move on from Clarke but opened a much-needed roster spot for pitcher Seth Lugo. I call that an upgrade.

Clarke seems like a good guy. No one was buying his jersey from the team store, but he didn't stir the pot and seemed nice enough when we heard from him. But, I am not going to miss seeing him trot to the mound in any situation. He had his moments, but the bad ones far outweighed the good ones in 2023. I wish him the best of luck in Milwaukee.

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