Is Cedric Mullins a fit? | Kansas City Royals Podcast

Is Cedric Mullins a fit? | Kansas City Royals Podcast

Would former oral and Met Cedric Mullins make sense for the Royals? We’ll give you our opinion next on Locked on Royals. You are Locked on Royals, your daily Kansas City Royals podcast, part of the Locked On Network, your team every day. You are tuned in to another edition of Locked On Royals and the Locked On Podcast Network. As always, I’m your host, Jack Johnson, and you can find me on Twitter at johnnyj_15. That is JHNYJ_15. And you can listen to us on wherever you download your podcast. That can be Spotify, Apple Podcast, Amazon Music, Google Podcast, Odyssey, and YouTube. Just be sure to hit the follow button and subscribe. For you firsttime listeners wondering how this channel works, I bring you episodes Monday through Friday, 30 minute episodes in length. And if we ever miss an episode during the weekday, we will always find a way to make it up over the weekend. Now, before we dive in uh to the first segment today, want to tell you that today’s show is brought to you by Game Time. Download the Game Time app, create an account, and use code locked on MLB for $20 off on your first purchase. As you know, we we do segments like this throughout the off season. This is, I believe, the second or third player that we have highlighted that is a potential target for the Royals. And keep in mind, this is just throwing darts at a dart board. I don’t have any any inside information at this point in time about who they may be targeting. We’ll probably get a better idea about that once the postseason is officially wrapped up, but for now, it’s more so of positional need, who would be affordable, and if I could see the Royals being in play for that player. Now, let me be very clear. Most of you have commented, you know, players that you think they should target, and there’s been an abundance of you that have brought up good players and guys that we’ll likely dive into. But I will say that when I’m bringing up a player, it doesn’t mean that I believe they’re the best player out there or that it’s a a shoein to get this type of player. But there are reasons as to why I pick that player. I’m not going to go out there and say, “Well, Kyle Tucker’s a target for them or Kyle Schwarber’s a target for them or Framber Valdez is a target.” Like, I’m not going to pick the top guys in the market and do episodes on them because we know at the end of the day, it’s very unlikely they get those players. Now, I would hope that Kyle Schwarber could be in play. I just have a lot of confidence that he’s going to return to Philadelphia even if their season comes to an end here in the next few days. Uh, but the target that I want to discuss to open up this morning’s show is Cedric Mullins. And Cedric Mullins is a target that I’ve had on my radar for the last year. I thought when things were going south for Baltimore, the Royals needed to go out and acquire Cedric Mullins for that outfield. And he ends up going to New York where he heavily struggled. Uh, it just was not a a good landing spot for him. He was actually having a down year in Baltimore as well, but I thought that could drive the price down a little bit. He’s great defensively. He’s got a little bit of pop, and knowing what the Royals bring to the plate offensively when it comes to their outfielders, I thought that he would be an upgrade and a good bounceback target. Now, with him being a free agent, you are going to need to to figure out if that bounce back is worth just a one-year deal or you really try to roll the dice and give him a two-year deal because he’s still young enough where he’s likely not settling for one-year deals. He’s coming off a year where he hit, I want to say, I got it pulled up here, he had 216, had an on base of 299, had an OPS of 690, and an OPS plus of 94. But in his career, it sat at 105. And if you were to bring up every single year since 2021, he’s had he’s been an above league average bat in all but two of them. So, or excuse me, just one of them, which would be that 2025 this past season. I was looking at his his Mets uh overall numbers there, and he had an OPS plus of 62 after being traded to Baltimore. So, overall, he has been a very consistent bat for Baltimore. Then he was having a down year in 2025 at the Orioles. He gets dealt to the Mets where he’s far worse. Do the Royals look at that and say there’s not really a need to go and give money to a player that was, you know, performing worse than maybe anybody on that roster offensively. Or do you look at the track record and you look at the previous four seasons and say this is a guy that can probably elevate the floor of this outfield. And with the state of the outfield market, um it doesn’t seem like there is that perfect, you know, 100% fit for the Royals, which also leads me to believe the trade route is still like at this point because the Royals under JJ Picolo have been a team that, you know, don’t throw all of their money just to say they’ve they’ve spent on a player. Like if they desperately needed a left fielder, they’re not the type and JJ Beco is not the type to just throw a bunch of money at that player to say, “Hey, we needed a left fielder and therefore we went out there and spent the money.” If they don’t see that that player is going to meet their asking price or they are going to fall within that price range, they are going to turn to the trade route because they also want to bring in guys