As Kansas City looks ahead to the 2027 season, the bullpen sits right at the top of the to-do list. The Royals got very little stability out of that group this year, and the numbers underline just how rough it was: a 5.07 ERA, which ranked second-worst in Major League Baseball, according to FanGraphs.
That reality is why a relief-pitcher move is already being tied to Kansas City in offseason trade talk. In a recent Bleacher Report piece projecting one potential trade for all 30 clubs, Kerry Miller pointed to bullpen help as the obvious path for the Royals.
“The Royals could decide to blow things up, with either one or two years of team control remaining on a bunch of core players. However, it's more likely they'll make a concerted effort to win another World Series in 2027 and/or 2028. And in order to do so, improving a bullpen that had an MLB-worst 5.10 FIP and near-worst 5.07 ERA is a must,” Miller said.
The name he attached to that need is a familiar one: Luke Weaver. That would mean a return to Kansas City for the right-hander, who spent part of 2022 with the Royals before moving on. His first run with the team was short, covering just 19 1/3 innings.
Weaver’s profile changed once he settled into a relief role. In 2024 with the Yankees, he took on high-leverage work and thrived, putting together a 2.89 ERA over 84 innings with 103 strikeouts and a 0.93 WHIP.
The arsenal behind that breakout is straightforward but effective. Weaver leans on a four-seam fastball, changeup and cutter, and his fastball ride paired with the changeup has given hitters problems.
Statcast backed that up in 2026, when he posted a 34.8% chase rate, a 30.3% whiff rate and a 27.3% strikeout rate. He also kept the walks in check with a 6.7% walk rate.
For a Royals bullpen that lacked high-leverage answers this season, Weaver checks the right boxes. If Kansas City does come out swinging this offseason, he looks like the kind of arm that would make sense.
In Other News...
Royals Fans Cant Ignore What Picollos Offseason Gamble Cost Them
The Royals spent the 2025-26 offseason trying to patch several obvious holes, leaning hard into outfield help and bullpen arms while keeping a core of Maikel Garcia, Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez intact. Lane Thomas, Starling Marte and Matt Strahm were among the biggest additions, the sort of moves that were supposed to add stability and push the club forward after a frustrating year.
Instead, the results have only sharpened the criticism around the front offices approach. Several of those new pieces underperformed badly enough to be moved or let go during the season, and the bullpen additions as a group have delivered negative value. With rotation depth left largely unaddressed, Kansas City has paid for it in the standings, leaving the offseason gamble looking less like a bold reset and more like a costly missed opportunity. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Downtown Ballpark Push Leaves One Huge Question For Fans
The Royals are moving from broad talk to the real work of planning a downtown ballpark district, and Brooks Sherman said the organization has now entered the master-planning stage. For now, the focus is on the stadium itself, even as the larger vision includes revitalizing the surrounding district while keeping existing tenants in place. It is the kind of early, foundational step that signals momentum without yet answering every practical question that comes with a project this size.
One of the biggest unresolved pieces remains what happens in Crown Center, where no decisions have been made about demolitions. Until that part gets sorted out, the plan still has a major layer of uncertainty hanging over it, even as the club pushes ahead on the ballpark concept. Elsewhere around the organization, there is also ongoing attention on pitcher Randy Dobnak, Tyler Tolberts progress at the plate and former outfielder MJ Melendez choosing free agency, but the downtown project is the storyline with the widest ripple effect for fans. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Still Have A Kauffman Problem They Didn't Expect
The Royals went into 2026 hoping the new Kauffman Stadium dimensions would help create a more even offensive environment, one that would translate better from home to road and make hitting less of a guessing game. Instead, the first season with the changes produced a striking split, with Kansas City turning in a much stronger offensive profile in its own park than away from it, a result that stood out across baseball and gave the club another Kauffman-related issue to sort through.
What makes the gap so awkward is that no one around the team has pinned down a clean explanation yet. It could be tied to the altered dimensions, simple year-to-year variance, or something else entirely, but whatever the cause, the Royals now have a home-road offensive divide that runs counter to what they were trying to accomplish and leaves a fresh question hanging over how well the new setup is actually working. [Read more 🡒]