For the Royals, left field has felt like a search with no finish line since Alex Gordon walked away in 2020. Gordon wasn’t just a body in the corner at Kauffman Stadium; he owned the spot for 10 seasons, shifting over from third base in 2011 and turning himself into one of the best defenders in the game. By the time he retired, he’d piled up eight Gold Gloves, the most ever by a left fielder.
Kansas City has not come close to replacing that stability. Since 2021, 24 different players have logged at least 10 games in left field for the Royals, and the production has been thin.
Only Andrew Benintendi has posted a fWAR above 1.0, while 11 of those 24 players have finished with negative fWAR. The outfield as a whole has been a weak link, but left field has been especially barren.
That’s why Cubs outfielder Ian Happ stands out as a possible answer this offseason. Happ has spent his first 10 seasons in Chicago, and his profile bears a striking resemblance to Gordon’s in a way that should catch Royals fans’ attention.
Ian Happ was the Cubs' Alex Gordon. And that's a compliment. 🧵
1/ Top-10 picks. Came up as infielders.
Became Gold Glove left fielders. Played every day, never flashy, never the face of the marketing campaign.
Just there, every night, doing the work.
2/ Neither guy wins the…
On offense, the numbers line up more closely than you might think. Happ’s batting average through 10 seasons is 20 points lower than Gordon’s, but his on-base percentage is nearly identical and his slugging percentage is 10 points higher.
That leaves the two with almost matching OPS numbers: .783 for Happ and .774 for Gordon. Gordon still owns the edge in hits by almost 200, but Happ has already surpassed him in career home runs.
The comparison doesn’t stop at the plate. Happ and Gordon have each won four Gold Gloves in left field, though Happ could still add a fifth in 2026.
Gordon finished with three All-Star nods compared to Happ’s one, and he also holds the advantage in career bWAR and fWAR. The match isn’t perfect, but it doesn’t need to be.
The point is that Happ brings the same steady, everyday presence Gordon gave the Royals for years.
And that is exactly what Kansas City has been missing. With Happ likely headed for free agency this offseason, the Royals have a chance to solve a position that has been unsettled since Gordon retired. If Happ is willing to take a long-term deal, he looks like the kind of fit Kansas City should seriously pursue.
In Other News...
Royals Face A Risky Michael Wacha Decision This Offseason
Michael Wacha entered the 2026 season looking like the kind of veteran arm a contender would be reluctant to move, and Kansas City played it that way when the deadline came around. Even with trade interest building, the Royals kept him because the rotation was already being tested by uncertainty and injuries elsewhere, and Wachas steady performance gave them a reason to hold the line.
This winter, though, the calculus could shift. The front office may have more willingness to listen if it can turn Wacha into help for the future, but the Royals still have to weigh that against a pitching picture that remains far from settled. For all the talk of leveraging his value, Kansas City may decide the safer move is simply to keep a reliable starter in place and sort out the rest later. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Bullpen Fix Could Depend On How Aggressive They Get
The Royals know exactly where the pain point was last season. Their bullpen finished with a 5.07 ERA, the second-highest mark in baseball, leaving a clear offseason objective for a club that wants to tighten games instead of constantly chasing them. The front office has options in free agency, and the names at the top of the list are the kind of relievers who can change the shape of a late inning simply by walking into it.
What makes this pursuit interesting is the price of being better. The available arms have shown they can handle high-leverage work and bring strong underlying metrics, but the question for Kansas City is how far it wants to push to get them. Fixing the bullpen is not just about identifying help, it is about deciding how aggressively to spend to secure it, and that choice could define how much improvement the Royals get from one winter to the next. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Outfield Battle Could Put Kyle Isbel Under Real Pressure
The Royals offseason focus may be on rebuilding the pitching staff, but there is some real movement brewing in the outfield, too. Kansas City expects competition for those roster spots, and center field is shaping up as one of the more interesting spots to watch as the club sorts through its next wave of talent.
Carson Roccaforte has pushed his way into the conversation after a strong season across Double-A and Triple-A, and the organization sees him as a player with a chance to help sooner rather than later. General manager J.J. Picollo has already identified him as a very good center fielder who will be in the mix for the Royals, either when the season opens or at some point after, which only adds to the pressure on Kyle Isbel as spring training approaches. [Read more 🡒]