The Royals are shaping up to be one of the busier teams this offseason, but the real challenge in Kansas City isn’t finding ways to spend - it’s spending in the right places.
That’s where Jim Bowden’s latest free-agent projection should set off alarms. The former GM linked the Royals to Gleyber Torres and pegged him for a two-year, $42 million deal.
On paper, it’s the kind of move that sounds like a splash. In practice, it looks like the wrong fit for a club that has much more pressing business elsewhere.
Torres spent the last two seasons with the Tigers, and the numbers paint a mixed picture. In 2025, he posted a .256 average with a .745 OPS across 145 games, adding 16 homers, 22 doubles and 74 RBIs.
His 2026 season was shortened by injuries, limiting him to 96 games, though he still hit .260 with a .727 OPS. The extra-base punch just wasn’t as loud.
The bigger issue for Kansas City is the price tag. A $21 million average annual value is steep for a player with a .738 OPS over the past two seasons, especially when the defensive value hasn’t been there either. Torres finished in the 34th percentile in Fielding Run Value in 2026 and the 26th percentile in 2025.
And even if the Royals wanted to add another second baseman, they already have one they should feel good about. Michael Massey put together a career year at the plate in 2026, hitting .272 with a .731 OPS in 131 games. He also posted a career-best ISO and earned a spot as a finalist for the AL Gold Glove at second base.
That’s why this is the kind of move Kansas City should avoid. The Royals need help in the outfield and on the pitching staff this offseason, not another expensive infield addition. Torres may be a name worth discussing, but at that number, he looks more like a detour than a solution.
In Other News...
Royals Prospects Are Giving Fans An Early Reason To Watch Closely
The Arizona Fall League has given Royals fans an early look at several prospects who are trying to turn promising tools into real momentum, and the early returns have offered plenty to track. Angeibel Gomez, Justin Lamkin, Zion Rose, Felix Arronde, Brooks Bryan, Austin Charles, Josh Hansell and Frank Mozzicato have all been part of the mix, each at a different stage of development and each with something to prove as the season winds down.
For Kansas City, this is the kind of update that matters because the organization is still sorting out which young players are ready to climb the next rung and which ones need more time to settle in. Some have flashed production, others have run into the usual bumps that come with the Fall League, and the broader picture is less about any one box score than the way these prospects are handling a tougher level of competition. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Still Have One Pitching Problem Hanging Over The Offseason
The Royals offseason pitch to themselves starts with a simple truth: the rotation and bullpen need more swing-and-miss. A look at the Brewers offers a useful contrast, since Milwaukee had more pitchers with at least 20 innings who posted above-average strikeout rates, while Kansas City leaned on a smaller group of arms who could consistently miss bats. For a club trying to build on its progress, that gap matters because it shapes everything from how often innings get escaped to how much pressure lands on the defense behind them.
There is hope in the mix, of course, with Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic giving the Royals reasons to believe the strikeout picture can improve. But the bigger question is how much internal growth is realistic and how much the front office will need to add from outside as it sorts through the winter market, trade candidates and the broader MLB offseason landscape. The World Series is still fresh enough to remind everyone how valuable pitching depth can be, and Kansas City has one lingering problem that will follow it into the offseason until it gets answered. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Are Betting On One Risky Rotation Gamble Again
The Royals are leaning into a familiar kind of upside with Tony Gonsolin, bringing him back into the fold on a one-year deal in mid-August after he had not pitched in the majors since June 2025. Kansas City has long been willing to bet on talent that comes with some injury history, and Gonsolin fits that profile as well as anyone, with an All-Star nod in 2022 serving as a reminder of what he can look like when healthy.
The move also shows the club is thinking beyond the short term, since the contract included a team option for 2027 at $2.5 million and the Royals chose to exercise it. For a rotation that has spent plenty of time searching for stability, keeping Gonsolin around is a clear sign the organization believes the reward is worth the risk, even if the health questions that have followed him throughout his career are still part of the equation. [Read more 🡒]