The Royals’ starting rotation has been set in stone: Alec Marsh will be a part of it, Jordan Lyles will not. While the exact order of the rotation is not yet official, aside from Cole Ragans being the first, Marsh will join the arms of Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, and Brady Singer.  The contents of the bullpen haven’t been finalized yet, but for now, Lyles will make it even more veteran-heavy, alongside Will Smith and Chris Stratton.

This is two big and paradoxically surprising yet unsurprising moves at the same time. Alec Marsh didn’t come into camp with particularly great odds of getting a starting job. His debut last year was very disappointing and got to the point where the Royals required an opener to pitch before him late into the season. Yet, Marsh’s numbers are too good to ignore: his 1.93 ERA is the lowest of any other possible KC SP this Spring.  More excitingly, his walk rate currently stands at 7.5% compared to the 11.4% he posted last year.  This has allowed him to be much more efficient as a pitcher, as he has struck out 32.1% of his opponents, a 7% improvement from 2023.

Meanwhile, Jordan Lyles has been moved off his position. Lyles seemed to be the incumbent fifth man in the rotation but was sidelined after his first start with back tightness. He’s only pitched one game since then, where he gave up four home runs in three innings. Lyles has not improved much, coming off a 6.28 ERA and having the most pitcher losses in baseball.

Still, the Royals had reasons to keep Lyles in the rotation: eight-and-a-half million of them, to be exact. While this contract isn’t exactly bankrupting the organization, it’s still a notable investment in his performance; one they would like to recuperate as much as possible. Interestingly enough, Lyles is much less valuable as a reliever — now the highest-paid one on the team.  However, Marsh instills confidence in the fans who want nothing more than to watch a competitive Royals team, making him the right choice.