The Royals are staring at a 2027 reset, and it’s not hard to see why. After another frustrating season, Kansas City has a roster that needs trimming, a manager under growing pressure, and too many spots that can’t keep being patched over with familiar names.
Matt Quatraro came in with little immediate heat when he took over in 2023. That changed fast after the surprise postseason run in 2024.
Once a young team starts winning, the standards shift. Suddenly, it’s not enough to talk about what the Royals might become later - people want to know why the results have stalled now.
Two straight disappointing seasons have drained plenty of the early optimism. Yes, the 2026 pitching staff got hammered by injuries, but that excuse only goes so far.
The best teams find a way through it, and Kansas City never did. If the Royals are going to be more competitive in 2027, they’re going to have to clear out some players who no longer fit the plan.
Kyle Isbel looks like one of those cases. He’s been with the Royals since 2021, was part of the 56-win club, and played a real role on the 2024 team that won a Wild Card Series.
He still brings value with his glove and could help as a late-game defensive replacement. But a career wRC+ of 75 is hard to ignore, and he doesn’t look like someone worth 400 at-bats a year anymore, especially with younger options such as Carson Roccaforte waiting.
Alex Lange belongs in the same conversation, only with far less debate. His 2026 season has been rough enough to make a return hard to justify.
As of September 21, he had a 6.09 ERA and a 1.561 WHIP, and his last clean inning before the team’s September 22 game against the Chicago White Sox came all the way back on August 22 against the Detroit Tigers. For Quatraro, that’s not the kind of bullpen performance a team can keep carrying.
Carlos Estevez is a different story, but the result may be the same. He was excellent in 2025, leading all of baseball with 42 saves and looking like a major piece in Kansas City.
The problem is that 2026 never really got started for him. Injuries wrecked his year, and he wound up appearing in just one disastrous game.
With a $13 million club option looming, it’s hard to picture the Royals exercising it.
Isaac Collins also feels like a temporary answer rather than a lasting one. Kansas City traded Angel Zerpa and Nick Mears to get him in December after he posted a .779 OPS for the Milwaukee Brewers last season, but the return hasn’t matched the price.
Through 141 games this year, he’s sitting at an 86 wRC+, which makes the deal look like a wash at best. He can be a placeholder while the next wave of outfielders pushes forward, but that’s about it.
Then there’s Salvador Perez, the toughest call of all. The Royals catcher has built a career that belongs among the best in franchise history, with more than 300 home runs and 1,000 RBI.
He’s also made it clear he wants to keep going until he can’t. But the 2026 numbers were brutal.
Perez finished at -1.2 fWAR, the least valuable qualified position player in baseball by a wide margin, and he’s owed $12.5 million next season. That creates a real problem for a team that can’t afford to let sentiment block the path forward.
Blake Mitchell should be the one getting those at-bats, even if that conversation is going to be a difficult one for everyone involved.
In Other News...
Royals Already Face One Bullpen Decision That Could Shape The Offseason
The Royals offseason has already started with a familiar kind of roster math, and the bullpen is part of it. Kansas City closed out its 2026 season with five players headed to unrestricted free agency, a group that includes Jonathan India, Matt Strahm, John Means, Craig Kimbrel and Tony Gonsolin, while Carlos Estvez remains on the books through a $13 million club option for 2027.
For a team that will spend the winter sorting through who stays and who goes, Estvez is the choice that could end up carrying the most weight in the relief mix. The Royals still have time to work through their roster decisions, but the path they take with that option will say plenty about how they plan to shape the bullpen heading into next year. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Enter A Defining Offseason After 2026 Collapse
The Royals 2026 season unraveled in a way few around the club expected, with a 69-93 finish leaving them well short of an AL Central race they had hoped to be in. Injuries to key pitchers like Carlos Estvez and Cole Ragans only deepened the trouble, and the bullpen became a nightly issue as Kansas City tried to hold together a year that never really got on track. Still, there were a few signs of a better future, especially in the development of young players Carter Jensen and Jac Caglianone.
Manager Matt Quatraro and several players have already pointed to the offseason as a necessary turning point, and that is where the real pressure now begins. The Royals need changes, but they also need the right ones, because this winter will go a long way toward deciding whether last season is treated as a one-off collapse or the start of a much longer problem. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Fans Just Got A Fascinating New Prospect Test To Watch
The Arizona Fall League is about to offer a useful measuring stick for a pair of eye-catching prospects, and Royals followers will have a reason to track the Surprise Saguaros closely. Sebastian Walcott is back on the roster after recovering from elbow surgery, while Angeibel Gomez, still just 17, is set to get a look against far older competition after a strong debut season.
For Kansas City fans, the appeal is in how differently these two players arrive at the same stage. Walcott is trying to show hes past the interruption and ready to keep moving forward, while Gomez is being asked to handle a major jump in competition at an age when most players are still years away from that kind of test. It makes for a fascinating fall assignment, even if the real payoff may not come until later. [Read more 🡒]