that can be under team control for multiple years. They don’t view it as a all-in, you know, that the windows closing type of year in 2026. They want to make sure that this window never closes. That’s the goal for every GM out there. And 30-year-old outfielders, 31y old outfielders may not be the best path for that. Which is why my initial push back on Mullins is a bad year. And he’s now on the wrong side of 30. Uh or I guess I did this now backtoback days. Being 31 or 32 is not the wrong side of 30. The wrong side of 30 is after 35. But he’s no spring chicken. He has been around for a while now. He’s been in the league since 2018. And he had his career year in 2021. And it’s really only gone downhill since then. You can count on durability. That’s a positive for Cedric Mullins. He played in 143 games last year. uh he’s no longer, you know, a huge base steeler. He did steal 22 bags last year, but he had a couple years where he was in the 30s. I could see though the Royals liking the speed defense combination. Somebody you could hit at the top of the order, somebody you could hit at the bottom of the order. It all comes down to what that price range is going to be. And like we said yesterday, the Royals are going to have a list of targets on a chalkboard and they are going to go after target number one, whether that be a trade piece or it be a free agent and they’re going to see what it’s going to cost, whether it costs prospects or whether it costs money. Where would Cedric Mullins fall on that, you know, target list? I wouldn’t put him any higher than 10th, if he’s even on there. I just have always thought that he could be a good replacement for Kyle Isbel in center field, but the numbers kind of speak for themselves. If the Royals love Kyle Isel’s defense and he’s coming off a career year, does it make sense to spend money on a guy who didn’t perform up to standard this past year and is a little bit older than Kyle Isel and plays a little worse defense than Kyle Isbel? I could see that argument absolutely. But on the flip side, to bring up some of the pros of going after someone like Cedric Mullins, he has done it at the big league level before. He has been a consistent and above average bat for consecutive years, four consecutive years at that. And even in a down year, he was right there with being a league average bat. Not so much with the batting average. I understand for a lot of you that put a lot of stock into it, 216 ain’t going to cut it whether you’re playing right, center, or left field. and the Royals need to find a way to really improve this outfield. Does Cedric Mullins do that? If he were to return to 2022 or 2023 form, absolutely. I I think it’s a bit of a stretch to return to his all-star 2021 season where I also want to say he ran in nearly 30 home runs that year. Yeah, he had 30 exactly and somehow only drove in 59. I know that he was a a leadoff hitter for that Baltimore team, but he had a a 6.2 two war season. In 2022, a four-war season and then in 23 and 24 he was right there at 2.6 and 2.8. So, a valuable center fielder. Uh the offensive numbers have dipped a little bit, but knowing what the Royals have gotten from their corner outfielders and even in center field offensively from Kyle Isbel, having that type of production, that would be huge. However, is that production going to come back around? It’s why when we we debate these things, right, we debate players coming off of career years and we debate players coming off of career worst years. Like if I view a player, Raone Lauraniano, for example, Raone Lauraniano is a target that I like, I feel he would be a great ad for the Royals, mainly from what he did with Baltimore and then what he was able to do in San Diego before the injury. Uh but Raone Lauraniano doesn’t usually hit like that. Same way Tyler O’Neal last year when he was with Boston had this big boom season, then he gets a three-year deal and he was not the same whatsoever for Baltimore. So, there is that risk of going after guys that were not very good offensively for a number of years and then they pop. They get a big contract and don’t live up to it. Then you have guys like Cedric Mullins who usually in his career he’s been a good hitter. He’s been an above average bat. But then there’s that year where he falls off and you have to weigh the options of is this what he is soon to become or was this the outlier? Was this the oddity where he dealt with some injuries and it was a bad lineup? It was a bad team and that’s why he struggled. Those are things the Royals are going to have to weigh if they go the free agent route because there are plenty there there are just tons of guys in the free agent market that fit both of those narratives of guy who’s never really been that great, had a great season is going to want a lot of money. And a guy who usually has been a pretty good player coming off a down year and is maybe looking for that bounceback deal. Where can the Royals get the most value? I guess we’ll have to wait and find out. But do you believe that Cedric Mullins could be a target for the Royals in free agency? Let us know in the YouTube comments below. We’ll take our first break of the show. When we come back, who are some players that I think will make the biggest jump in 2026? That’s coming up next on Locked on Royals. You are tuned in to Lockdown Royals in the Lockdown Podcast Network. I’m your host, Jack Johnson, and you can listen to us on wherever you download your podcast. Want to tell