What lies ahead for the Royals in the new year?

This story was excerpted from Anne Rogers’ Royals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

KANSAS CITY -- The Royals did a lot of Christmas shopping -- and they crossed nearly everything off their wish list before the big day.

Now that the team has added two starters (Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha), an outfielder (Hunter Renfroe), a utility infielder (Garrett Hampson) and several new faces to the bullpen (Will Smith, Chris Stratton, Nick Anderson and Matt Sauer), as well as a potential starter for 2025 when Kyle Wright gets healthy, the Royals can turn their attention to the smaller ways they can improve their team in ‘24, like adding depth pieces and making sure it’s a complete roster once they take the field on Opening Day.

Here’s a quick look ahead to 2024 -- because Spring Training is going to be here before we know it.

Biggest question to answer before Spring Training: Can they add anything else?
The Royals have already done a ton of work to improve, but it’s going to take a lot to turn around a team that won just 56 games last season. Even with the additions they’ve made, the Royals are still relying on internal improvement and health on both sides of the ball to be better in 2024. There are still probably some holes in the bullpen; the Royals have said they’ll give Smith the opportunity to close games, as well as Stratton, but if they can add one more reliable piece, it would help mitigate health, workload and other adversity bullpens face throughout the season.

Offensively, the Royals like what they’ve got with their infield starters and outfield mix, but the position-player depth on their 40-man roster is fairly thin (17 hitters compared with 23 pitchers). Of course, pitching depth comes into play more during the season, but Kansas City might look to add a lefty bench piece who can complement Hampson and play multiple positions.

One player poised to have a breakout season: LHP Cole Ragans
Ragans earned Royals Pitcher of the Year with just a half-season of work with Kansas City, so what is he going to do with a full season? Ragans was a massive success story for the Royals, who traded reliever Aroldis Chapman to the Rangers for Ragans and Minor Leaguer Roni Cabrera ahead of the 2023 Trade Deadline. The Royals sent Ragans to Triple-A Omaha to continue building up as a starter, and it was there the 26-year-old added a slider that completely opened up his repertoire. Once Ragans was slotted into the Royals’ rotation, he posted a 2.64 ERA across 12 starts and 71 2/3 innings. He struck out 89 and walked just 27 batters with a 1.07 WHIP. His 1.72 ERA in August earned him American League Pitcher of the Month recognition.

Again, that begs the question: What’s he going to do over a full season of work? Ragans still has things to improve on, and he’ll go through the normal ups and downs of a 162-game season. But the Royals couldn’t be happier with what he’s shown already.

Prospect to watch in 2024: RHP Will Klein
After Klein, the Royals’ No. 26 prospect per MLB Pipeline, finished off a strong 2021 season by helping High-A Quad Cities to a championship, he became a prospect to watch because of his power fastball and effectiveness in a multi-inning relief role. Injuries and adversity might have gotten Klein off track the past two seasons, but the 24-year-old flashed impressive stuff in Double-A and Triple-A in 2023.

He was added to the Royals’ 40-man roster this offseason because the team wanted to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. If he can stay healthy, Klein could be a crucial piece of Kansas City’s bullpen. He’ll have to earn his way there after the additions this offseason, but consider Klein the next homegrown player the Royals can’t wait to see in Kansas City.

One prediction for the new year: Bobby Witt Jr. will be an All-Star
If there was an All-Star Game for the second half of the year this past season, Witt likely would have earned a nod. He broke out of an early-season slump and really never looked back on his way to a 30-homer, 49-stolen base sophomore campaign. He even earned several down-ballot American League MVP votes because of his all-around play, finishing seventh overall.

So maybe this isn’t a crazy prediction. But to be an All-Star, players must start the season strong. That’s key for the Royals in general in 2024, making sure their April play isn’t as poor as it’s been in past years. Witt will be a crucial piece of that. If his second season was his breakout year, then his third seems like the time for Witt to settle in for sustained success. The first step will be representing Kansas City at the 2024 All-Star Game in Arlington, Texas -- which just so happens to be a short drive from Witt’s hometown of Colleyville. Extra motivation?