Arizona Fall League results, arbitration questions and bullpen possibilities are all on the Royals’ docket this week, with a few different names popping up across the organization’s winter-picture conversations.
The most encouraging note came from left-hander Justin Lamkin, who steadied himself on October 15 against the Glendale Desert Dogs. After a rough AFL debut in which he surrendered five runs over three innings, Lamkin gave up just one run in four innings the second time out.
There were some real positives in that outing. Lamkin produced whiffs at a 30.8% clip and kept loud contact down with a .311 xwOBACON, which matches the kind of approach he showed at Quad Cities, Northwest Arkansas and even before that at Texas A&M.
But the underlying stuff numbers have not looked nearly as sharp. In his most recent start, TJ Stuff+ had him at 88 overall, with an 81 on the four-seamer, and that is extremely subpar.
There is at least some reason to be cautious about those numbers. Statcast data can be a little uneven at some AFL parks, which could help explain why Lamkin’s stuff grades have lagged.
Still, this is something worth watching in 2027, when he is expected to return to Double-A Northwest Arkansas. If the stuff doesn’t rebound, he may end up looking more like a Daniel Lynch IV type than a Cole Ragans type.
On the roster-building side, second baseman Michael Massey is headed into a big decision point as arbitration approaches. The case for keeping him is straightforward: the Royals would be wise to tender him a contract. After a strong comeback season in 2026, Massey is projected to make between $3.2 and $3.5 million in 2027, a price that looks pretty reasonable for a player with Gold Glove-caliber defense and enough offense to matter.
His bat did more than hold up. Among American League second basemen with at least 450 plate appearances in 2026, Massey ranked third in batting average at .272 and fourth in slugging percentage at .428. For a position that usually doesn’t offer much offense, that kind of production matters, and it’s not easy or cheap to find a two-way middle infielder like that elsewhere.
The argument against him is built on a different set of numbers. Massey’s overall offensive value checked in right at league average with a 100 wRC+, and his walk rate has hovered around 5% every year since he reached the majors. That lack of free passes keeps his on-base percentage from climbing, and if his contact and batting average slip in 2027, his bat could take a meaningful hit because he doesn’t have much walk-driven cushion.
The bullpen market also includes a name that fits the Royals on paper. Sports Illustrated’s Brian Sparks says adding Steven Okert “makes too much sense”. The 35-year-old lefty doesn’t blow hitters away, averaging 91 mph with his fastball according to Statcast, but he works with a streamlined pitch mix that leans heavily on the slider, along with a four-seam fastball and sinker.
That formula worked. Okert finished the year with a 30.9% whiff rate, a 26.1% strikeout rate and a 5.4% walk rate.
His breaking-pitch run value was 11, which ranked in the 95th percentile. For a Royals bullpen that could use help in a few spots, he would be a meaningful addition.
Another arm on the radar is Luke Weaver, whom Charlie Rondeau floated as a possible reunion target for 2027. Weaver threw 19.1 innings for Kansas City in 2022, striking out 19 and posting a 5.59 ERA. Since then, he’s had a more eventful run, including two strong full seasons with the Yankees before leaving in free agency during the 2025 offseason.
He then put up a 1.84 ERA with the Mets before getting traded to Pittsburgh at the deadline. His time with the Pirates was less impressive, as he finished with a 4.96 ERA over 18 games, but he still makes sense as an option for a Royals club that may need rotation help while Cole Ragans and Stephen Kolek continue recovering from injuries.
Weaver remains under team control through 2027, though a deal with Pittsburgh might not require much given his age and the fact that he has moved around so often. If the Pirates stumble after their 82-80 season, acquiring him could become even more realistic.
Elsewhere on the Royals front, Bobby Witt Jr. was again viewed as the best shortstop in the game by CBS Sports’ Scott White, though White also noted that the fantasy shine is starting to dim a bit. Witt fell short of 25 home runs for the second straight season, and his 54 RBI stood out for the wrong reasons, even with only 143 games played. The skills are still there - batting average, steals and runs remain elite - but he no longer feels quite as far ahead of the pack as he once did.
There are also non-tender decisions looming for Kansas City, with Sam Caulder taking a look at that part of the offseason picture. And one other former Royal is moving into a new role: Rich Hill is joining MLB Network as a World Series analyst.
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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 🡒]
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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 🡒]