you about one of our two sponsors today in Monarch Money. Most people can’t name all their financial accounts or even what they are worth, whether it’s 401ks, properties, or investments. And when you don’t have the full picture, you can end up leaving money on the table. That’s why there is Monarch Money. It’s an all-in-one personal finance tool that brings your entire financial life together in one clean, easy to use interface on your laptop or on your phone. Monarch is built for people with busy lives. If you put off organizing your finances, Monarch is for you. Monarch does the heavy lifting for you. And you can link all of your accounts in minutes. See clear data visuals. Get smart categorization of your spending. And finally, feel in control of your money without ever touching a spreadsheet. Don’t let financial opportunity slip through the cracks. Use code locked on MLB at monarchmoney.com and in your browser for half off your first year. That’s 50% off your first year at monarchmoney.com with code locked on MLB. Lost my place there a little bit. If you were watching on YouTube, you probably saw my eyes scanning quickly there because when you’re doing those ad reads, always tough to go back and forth there. So, that’s why it sounded a little bit awkward. Uh, let’s jump into segment number two here on players that could make the biggest jump next year. And guys are simply put going to need to make that jump. If the Royals want to get back to October, these guys that I will be highlighting, you know, carry a lot of weight with this team and a good year. I’m not even asking for an all-star, an MVP like season. I’m just asking for this hitter or this pitcher to be a legitimate piece of this team. And I thought the best way to go about it would be to pick a starting pitcher, would be to pick a bullpen arm, and would be to pick a position player. I’m going to start it off with the bullpen here. And this one I feel very strongly about. I was high on this player in camp, you know, way back in February and March. He ended up having a career year and then struggled a little bit with injuries late in the year. And it’s Steven Cruz. I believe Steven Cruz has the best pure stuff in the bullpen. And he’s not going to be the closer next year. We know Carlos Estz is going to be the ninth inning guy. when you lead the league in saves, there’s no need to mess with that spot. He’s not better than Lucas Ersig. So, he’s not going to get the eighth inning unless Ersig would be down on that day. But overall power stuff, I’m not sure that there is anybody with more overpowering, overwhelming stuff than Steven Cruz. He sits pretty regularly at 99 to 100. He’s got the power cutter. He’s got the power slider. He’s now throwing more strikes and really his late season struggles was because he was not healthy and because of that he wound up on the injured list and then he was able to return late in September. Had a couple of good outings where you could, you know, finish the season strong. I thought that was good for Steven Cruz in the same way it was good for Cole Reagan’s of I don’t want my season to end with a couple of bad outings and then I wind up on the injured list. I want to be able to come back and showcase that I was just, you know, banged up and this is the guy I can be nearly every single time I take the mount. But for Stephven Cruz, the big jump for him will be the strikeout numbers. Now, I know that Steven Cruz can limit the hard contact. I know that he can find the zone better than he has, you know, in his early big league career. You know, this stage of his career, he’s found that command. He’s throwing more of the slider. He’s throwing more of the cutter with sharp command. Those are all great things. But what takes you from a good seventh inning guy to somebody that you want taking the ball in one-run games late in the season? It’s going to be that swing and miss. You’ve got the power. You’ve got the power that Ersig has, that Estz has, but even those two guys don’t really get the strikeout total. One of those three has to be able to blow it by hitters or get ugly swings on their secondary pitches. And I feel that Stephven Cruz can be that guy. You know, Lucas Erskig has the devastating change up. I’m more so just relying on him to be locked down in high leverage spots. I want Stephen Cruz to be that dominant arm where when you’re watching that game, you want your opponent to go, “Well, I guess we’ll get him in the next day.” you know, we’re not going to be able to touch 101, 102, and then worry about a 95 mph cutter and a 93 mph slider. That’s a guy that I believe could make a really big jump this next season. And I feel that as early as April or March, because that’s when their first series of the year will be, you’re going to be counting on Steven Cruz to get some pretty big outs. I mean, he in no way, shape, or form deserves the respect that Kelvin Herrera has in the Royals organization. He hasn’t done it like Kelby has yet, but power stuff and making that big jump. I remember 2012 and 13 Herrera and then what he was able to do in 14. I get that similar vibe from Steven Cruz where you saw the flashes, you saw the glimpses, but now it’s about putting it all together where you can be a sub two erra with a ton of strikeouts in that bullpen. So, he’s my bullpen pick. As for the starting rotation, I’m going to go with Ryan Bert. And the reason I’m going with Ryan Berurt is the profile of all of his pitches play up. These are pitches with