The Royals had taken steps to compete in 2014, but their playoff run still had a “we’re just happy to be here” feel to it, where every day the team was playing with house money. They parlayed that attitude into a pennant, narrowly missing winning one of the most improbable championships in modern baseball history.
The 2024 Royals had a more unlikely playoff appearance, having improved by 30 wins this season. They completed a remarkable sweep against the Orioles in the Wild Card round, but the clock struck midnight in the ALDS against the Yankees. Yet almost everyone saw it as an extraordinarily successful season after losing 106 games the year before.
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But expectations change, and the definition of “success” changes with them. The Royals have established that they are no longer a team that lives in a cellar, but can they go from baseball’s middle class to reaching the penthouse?
What do you consider a successful 2026 season?
