The Royals are heading into another winter with familiar questions and a roster that needs help in a lot of places.
Kansas City finished 2025 at 82-80 after an 86-win season earned a Wild Card berth in 2024, and this year’s club is projected to win no more than 73 games. That dropoff has left the organization trying to figure out how to build a better supporting cast around Bobby Witt Jr., the MVP-caliber shortstop who remains the centerpiece of the whole operation.
The money is already spoken for in a few key spots. Witt is locked in through 2034 on a $259MM deal, with an opt-out after 2030 and club options for 2035-37 if he stays.
Maikel Garcia is under contract through 2030 at $52.5MM, while Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Salvador Perez, Cole Ragans and Vinnie Pasquantino are all on guaranteed or controlled deals that give Kansas City some structure but not much flexibility. Among the arbitration group, Kyle Isbel, Alex Lange, James McArthur, Anthony Gose and Lucas Erceg are listed as non-tender candidates.
Even with the disappointment of 2026, major changes at the top of the organization do not appear likely. Matt Quatraro was extended in February on a new three-year deal covering 2027-29, with a club option for 2030.
J.J. Picollo got a five-year extension 11 months earlier, keeping him under contract through 2030 with a club option for 2031.
The Royals have generally shown a lot of loyalty to their top decision-makers, and this kind of early shakeup would be unusual.
The bigger issue is what Picollo has to work with this winter. The Royals need help in the rotation and in the lineup, and they do not have a ton of payroll room unless John Sherman suddenly boosts spending.
That makes the offseason tricky, especially after a last-place finish in a thin American League Central. A longer-term reset could make sense on paper, but Kansas City’s deadline moves suggested a rebuild is not coming.
At the deadline, the Royals were only nominal sellers. They traded Lane Thomas, who was headed for free agency, to Atlanta along with left-hander Bailey Falter, with Falter’s contract reportedly absorbed by the Braves to reduce the prospect cost. Their only other notable deal sent injured lefty Kris Bubic to the Dodgers for reliever Carlos Duran.
Kansas City did have other players who could have drawn interest, especially Lugo, Wacha and Daniel Lynch IV. Lugo and Wacha are both signed through 2027, and Lynch is controlled through 2028, but the Royals never seriously shopped those shorter-term pieces. The asking price on Lugo or Wacha was reportedly very high, with both pitchers viewed as important to the 2027 rotation.
That approach kept two veteran arms in place, even though both would have made sense as trade candidates. Lugo turns 37 in November and has a full no-trade clause.
Wacha turns 36 next summer and has a limited no-trade clause. Their contracts are expensive, and they are both in their mid-30s, but Kansas City chose to keep them rather than convert them into prospects.
It also leaves $34MM committed to those two right-handers on a club that has never had an Opening Day payroll above $143MM.
For now, Lugo and Wacha will stay in the front of the rotation with Noah Cameron, who is heading into his third big league season. Cameron is 27 and has a 3.92 ERA through a career-high 172 1/3 innings, with one start left to go. Beyond that, the Royals still have a lot of work to do.
In Other News...
Royals Waste 11-Run Night In Loss Fans Wont Easily Forget
Daniel Lynch IV took the mound for the Royals and ran into trouble early against Chicagos right-handed hitters, helping the White Sox build a lead the home side could not fully shake. Kansas Citys bats did their part, putting up 11 runs in a game that should have been enough to survive with almost any normal night of pitching behind it.
Instead, the bullpen could not hold the line, and the Royals were left with a 14-11 loss that underscored just how many things have gone sideways at once. It was their fifth straight defeat and eighth in nine games, the kind of stretch that turns even a productive offensive night into another missed chance and leaves the club looking for answers in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Offseason Pressure Is Building Around One Big Roster Reset
The Royals are closing the season with plenty left to sort through after dropping 14 of their last 19 games, and the final stretch has only sharpened the sense that the organization is headed for a busy winter. Tony Gonsolin has already been activated and is in the bullpen for now, with a club option that stretches to 2027, while Carter Jensen remains in the conversation as a possible leadoff hitter next year depending on how the roster is reshaped.
Executive JJ Picollo has made it clear the club expects significant offseason movement, and the timeline matters as much as the activity itself, with Kansas City hoping to get deals done before a potential lockout complicates the picture. There is also a development layer to monitor, with prospects David Shields and Kendry Chourio expected to begin 2026 in Double-A, even if Chourio's assignment is still not fully settled, leaving the Royals with both immediate decisions and longer-term planning on the table. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Prospect Sam Kulasingam Is Forcing A Tough Future Decision
Sam Kulasingam has quietly turned himself into one of the more interesting names in the Royals system since Kansas City took him in the 13th round out of Air Force in 2024. At Double-A in 2026, he has kept showing the kind of offensive traits that play: contact, patience and a willingness to take a walk. For a player without much power to lean on, that kind of approach can still create real value, especially for an organization that always has to balance upside with roster fit.
The harder part is figuring out where he fits next. Kulasingams bat gives him a case, but his limited defensive versatility leaves the Royals with a future decision to make about how aggressively to push him and what role they can realistically project. He has the look of a utility piece with speed and plate discipline, but until the glove catches up, his path to Kansas City may be tied as much to what he can handle in the field as what he continues to do at the plate. [Read more 🡒]