good spin rates. These are pitches with good movement. And how the Royals handle him will really be key in this. I don’t see him being in the rotation to begin the year, but I do see him being in the rotation at some point. Now, Steven Kolick was better than Ryan Berger, but I feel upsidewise with his 80 grade fast ball and that spin, his ability to locate it, using that curveball, Ryan Burger can really pop for the Royals. I’m not going to say popping as much as Cole Reagan’s where after a few months in the Royals organization, he went from maybe your number three, number four starter to your opening day ace, right? It’s not going to be that quick. When I look at the the starting rotation, I’m not going to say Cole Reagan is going to pop. That’s your ace. You expect him to be good. Lugo and Waka, I believe their best years in Kansas City are probably behind them. I don’t see them replicating what they did in 24. Noah Cameron, I expect him to be steady, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s some slight regression just from dealing with that workload in 2025. And then when you look at Chris Bubich, I don’t know yet in terms of of the injuries. I don’t know what version of Chris Bubich we’re going to get. But Ryan Bert or Steven Kick feel like a pretty good guy to to roll the dice on or two good guys to roll the dice on. uh Burger, the only reason I would go with him is that Steven Kolick a little bit more seasoned and I feel that what we saw in that short period of time, which was some really good outings, but that is probably the ceiling of Steven Kolick. I mean, if you have a a sub two erra over six or seven starts, you’re not going to, you know, turn your nose up at it. But Steven Kolic has had a couple of years. In fact, I I believe now this was his second full season in the big leagues. He’s bounced around between being a starter and a reliever. I feel that Steven Kolic will better play as a reliever in Kansas City. That is just a gut feeling I have right now or just that swing guy where maybe he starts some, maybe he’s out of the bullpen. But, you know, when you’re a guy that can sit anywhere from 94 to 96 and you’ve got that devastating circle change that he loves to use, using that in the back end of the bullpen, I believe that can be a good spot for him. Whereas Ryan Burgerer, I’m not sure his stuff plays up in the bullpen. I could see him being more of a of a longevity type piece that you have. You really want to mold him. You really want to craft him. and I feel good about what he could become. So, I feel he’ll be one of those guys that does make some pretty big starts for you. And I believe as long as he’s healthy, as long as he’s not worn out like he was at the end of September, he’s going to be a very valuable piece for the Royals uh starting rotation and probably for the bullpen early on in the year, but more in a long relief role. And then lastly, the position player. There’s really two guys that come to mind. That’s Carter Jensen and that’s Jack Kegleion. I would like to say Carter Jensen because he what he what he showcased in September for that short period of time and Jack Kaggleon I believe has the higher upside. He certainly can pop more but I’m going to go with Carter Jensen here. I wanted to do it. I was kind of thinking off the top of my head there before I I mouthed my answer or just said my answer. Jack Kaggleó I believe is going to be good for the Royals, but he’s too much of an unknown commodity at this point. I don’t know with certainty if he’s going to be great. And same thing goes for Carter Jensen, but I believe Carter Jensen showcased a little bit more comfort and maturity at the big league level, which makes me think that in taking over for Salvador Perez fulltime behind the plate. That’s going to do wonders for the Royals and that offense because that’ll allow Salvador Perez to DH more, you know, get off his feet a little bit more. I feel Carter Jensen can take that role and run with it. give you good defense behind the plate, uh become a really good bat for the middle of the order. I feel he can be in the hunt for the rookie of the year. So, he’ll be my pick as the position player for a guy to make a pretty big jump in 2026. So, I got Cruz, Burger, and Jensen as my three players to pop in 2026. What are your picks? Let us know in the YouTube comments below. When we come back, we’re going to give an update on the postseason, what I have seen, and kind of make fun of myself for some bad picks that I’ve already made in October. That’s coming up next on Locked on Royals. You are tuning in to Lockdown Royals in the Lockdown Podcast Network. I’m your host, Jack Johnson, and you can listen to us on wherever you download your podcast. Want to tell you about the title sponsor in Game Time. There’s nothing like catching a baseball game live. the energy, the crowd, the chance to see your team in person. But actually getting tickets, that’s the tough part. Cues, login screens, surprise fees, it takes all the fun out of it. That’s why I use Game Time, the app that gives the advantage back to the fans. Game time is fast, easy, and backed by the Game Time guarantee. You’ll always get 100% authentic tickets delivered on time and at the best price. Plus, all fees are included, so the price you see is the price you pay. Download the Game Time app and create an account and use code locked on MLB for $20 off on your first purchase. Those terms apply. So again, use promo code L O C K D O N MLB for $20 