The Royals have already started trimming for the deadline, but the names they’re willing to move are not the ones that really get people talking.
That was the jolt in Bob Nightengale’s Sunday notebook for Kansas City fans: Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo are drawing real interest, yet the Royals are still shutting the door on any deal involving either starter. According to Nightengale, "The Kansas City Royals have received a ton of interest in starters Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo, but they rebuffed all offers, believing they need them to compete next year."
It’s the kind of stance that makes sense on paper and still lands like a gut punch if you’re looking at the market through a trade-deadline lens. Wacha and Lugo are exactly the sort of veterans contenders usually chase, especially when rotation help is at a premium. But Kansas City appears locked in on keeping both, even with a roster construction that leaves plenty of questions behind them.
Cole Ragans is out until mid-2027 at least. Noah Cameron has been inconsistent all year.
Kris Bubic is expected to hit free agency this winter. And the depth options - Stephen Kolek, Ryan Bergert and Ben Kudrna - have all spent time on the 60-day IL this season.
That’s why the Royals’ reluctance stands out. Wacha made the All-Star team this year, and Lugo is only two seasons removed from finishing as the AL Cy Young runner-up to Tarik Skubal. At the same time, both pitchers are on the wrong side of 35, which makes the long-term clock feel louder by the day.
From a value standpoint, this is the part that stings. If Kansas City is ever going to cash in on Wacha or Lugo, this is the kind of moment when the return would be strongest. Instead, the front office seems set on holding them for a future it believes is still worth chasing.
If those two are off the table, the Royals’ deadline path gets pretty narrow. The club is sitting 20 games below .500, and moving rental pieces alone isn’t going to produce the kind of impact that changes the outlook overnight. Saturday’s Lane Thomas trade with the Braves added depth, but not the sort of splash that resets a season.
There are still a few names left who could go before Monday afternoon. John Schreiber looks like the most obvious candidate after ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Thursday that the Royals would seek a new landing spot for him. Matt Strahm is another bullpen arm who could be moved, and former All-Star outfielder Starling Marte could also be headed out after Thomas.
Beyond that, the Royals appear to be guarding the players with control, which is exactly the kind of asset management they’ve signaled matters most. That leaves the possibility of a true blockbuster looking remote, even with the deadline clock running down.
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Royals Deadline Plans Could Reveal Who They Still Trust
The Royals are still sorting through what this stretch means for the rest of the season after a fourth straight loss pushed them 21 games below .500 heading into the trade deadline. Matt Quatraro sounded frustrated with the skid, but the bigger issue for Kansas City is how to navigate a roster hit by injuries to Bobby Witt Jr., Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic while also trying to keep the focus on what comes next. Recent trades involving Lane Thomas and Bailey Falter already signaled that the front office is willing to keep adjusting.
With more deadline movement still possible, Kansas Citys next decisions may say as much about who the club still believes in as about who it is ready to move on from. The Royals have been talking about adding younger players to the mix for the stretch run, which makes the coming days especially revealing because the choices are not just about selling, but about the kind of roster they want to build around the injuries and uncertainty they are dealing with now. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Deadline Approach Around Bobby Witt Jr. Just Got More Complicated
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Even so, the front office has made one thing clear in the days leading up to the deadline: it is not looking at every veteran as a movable piece. The clubs stance on its pitching depth has made the market harder to read, and it leaves the Royals trying to balance present urgency with the longer view of a team that still believes its best stretch may be ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Michael Massey Has Royals Fans Debating His Long Term Role
Michael Massey has given the Royals a useful look in 2026, and its enough to keep the conversation around him going. The second baseman has supplied above-average pop for the position, and a .263/.298/.417 line with a 94 wRC+ suggests a player who can help a lineup in stretches even if the profile is not perfectly polished.
The question for Kansas City is whether that version of Massey can keep holding up over the long run. His low walk rate and high chase rate outside the zone leave plenty of room for pitchers to work him, even as he handles breaking balls well enough to stay dangerous. The bigger concern is how often 4-seam fastballs have given him trouble, since that one hole can shape the way teams decide to use him, and how fans ultimately view his place in the lineup. [Read more 🡒]