Kansas City’s season ended the way nobody in the organization wanted it to: outside the playoffs, staring at a 69-93 record and a fresh round of hard questions.
At Wednesday’s end-of-season press conference at Kauffman Stadium, Royals general manager J.J. Picollo didn’t try to dress it up.
“I think it goes without being said, it’s kind of disappointing sitting here today without being in the playoffs as we expected,” Picollo said. “It was something we certainly felt was attainable coming into our season.”
The Royals finished at the bottom of the AL Central and missed the postseason for the second straight year. It was also the club’s first losing season since a 106-loss 2023.
Picollo said the focus now is on getting more out of the roster already in place while also keeping an eye on what comes next.
“We’ve got to figure out how to get this current roster playing to its abilities and put ourselves in a better position in 2027,” Picollo said. “But it’s not just about ‘27, it’s about long-term success.”
The changes are already starting on the staff side. Picollo announced that head athletic trainer Kyle Turner, assistant athletic trainer Chris DeLucia and major league rehab coordinator Jeff Blum will not return.
Beyond that, the Royals’ offseason picture is already filling in around baseball. Plenty of former Royals are in postseason action, and around the league the Yankees swept their biggest rival, the White Sox won their first playoff series since 2005, and the Phillies forced a winner-take-all game in Atlanta. The Padres were leading the Cubs 4-1 after five innings late Wednesday night, with a sweep of the North Siders on the table.
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Royals Enter 2027 With Big Questions About Their Medical Staff
The Royals are already facing a notable shake-up before the offseason even fully gets going, with several familiar names moving out of the major league support structure. Head athletic trainer Kyle Turner, assistant athletic trainer Chris DeLucia and major league rehab coordinator Jeff Blum will not return, while Melissa Lambert, who served as director of behavioral science and major league mental performance, has been reassigned to the minor leagues.
For a club that has spent recent seasons trying to build stability around its big league operation, changes like these matter because they touch everything from day-to-day injury management to the mental side of the game. Kansas City plans to fill the openings ahead of the 2027 season, and the next wave of hires will be worth watching closely as the organization tries to reset a staff that plays a much bigger role than most fans see. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Finally Shake Up A Spot Fans Knew Was A Problem
The Royals made a notable change to their hitting operation this week, reassigning Alec Zumwalt within the organization after a stretch of offensive frustration that has lingered for the past two seasons. Zumwalt is staying with the club as senior director of hitting performance, the job he held before moving into the major league hitting coach role in May 2022, but his responsibilities at the big-league level are shifting.
For Kansas City, the move underscores how persistent the lineup issues have become and how seriously the club is treating them. It also keeps Zumwalt in the building, where his next influence on the teams approach will come from a different seat than the one he occupied while the Royals tried to dig out of those struggles. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Nearly Lost A Voice That Became Part Of Franchise History
Denny Matthews has spent so much of Royals history behind the mic that it is easy to forget how close Kansas City came to hearing a very different voice for the franchises early years. The longtime broadcaster, who joined the team when it began in 1969, recently called his 8,000th game and was honored with the Baseball Hall of Fames Ford Frick Award, a fitting milestone for a man whose sound has become part of the clubs identity.
What makes the story resonate now is how long Matthews stayed with the Royals after considering other opportunities, including offers to broadcast for the Chicago Cubs. Instead of leaving, he remained a constant through eras of expansion, rebuilds and success, and he plans to keep calling games through the 2027 season, extending a run that has already made him one of the most enduring voices in baseball. [Read more 🡒]