Royals land two notable veteran pieces

The Kansas City Royals’ shrewd offseason continues.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported on Friday that the Royals are signing veteran outfielder Hunter Renfroe in free agency. Kansas City will be giving Renfroe a two-year, $13M deal with an opt-out after 2024.

The Royals also made noise Friday on the pitching front. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that they have signed right-hander Michael Wacha to a two-year, $32M contract as well.

Renfroe, 31, is a former 30-home-run-hitter who batted .233 over 140 appearances last season between the Los Angeles Angels and Cincinnati Reds. Wacha, 32, is an ex-All-Star coming off a stellar year with the San Diego Padres in which he went 14-4 with a 3.22 ERA.

After finishing last season in the dump (tying an all-time franchise worst with a 56-106 record), the Royals are making a concerted effort to bring in veteran help this offseason. While they are still building around their young core of Bobby Witt Jr., MJ Melendez, and others, Kansas City recently signed former Wacha teammate Seth Lugo for rotation help as well as a reigning World Series champion from the Texas Rangers. They will enter the 2024 campaign with a much more well-rounded roster.