When it comes to this year's major league playoffs, the Kansas City Royals and their fans are on the outside looking in, their mutual hopes for venturing deeper into the postseason than last season dashed by key injuries, a final record barely above .500, and offensive issues that won't go away. But there's light at the end of this October tunnel — it won't be that long before the World Series winds up and the offseason trade and free agency extravaganzas begin.
Expect the Royals, whose roster requires some repair but not wholesale reconstruction, to actively pursue helpful trades and free agents.