off. Swipe, tap, ticket, go, and download game time today. If we could go back to a couple of weeks ago, maybe it was just a week and a half. Uh I made my postseason picks and I couldn’t have been more wrong. I believe through the first couple of series here. For starters, I had Cleveland beating Detroit. Detroit is now entering game three later on this afternoon against Seattle. And then I had the Yankees beating the Red Sox. That was right on my part. But then I was really unsure of what to do with the ALDS between Toronto and and New York. And right now the Yankees are looking to hold off elimination for just another day or two. Uh they will be back in New York tonight. It’ll be Shane Bieber on the mound against Carlos Rodon. The Blue Jays offense has been so lights out. They’re an absolute wagon. They are unbeatable at least offensively um so far in this series. Whereas in the the Mariners and the Tigers series, you know, felt like the Mariners coughed up game one and the Tigers coughed up game two. Although the Mariners, they did have a two nothing lead in game two, but then they coughed it up. It was two to2. felt like the Tigers had a chance to take momentum in that game and then it was the Mariners striking back immediately in the bottom half of the eighth inning. But that should be a fun series. That should be a thriller. I’m hoping that goes five games. I’m hoping Toronto takes care of business tonight and we could get maybe a I’m really indifferent on Mariners or Tigers against the Blue Jays. I feel that would be fun for the American League. And so my American League picks haven’t been awful. Uh, you know, I didn’t have Cleveland getting past Seattle, so it’s not like this would burn me. If if I’m going from that NCA tournament logic, anytime you’re wrong on a pick, you’re just hoping that that team was knocked out in the next round, that you didn’t have that team going that far. On the National League side, that’s where I’ve been pretty awful. I’m I’m fairly certain I’ve gotten every single pick wrong on the National League side, which goes to show you why betting on baseball is incredibly difficult. I do know I have the Phillies winning the World Series. That was something I felt confident in. That was something that I really, you know, wanted to put my hard-earned money down on just for fun at the beginning of October. They were one of the betting favorites, so it wouldn’t have won me a ton of money, but I liked everything about Philadelphia, and I was concerned about the Dodgers bullpen. And the Dodgers bullpen was a little bit shaky last night. In the end though, were the Dodgers just playing with their food in the regular season? because the Dodgers have done nothing but win in October. And maybe that was foolish of me to bet against a team that is the reigning champs, still have arguably the best player on the planet, maybe the best player that’s ever played this game. And then you just have a couple other MVP guys and Mookie Betts and Freddy Freeman in that lineup. And then then, oh by the way, Blake Snell and and Tyler Glasnau and Yamamoto and Will Smith. Max Muny was a pinch hitter last night. That’s how loaded that team is. But they’re going for a sweep on Wednesday night, I believe. Uh yeah, it’ll be Wednesday night back in LA and they’re going to have Yamamoto on the mount. So my Phillies pick could look awful because the Phillies could get knocked out of the postseason without ever winning a game and that would floor me. Even though it’s the Dodgers, I thought this Philadelphia team was much better than it. And I thought in game one, the Phillies were up three to nothing. I felt good about my pick. Christopher Sanchez was rolling and then the Dodgers have five unanswered runs. And the only thing you can hope for at this point if you’re anti- Dodgers is that the Brewers can ride this miracle season all the way to the World Series because what the Brewers are doing is something that I wasn’t even that confident in. I had the Padres’s beating the Cubs. That didn’t turn out to be correct. Uh, so yet another bad pick that I had on the National League side, but at least the Brewers are up 200 on the Cubs. Um, because I did I did have Milwaukee, I believe. I I think I had Milwaukee and Philadelphia in the NLCS, but I gave the Padres’s or had the Padres’s having a better chance than the Cubs did. I thought it was going to be a tough matchup for Chicago, whereas for San Diego, I actually like their matchup against Milwaukee. And if you were a Brewers fan, I’m sure you were rooting against uh the Padres’s in that series because you wanted to take down Chicago yourself. Those are two bitter division rivals and so far Milwaukee has taken care of business and now we’re just one game away from the National League Championship Series. I wanted to see a couple of best of five games on the National League side because I’m so intrigued and so interested by a couple of those matchups, but this could be done by midweek. It could be Brewers and Dodgers by the time we do our our Thursday episode. And with the way these two teams have looked, I feel far more confident in the Brewers taking care of business in three because of how they’ve played in the first two games. I would like to think Philadelphia has a little bit more fight in them than getting swept out of the NLDS, but it is the Dodgers back at home the with Yamamoto on the mount. And so, you know, if you’re a Dodgers fan, looking at it this way, you have to be thrilled