The Royals may be looking at a familiar kind of gamble as they try to patch together a battered pitching staff: a low-cost bet on a former top young arm whose stock has fallen fast.
That pitcher is Luis Gil, the Yankees right-hander who went from AL Rookie of the Year in 2024 to a possible non-tender candidate this November. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported that Gil could be cut loose because he is projected to make a little over $2 million in 2027. Sherman made the point in an entry on his Pinstripe Post podcast series, where he suggested New York might prefer to move on from a pitcher it once valued highly and redirect that money elsewhere.
Gil’s situation is made even trickier by the roster math. He will no longer have any minor league options left next season, which limits what the Yankees can do with him if he stays on the payroll.
With a crowded pitching staff and more young arms coming, he has become the kind of player a team can suddenly decide is expendable. That’s where Kansas City comes in.
The Royals need bodies on the mound, and they need them badly. A rough wave of injuries battered their pitching staff in 2026, and the aftermath could still be felt next season. Cole Ragans, Stephen Kolek, and Luinder Avila all had season-ending surgeries in 2026, leaving the Royals with plenty of uncertainty and plenty of innings to replace.
That makes J.J. Picollo’s offseason path pretty clear: find affordable pitching wherever it can be found.
Free agency will be part of that search, but Gil could be another name worth circling. His projected $2.3 million contract in 2027 is manageable, and his trade cost should be limited as well.
With his production down and his role in New York in doubt, his value on the market has dropped to a point that could fit Kansas City’s budget.
The performance dip is real. Over his last 20 appearances since 2024, Gil has taken a step backward in almost every meaningful way.
His walks per nine rate is still above 4.5, while his strikeout rate has nearly been cut in half. In 84.1 innings during that span, he has struck out 58 batters.
The reasons are familiar: shaky control and reduced velocity over the last two seasons have made it harder for him to miss bats.
Even so, there’s still a path back. Gil has also been dealing with injuries since 2024, including shoulder inflammation and a lat strain, and he hasn’t stayed healthy long enough to rediscover the pitcher he was before. A healthy offseason could give him a chance to reset.
For the Royals, that makes him a classic buy-low target for 2027. If he rebounds and helps push the club back into postseason contention, the move looks sharp.
If it doesn’t work and he winds up designated for assignment by June, it would hardly be a fatal mistake. In a spot like this, Kansas City doesn’t have much to lose.
In Other News...
Royals Face One Costly Arbitration Call In Bigger 2027 Roster Picture
The Royals are already getting an early look at a few pieces that could matter in the next wave of roster construction, and the conversation starts with players in very different stages of their careers. Left-hander Justin Lamkin is still working through mixed results in the Arizona Fall League, a reminder that his long-term path remains more projection than certainty, while the front office is also weighing more immediate decisions on the major league side as it sorts through the depth it may want to carry into 2027.
One of the bigger calls involves second baseman Michael Massey, whose arbitration outlook forces the club to balance cost, role, and upside rather than simply look at the name on the lineup card. The Royals are also kicking around possible pitching fits for the future, including veteran reliever Steven Okert and a reunion with right-hander Luke Weaver, two options that speak to how much the bullpen picture could change by the time that next roster cycle arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Could Lose A Rising Front Office Piece To Houston
The Astros search for a new general manager has pulled in another name with ties to Kansas City, with Royals senior vice president Scott Sharp reportedly among the candidates under consideration. Sharps inclusion is notable for a front office that has been on the rise, and it speaks to how much demand there is for executives who have worked their way into meaningful responsibility around the game.
Houston is casting a fairly wide net, with Braves assistant general manager Ben Sestanovich also in the mix along with Matt Kleine, Josh Barfield and Randy Flores. At the same time, the Astros are moving ahead with another key hire, bringing in Spencer Medick as director of pitching to oversee pitching development, a sign the organization is trying to bolster multiple layers of its baseball operations structure at once. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Still Have One Big Jac Caglianone Decision Ahead
Jac Caglianone gave the Royals plenty to build on in 2026, and he did it while wearing multiple hats. He led the club in several offensive categories and spent time both in right field and at first base as injuries forced Kansas City to shuffle the lineup and patch holes wherever it could.
The bigger question now is where he fits best going into 2027. Caglianone dealt with shoulder and elbow issues during the season, and his time in right field was affected as a result, leaving the Royals to weigh whether a return to first base makes more sense depending on how the roster settles this winter. The bat clearly belongs in the middle of the conversation, but the defensive side of his future is still very much up in the air. [Read more 🡒]