The Royals’ offseason starts with a familiar front-office chore: sorting through an arbitration class that could shape how much flexibility they really have this winter.
MLB Trade Rumors put out its annual arbitration salary projections, and the Royals show up with 11 eligible players on the list. That group gives Kansas City a clearer picture of who is likely to stay, who might be squeezed out, and where the club could create room as it tries to get back into contention.
Some decisions look straightforward. The Royals are expected to tender both Daniel Lynch and Michael Massey after career-best seasons.
Carlos Estévez is also a good bet to stay in the mix after he settled in nicely following adjustments in the minors. Jonathan Pearson flashed real upside, even if it came in uneven stretches, and J.J.
Picollo sounded as if the club still had him penciled in for next year. Anthony Gose, meanwhile, allowed just one run in 13.2 innings after Kansas City signed him, though he’ll be 36 next season.
Then there are the tougher calls.
Kyle Isbel stands out as the most interesting one. His glove has long helped cover for a bat that has been below average, but this year his offense fell off even further. With his salary climbing, Kansas City has to at least weigh whether he still makes enough sense to keep on the roster.
The pitching side brings more uncertainty. Alex Lange posted a 6.75 ERA, the highest among all qualified relievers. Alec Marsh and James McArthur each missed the entire season because of injuries, and Mears missed most of it for the same reason.
There’s also the Dobnak wrinkle. He has a $6 million club option, but if the Royals turn it down and pay the $1 million buyout, he would enter the arbitration process. He had already signed a long-term deal with the Twins that paid him $3 million in 2026 before they released him, and that history may not be fully reflected in MLB Trade Rumors’ projection model.
Arbitration itself follows a pretty set path. Players become eligible once they have at least three years of service time, plus certain “Super Two” players, but they still aren’t free agents yet.
Teams must decide whether to “tender” a contract. If a player is non-tendered, he becomes a free agent and can sign elsewhere.
If a player is tendered, the club and player negotiate a salary. If they can’t agree by February, each side submits a figure to an independent arbitrator, who chooses one number or the other - no splitting the difference. Salaries are tied heavily to service time, and players can’t take more than a 20 percent pay cut.
Those arbitration deals used to be non-guaranteed, which gave teams more flexibility in spring training. That is no longer the case; now those contracts are fully guaranteed. Even that setup could change under the next collective bargaining agreement, which will be negotiated this offseason.
As the Royals weigh all of that, their payroll picture remains fairly open. They currently have seven players under contract for just under $90 million, and they’re expected to pick up Tony Gonsolin’s $2.5 million club option. According to owner John Sherman, the team should have around $30 million available from payroll to spend this offseason.
In Other News...
Royals Are Pushing Angeibel Gomez Faster Than Anyone Expected
The Royals have made a clear statement with Angeibel Gomez, sending their No. 2 prospect to the Arizona Fall League as part of an unusually aggressive push to speed up his development. Gomez arrived with the Surprise Saguaros and immediately jumped into one of baseballs most demanding finishing schools for young hitters, a setting designed to challenge him without the daily grind of a full-season assignment.
Gomez wasted little time showing why Kansas City is eager to see what comes next. In his AFL debut, he became the second youngest player in league history and picked up his first hit, a walk, a stolen base and two runs. The early results only add to the intrigue around how fast the Royals believe he can climb, and how much theyre willing to ask of him along the way. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Suddenly Have A Real Center Field Decision To Make
Kyle Isbel has been the Royals center fielder since 2021, but the past season made the position look a lot less settled than it has for years. A plantar fascia injury played a part in a frustrating campaign that saw his offensive production fade after a strong start, and his defensive numbers backed up the eye test enough to make this a real conversation rather than a temporary dip.
Kansas City now has to weigh what comes next in center, especially with younger options pushing for playing time and the possibility of outside help later on. Isbel is still under team control through 2028, which gives the Royals some flexibility, but the way things stand now, a move to a fourth outfielder role in 2027 looks increasingly likely as the club sorts out a position it once thought was settled. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Risk Regretting An Early Lucas Erceg Decision
Lucas Erceg went from a key late-inning piece to a pitcher the Royals suddenly had to sort through after a shaky 2026 season. Acquired in 2024, he gave Kansas City real value as a setup reliever in 2025, the kind of arm a contender likes to lean on when games tighten up in the middle innings. But inconsistency this year changed the picture quickly, and the Royals even sent him to the minors as his ERA climbed.
Now the question is how much patience Kansas City wants to show with a reliever who is still arbitration-eligible and projected to make $2.3 million. The cost is manageable, but the role is less certain, and that leaves the Royals weighing whether Erceg still fits as part of their bullpen plans or whether an early decision on him could come back to haunt them later. [Read more 🡒]