Royals Roundup: Trade Talk Heats Up, Opening Day Shifted, and a Familiar Face Returns to the Bigs
The Kansas City Royals have had a busy few days - and not just in the headline-grabbing, blockbuster-trade kind of way. While front office moves and long-term signings have dominated the spotlight, there’s been plenty happening just beneath the surface that Royals fans should be keeping an eye on. From potential trades and schedule updates to a former Royal making his MLB comeback, there’s no shortage of storylines worth tracking.
Rex Hudler on Jarren Duran: Love the Fit, But Not at the Cost of Cole Ragans
The Royals have already made one move in the outfield, picking up Isaac Collins from the Brewers. But according to reports, Kansas City still has its eyes on a bigger prize: Red Sox speedster and All-Star Jarren Duran.
Duran checks a lot of boxes for the Royals. He’s got elite speed - the kind that turns singles into doubles and makes pitchers sweat when he’s on base.
He’s a left-handed bat who could balance out a lineup that leans right-handed at its core with Bobby Witt Jr., Maikel Garcia, and Salvador Perez. And stylistically, he fits the Royals’ mold: aggressive, athletic, and high-energy.
But there’s a catch. Boston reportedly wants lefty ace Cole Ragans in return - and that’s where things get complicated.
Royals color commentator Rex Hudler weighed in on the situation during an appearance on Foul Territory, and he didn’t hold back. While he praised Duran as a perfect stylistic fit for Kansas City - “he’ll go first to third in a heartbeat,” Hudler said - he made it clear that giving up Ragans would be a non-starter.
“They want Ragans, they want our number one,” Hudler said. “You can’t have him straight up.”
Hudler’s not alone in that thinking. Ragans emerged as a front-line starter this past season, and for a team trying to build sustainable success, giving up a young, controllable ace would be a steep price - even for someone as dynamic as Duran. Hudler suggested that if Boston wants to make a deal work, they’ll need to sweeten the pot.
“They’re going to have to package up a couple other guys,” he added. “We’ve got plenty of starting pitching for people.”
So far, it seems the Royals are open to the idea of adding Duran - but only if the deal doesn’t cost them their top arm. And given how much Ragans has meant to the team’s recent progress, that’s a line worth holding.
Opening Day Shifted: Royals-Braves Moved to Friday Night
Looking ahead to 2026, the Royals’ season opener has already been rescheduled. Originally slated for Thursday, March 26, Kansas City’s Opening Day matchup against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park will now take place on Friday, March 27.
First pitch is set for 7:15 p.m. ET, and the Braves are planning a postgame fireworks show to kick off the season in style.
The reason for the one-day shift hasn’t been publicly disclosed, but from a fan’s perspective, a Friday night opener under the lights - complete with fireworks - isn’t the worst way to start the new campaign. It also gives Royals fans a little extra time to build anticipation before the first pitch of the new season.
Foster Griffin Returns to MLB, Signs with Nationals
In a move that might’ve flown under the radar, a former Royal is heading back to the big leagues - and he’s doing it with some serious momentum.
Left-hander Foster Griffin, a first-round pick by Kansas City back in the day, is reportedly signing a one-year, $5.5 million deal with the Washington Nationals. The contract includes incentives that could push the total value to $6.5 million, pending a physical.
Griffin’s MLB career got off to a rocky start. He logged just 8.0 innings before heading overseas, most of them coming in a brief stint out of the Royals’ bullpen, where he posted a 9.00 ERA. But his time in Japan turned everything around.
Pitching for the Yomiuri Giants in NPB, Griffin reinvented himself. In 2025, he posted a sparkling 1.62 ERA, 1.78 FIP, 0.95 WHIP, and held opponents to a .197 batting average over 78.0 innings. That kind of dominance didn’t go unnoticed, and now he’s getting another shot stateside - this time as a potential starter in a Nationals rotation that’s in the middle of a rebuild.
It’s a feel-good story for a pitcher who never quite found his footing in Kansas City but used his time abroad to develop into a more complete arm. Now, he’ll try to carry that success back into the majors.
Final Thoughts
Between trade buzz, schedule shakeups, and comeback stories, the Royals are keeping things interesting this offseason. The front office is clearly active, the fanbase is engaged, and the team is walking that fine line between building for the future and staying competitive in the now.
Whether or not the Royals pull the trigger on a deal for Duran remains to be seen, but one thing’s clear: they’re not going to part with key pieces like Ragans without serious return. And as Opening Day inches closer, the pieces of the 2026 puzzle are slowly starting to fall into place.