with how the field is playing out. Uh, not that they would have been concerned with the Padres’s, but it’s just a team you saw a lot during the regular season. It probably felt good to know that they were eliminated early on. Milwaukee is a great team and Pat Murphy has done one heck of a job in turning that into a juggernaut on the National League side and their motivated from falling short last year where the Mets had that improbable comeback victory in the wild card series. They seem like a different motivated bunch. It’s still the reigning chance they would have to go up against if they are to take care of business and sweep the Cubs and then you have the Dodgers taking care of business and just not blowing a two nothing lead in a best of five series. But back to the American League side, if Seattle gets to the ALCS, I would have thought that unless it’s New York, just because the Yankees can be that that kryptonite, that Achilles heel for so many teams on the American League side, they absolutely were for Minnesota. They absolutely were for the Royals. They were for Cleveland. They do have history with Seattle. Like, it’s almost the mental part of you’re playing the Yankees. I thought that Seattle would be able to get past someone like Toronto. This was before I saw Toronto play game one and game two against New York. I did not give Toronto enough credit. And that is a team right now that is really fun to watch. And if we got a World Series with Toronto and that lineup against Milwaukee or the Dodgers or still the Phillies who I picked, if they can pull off the miracle, I believe that would be an awesome and great World Series for baseball. Toronto, a team that hasn’t been to the World Series in a couple of decades now, but seem to have the team to do it. That would be a great storyline. Seattle, for as much as they’ve gone through over the last couple of decades, they would be a phenomenal story. Detroit, same thing. They were back there in 2012, but got swept by the Giants. They had the collapse late in the regular season. They’re trying to avenge that. And with the Yankees, which I know nobody would want to see them, they’re trying to seek some revenge for last year and probably get another shot at the Dodgers who ended their year in five games in 2024. But this is a fun October for me. Even with the Royals not in it, I I am a huge baseball fan. There’s so many great storylines. I don’t even care at this point that all of my picks have have gone haywire. I have not been good at picking these games. So, if you took my word for advice and you put money down on it, I apologize because baseball’s hard to pick. And I always have my darling that I pick every single year. And man, it almost always goes another direction. Though, I will say this to make myself feel better. I’m not the only one that went with Philadelphia. I thought Philadelphia was going to be a good matchup in facing the the Dodgers. The Dodgers bullpen worried me. They were shaky, as I said, in game two. They were lights out in game one. Roi Sasaki is closing out games for them. I don’t even know how that’s possible. that just seems to be the Dodgers luck in the last two years. But they are such an impressive team and I’m hoping some of these go to a best of five, you know, that they go to a a deciding game five winner winner go home game. Uh but we’ll see cuz most of these are looking like sweeps and we’re going to have a championship series decided very very soon in the coming days. Who do you think is going to get to the World Series? Let us know in the comments below. That’ll do it for another edition of Lockdown Royals and the Locked on Podcast Network. I’ve been your host, Jack Johnson. Thank you for making Locked On your first listen every day. For your second, find the All Night Locked on MLB Game Night every game every night until a World Series champion is crowned. Get local announcements on a national scale and find MLB Game Night on Locked on MLB on YouTube or wherever you listen to your podcast. Tomorrow, I do want to dive into some prospects the Royals have who could pop in 2026. We talked about some players on the Royals roster. I want to talk about some guys that could make a significant jump in this organization next season. But until tomorrow, you take it easy, Kansas City.

We debate if former Oriole and Met Cedric Mullins should be a free agent target for the Royals. Next, who are the three players that we think will pop in 2026? Lastly, we give an update on the Postseason.

Host Jack Johnson talks about it all next on “Locked On Royals”!

0:00 – Mullins
12:12 – Players to pop in 2026
22:08 – Postseason update

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-royals/

Locked On MLB League-Wide: Every Team, Prospects & More
🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/leagues/mlb/

#Royals #KansasCityRoyals #MLB

Rugiet
Ready to level up your confidence ? Head to https://rugiet.com and use promo code LOCKEDONMLB for 15% off your first order.

Monarch Money
Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONMLB at https://monarchmoney.com/lockedonmlb for 50% off your first year.

Gametime
Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONMLB for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.

FanDuel
Today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Football season is around the corner, visit the FanDuel App today and start planning your futures bets now.

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)