After World Series Run, Giants' and Royals' Offseasons Aren't Measuring Up

A scant two months ago, the San Francisco Giants and the Kansas City Royals were the toast of baseball, unlikely World Series opponents on an improbable collision course.

Now, as the offseason slogs into its second month, each club looks increasingly like an also-ran.

It's not that KC and SF haven't made any moves. But while other squads have acted aggressively to bolster their rosters, the defending American League and National League champions have largely stood pat, subtracting as much or more than they've added.

There's still time to reverse course, to prove that 2014 was more prelude and less fluke. But the clock is ticking.

Can last season's top teams maintain their hard-earned supremacy and align for another run? Let's break it down.

Kansas City Royals

From the moment they entered the 2014 postseason fray, the Royals were slapped with the Cinderella label. Considering it had been 29 years since they advanced past game 162, that's not terribly surprising.

Thanks to a remarkable unbeaten run through the American League gauntlet, however, they proved beyond a doubt they belonged astride baseball's playoff throne—until they ran into San Francisco's even-year buzz saw. 

Elsa/Associated Press

Really, Kansas City isn't losing too much of its core. Yes, the Royals said goodbye to designated hitter Billy Butler, a key cog in the lineup and the clubhouse, who signed with the Oakland A's.

But KC inked free agent Kendrys Morales, a reasonable if unspectacular Butler facsimile, to a two-year, $17 million deal, per CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman.  

The biggest minus is likely to be right-handed starter James Shields. "Big Game" James is technically available, but if he's expecting a deal in the five-year, $110 million range, as Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe reports, he's too rich for the Royals' small-market blood.

Again, KC had an answer, inking 31-year-old right-hander Edinson Volquez to a two-year, $20 million pact, per Heyman, and adding 29-year-old right-hander Kris Medlen as insurance, per FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal.

Volquez arrives with baggage, as SI.com explains:

"

Volquez had Tommy John surgery in 2009 and was suspended 50 games in 2010 while injured for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. After a poor performance in 2011, which included a demotion to Triple A, Volquez was traded to the Padres in the deal that netted Cincinnati fellow starter Mat Latos.

Over his 10-year career, Volquez is 66-59 with a 4.44 ERA.

"

It's possible he'll cover the seemingly inevitable loss of Shields, but it's far from a guarantee.

Speaking of which, Kansas City accounted for the likely departure of free-agent right fielder Nori Aoki by netting Alex Rios for one year at $11 million, per Heyman.  

As with all the Royals' other moves, this one's not a glaring downgrade. In fact, the 33-year-old Rios' 2014 numbers (.280/.311/.398 slash line, four home runs, 17 stolen bases) match closely to the 32-year-old Aoki's (.285/.349/.360, one home run, 17 stolen bases). 

Overall, though, Kansas City looks like a club stuck in neutral, while other teams in the AL Central—most notably, the hyperactive Chicago White Sox—put the pedal to the metal.

San Francisco Giants

Like the Royals, the Giants have patched most of their offseason holes. But also like their October foils, they've done so in wholly uninspiring fashion.

Lose homegrown third baseman and beloved "Kung Fu Panda" Pablo Sandoval to the Boston Red Sox? How about trading for middling journeyman Casey McGehee from the Miami Marlins?

Miss out on Jon Lester, the stud of a deep free-agent pitching class? How about re-signing veteran Jake Peavy, who flamed out with the Boston Red Sox but enjoyed a renaissance after a deadline trade to San Francisco?

Yes, the defending champions are still in on Shields, according to Cafardo. Shields would bolster a rotation that boasts Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year Madison Bumgarner but features major question marks in Matt Cain (elbow surgery) and Tim Lincecum (lingering ineffectiveness).

Mitchell Layton/Getty Images

Yes, McGehee is coming off a solid comeback season with Miami, but by his own admission, he should "not try to pick up where Pablo left off," per Adam Berry of MLB.com.

Then there's the even-year argument, the seemingly silly notion that the Giants aren't destined for another run until the calendar turns to 2016.

Seemingly silly, that is, until you study recent history.

So maybe it's wise for San Francisco to play it safe, re-upping a few familiar names and plugging holes with serviceable/unremarkable replacements, while the division rival Los Angeles Dodgers and, most especially, San Diego Padres make noise.

Hey, those three trophies in five years speak for themselves, right?

Then again...no. The Giants, like the Royals, are two months removed from the pinnacle of MLB, a dance in baseball's brightest spotlight. This is no time to wither under the glare.

All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.