Fresh off a playoff appearance last fall, the Royals went into the offseason with high hopes that they were a few moves away from having a team that could make a serious run. The offense had struggled in September following the injury to Vinnie Pasquantino, exposing a lack of depth in the lineup. Last year’s outfield had the fourth-worst wRC+ in baseball, and was in serious of need of upgrades.

The Royals did trade for a leadoff hitter, acquiring second baseman Jonathan India from the Reds for starting pitcher Brady Singer. But when the outfield free agent market looked overheated, the Royals balked at prices for Anthony Santander and Jurickson Profar and pivoted, instead signing All-Star reliever Carlos Estévez to a two-year deal.

The Estévez signing proved to be terrific – he was an Al

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