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With the Kansas City Royals teetering on playoff elimination, their focus has shifted to a smaller but meaningful target: finishing at .500. At 78\u201378 with six games remaining, matching last year\u2019s 86-win total is off the table, but three wins in their final two series against the Angels and Athletics would secure a non-losing record. <\/p>\n
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For a franchise trying to climb back to relevance, avoiding that losing tag would mark progress<\/a>. And as Baseball Prospectus co-founder Rany Jazayerli pointed out, even if Kansas City falls short of that symbolic milestone, there\u2019s still reason for solace heading into the offseason.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Royals have won 78 games in a season for just the eighth time in the last 32 years.<\/p>\n Don’t mock mediocrity. It could be a lot worse. And it usually has been. https:\/\/t.co\/18CttCyUhO<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Rany Jazayerli (@jazayerli) September 21, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Every franchise carries its own grading curve, and Kansas City\u2019s is tilted more toward the losing side. The Royals\u2019 all-time record sits at 4,286\u20134,700<\/a>, with 33 losing seasons in their history. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n They\u2019ve endured more years with 97 or more losses (12) than postseason appearances. There have been shining moments, sure\u2014but outside of those peaks, Kansas City hasn\u2019t built the kind of sustained reputation for competitive baseball that resonates across the league.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jazayerli\u2019s point, while accurate, underscores just how rough much of Royals history has been. Only 21 Kansas City teams have finished with a winning record, and just five of those have come in this century\u2014three tied to playoff runs. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The consistent winner that fans dream about isn\u2019t easy to build, and even the model franchises go through lulls. The question now is whether 2025 is merely a dip or the start of a longer slide. How the front office approaches the offseason<\/a> will go a long way in determining that answer.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Houston Astros or Cleveland Guardians can officially eliminate the Royals with just one more win<\/a>, and banking on both to drop six straight down the stretch isn\u2019t realistic. What Kansas City can control, though, is how the record book reflects their season. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n They head out on their final road trip with a chance to finish strong, already closing their Kauffman slate on a positive note, taking a series from the Toronto Blue Jays and locking in a winning home record.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While the win total in 2025 is a step back from 2024<\/a>, the positives from this season should not be lost. The overall trend is that of a team rising from their multiple 100-loss seasons to at least being a respectable club, albeit not a contending one. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n As exciting as a \u201cplayoffs or bust\u201d mentality can be, the reality is that most teams end up on the outside looking in. Royals fans would probably sign up for an 89-win season in a heartbeat, but even that wasn\u2019t enough to get the Arizona Diamondbacks into the postseason last year. In the Wild Card Era, we\u2019ve seen clubs like the 96-win Cincinnati Reds or 93-win Cleveland Guardians<\/a> miss out entirely. The postseason is the ultimate goal, but it isn\u2019t the only measure of progress or success.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n
The 2025 Royals have already done something most of their predecessors failed at.<\/h2>\n