Royals GM expects to have similar budget but much shorter offseason to-do list after playoff run

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Royals general manager J.J. Picollo expects to have a similar budget as last year to plug the holes in a team that reached the AL Division Series this year, though his shopping list heading into the offseason figures to be a whole lot shorter.

Picollo said Monday that the Royals would look for someone to get on base at the top of the lineup and someone to provide more offensive punch in the middle of the order. Their inability to get on base, and drive in runs, cost them dearly down the stretch, particularly in a four-game loss to the Yankees in their best-of-five divisional series.

“There's less questions to answer,” Picollo acknowledged. “Two years ago, we were looking at manager, pitching coach, all those things. Last year, there were a lot of holes. This year we had less holes. Now, it's about how do we refine this team?”

That can be just as challenging, Picollo added in his end-of-the-season remarks, but it certainly seems less daunting when the Royals are coming off their first playoff appearance in nearly a decade rather than a 106-loss nightmare the previous year.

“As much as we may say we need a slugger and someone to get on base, there's not that many people available to do that,” Picollo said. “So the work is going to be just as difficult, you know? May not be as much quantity. It's more the quality in your acquisition. A little more specific. Whereas last year it was pretty broad.”

The Royals were one of the biggest spenders in free agency last year, signing All-Star pitcher Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha — both of whom started playoff games for them — along with a slew of relievers and a couple of depth pieces in the field.

Lugo will be back next season, but Wacha has an opt-out in his contract that he could exercise in the coming weeks.

“We'd like to have him back. There's no question we'd like him back,” Picollo said. “I do believe Michael and his wife, they enjoy being in Kansas City. That's always an advantage. He got along great. So there are reasons to be optimistic. But you know, he pitched very well this year, and he's going to have opportunity with other clubs. So we'll work on that.”

The Royals had a $117 million payroll when the playoffs began, about half of what the Mets and Yankees had heading into the league championship series. The Royals were more in line with the AL Central rival Guardians, who opened the AL Championship Series on Monday night in New York, and who had a payroll of just under $110 million.

Asked whether the growing disparity in the game bothered him, Picollo replied: “It's hard to say no.”

“But that's the rule,” he continued, “so there's not a whole lot we can do about it, you know? And I really believe if (Royals owner) Mr. (John) Sherman said, ‘You have $75 million to spend,’ or $100 million or $150 million, we'd have to make that work. That's our job. So whatever the rules of engagement are with any particular owner, you have to make that work.”

In other news Monday, Royals manager Matt Quatraro said he expects his coaching staff to return next season, unless another club offers someone a promotion. He also does not expect to shift around any responsibilities.

“We'll ask the guys in each department to see what they feel like — either resources or staff — that they might need or want,” Quatraro said. “But I don't see anything jumping off the page that we're definitely going to add this or anything like that.”

In terms of health, second baseman Adam Frazier will have surgery Tuesday on his thumb, and first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino will be evaluated in another month to see whether the plate that repaired his own thumb can be removed.

Pasquantino broke his thumb on Aug. 30 but returned for the playoffs as the designated hitter.

The Royals also hope to have Kyle Wright available in the spring after he missed the entire year while rehabbing from shoulder surgery. The Royals knew that would be the case when they acquired him in a trade with the Braves in November.

Two years ago, Wright went 21-5 with a 3.19 ERA as the Braves won the NL East.

“He still has four or five months until opening day, whatever it is. So we're optimistic on Kyle,” Picollo said. “We also have to be realistic. I don't think he's going to throw 185 innings this year. But whatever we could get out of him would be a benefit.”

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