The Royals have more than roster holes to think about this offseason. Kansas City also has a pair of young bats who have turned themselves into real contract-extension conversations.
That’s the kind of problem every front office wants. The season didn’t unfold the way the Royals hoped, but the emergence of Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen gave the lineup a much-needed jolt and left the organization with something concrete to build around.
Caglianone’s second season changed the tone around his future. After a rough rookie year, the 23-year-old answered with a .289/.340/.494 line, 23 home runs and 75 RBIs. He got hot in August, batting .411 with a 1.113 OPS, a stretch that helped him earn American League Player of the Month honors.
The power numbers back up the eye test. According to Statcast, Caglianone’s average exit velocity was 93.3 mph, which placed him in the 97th percentile. He also finished with a 13% barrel rate, a 54.7% hard-hit rate and an average bat speed of 77 mph.
Jensen made his own case in his first full big league season. The rookie led the Royals with 27 home runs and 81 RBIs while posting a .239/.323/.467 slash line. He also set a franchise record for home runs by a rookie in a single season.
Like Caglianone, Jensen closed strong. He won American League Player of the Month for September after going deep eight times and adding 10 doubles, all while hitting .338/.407/.788 with a 1.194 OPS during the month.
That leaves Kansas City with a choice that could shape the next several years: whether to try to secure one young cornerstone, or both, on long-term deals now. The Milwaukee Brewers have already shown how early extensions can work with young players, as seen in Jackson Chourio’s deal. The Royals will have to decide whether Caglianone and Jensen are next.
In Other News...
Royals Suddenly Have A Tough Michael Massey Decision To Make
Michael Masseys 2026 season gave the Royals a lot to like, and a little to debate. He played a career-high 131 games, hit .272/.303/.428 with 13 home runs, and finished as a Gold Glove finalist while ranking sixth among American League second basemen in fWAR. For a team that values run prevention and versatility, that kind of two-way contribution is hard to ignore.
Still, the offseason picture is not especially simple. Masseys power and defense are real assets, but his low walk rates and injury history keep the profile from being clean, and he is arbitration-eligible for the second time. That leaves Kansas City weighing the value of a productive regular against the risk that the safest-looking path might not be the easiest one to commit to just yet. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Downtown Ballpark Plan Is Reaching A Stage Fans Can Finally See
The Royals are about to give fans another look at where their next ballpark could fit into downtown Kansas City, with an update on the stadium design and a new visual reveal tied to the project near Crown Center. It is the kind of milestone that turns a long-discussed plan into something easier to picture, especially with the team moving ahead on a downtown site that has been part of a much larger conversation about how the franchise wants to reshape its future.
This ballpark is only one piece of an 85-acre mixed-use development, and the price tag is expected to land around $1.9 billion. Along with the stadium itself, the plan calls for transportation improvements and parking, and the broader project is projected to generate more than 20,000 construction jobs before the venue is expected to open by 2030. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Face A Painful 40-Man Crunch Before Everything Freezes
With the offseason clock already ticking toward a possible December 1 lockout, the Royals have a roster problem that is less about splash and more about timing. Kansas City has to sort through free agents, arbitration-eligible players, non-tender candidates and Rule 5 protection decisions while the window to make meaningful moves could close fast, forcing the front office to line up answers before the market freezes.
That makes the 40-man roster a real pressure point, especially for a club trying to balance present value against longer-term flexibility. One hypothetical path even includes a trade centered on Kyle Isbel and Bradley Hanner, underscoring how many different levers the Royals may need to pull just to get through the winter without exposing themselves elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]