3 Kansas City Royals free agents who won't be back and why after ALDS defeat

The Kansas City Royals shocked the baseball world by not only making the MLB postseason, but upsetting the Baltimore Orioles in the Wild Card Series. Unfortunately, their unlikely run came to a quicker ending than they would've liked, as they lost in four hard-fought games in the ALDS against the New York Yankees.

Despite the sour ending, the 2024 campaign was a wildly successful one for Kansas City. Bobby Witt Jr. ascended and is now one of the best players in the league. Free agent signings such as Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha proved to work out extremely well. Cole Ragans confirmed that he is an ace. This Royals team should be competitive for several years.

The future is still bright in Kansas City, but it'll take some time to get over this frustrating loss in the ALDS. Sure, it hurts a bit less since they were clear underdogs, but the final score in this series was 14-12 New York. Each game was a nail-biter and had a couple of things gone the Royals' way, they could've easily won the series.

As hard as it is to turn the page to 2025, that's exactly what the Royals have to do. One of the first decisions they'll have to make is letting certain upcoming free agents walk. Three in particular stand out.

3 Kansas City Royals free agents who won't be return after ALDS defeat

3) Will Smith didn't bring good luck to the Royals

One of the craziest feats that not enough people discussed is that Will Smith had been the ultimate good luck charm in the postseason. In 2021, he served as the closer for the unlikely World Series champion Atlanta Braves and had a dominant postseason to boot. He didn't appear in the 2022 postseason, but was on 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 his 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, as the southpaw had essentially given up his shot at winning a fourth straight World Series title. It felt as if Smith's good luck had rubbed off on Kansas City just a bit as they made their unlikely run to the postseason. Unfortunately, that luck ran out in the ALDS.

Smith had a rough go of things with the Royals, posting a 6.53 ERA in 45 appearances and 41.1 innings of work. He began the year as Kansas City's closer, but struggled so mightily to the point where he was quickly taken out of that role and eventually was used primarily in low-leverage spots.

The worst part about Smith's season is that he has been sidelined due to a back injury since late August, so he did not appear in a postseason game for the Royals. Perhaps had he been healthy, Kansas City would've found a way to make a deeper run.

All jokes aside, though, with how Smith pitched in Kansas City for much of the season, there's little reason for Kansas City to entertain a reunion, especially with his World Series streak over.

2) Adam Frazier had the worst season of his career in a Royals uniform

Adam Frazier signed a one-year deal to join the Royals this past offseason to be their starting second baseman. As the season progressed, though, Frazier became more of a utility player who'd see time at several different positions but not play regularly. He saw time at five different defensive positions plus the DH spot, but unfortunately, never got going offensively.

The 32-year-old slashed .202/.282/.294 with four home runs and 22 RBI in 104 games played. He was an All-Star in 2021, but saw his numbers take a massive dip in both 2022 and 2023, and was at his worst in what should be his lone 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 ton. Frazier is not a starting-caliber player, though, as evidenced by his one start in Kansas City's four postseason games. His $8.5 million mutual option makes no sense for the Royals to pick up, and based on how he performed in Kansas City, it'd make little sense to explore a return.

1) Robbie Grossman didn't add much value to the Royals

The Royals did their best to try and improve their offensive depth, particularly against left-handed pitching, by claiming both Tommy Pham and Robbie Grossman off of waivers at the end of August. Pham struggled for most of his short Royals tenure, but had a huge game on Thursday, putting up three hits in the loss. Grossman, unfortunately, had no big moment for Royals fans to look back on and appreciate.

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

Grossman's .800 OPS against southpaws might land him a part-time role somewhere, but the fact that he's mostly a DH at this stage of his career and had a rough year overall in 2024, especailly with Kansas City, raises the question of if any team will sign him. One thing that feels certain, though, is that the Royals will not express any interest in a reunion with Grossman, nor should they.