Between the height of awards season and the offseason rumor mill really taking off last week, there were plenty of major headlines to that grabbed the attention of the Royals faithful along with the entirety of the baseball world last week.
And this week will surely be just newsworthy, with the Rule 5 Draft protection deadline and the non-tender deadline among the top events on the offseason calendar to take place before the clock strikes midnight on Friday.
However, putting those items aside, there’s already been several notable storylines that have arose to kick off the week that Royals fans ought to know.
Royals News: Alex Gordon among new names of Hall of Fame ballot
The 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot was revealed on Monday. Royals fans knew coming into this season that Carlos Beltrán would be back amongst the list of names vying for a place in Cooperstown after receiving 70.3% of the vote in 2025, but now they’ll have a second to monitor this time around.
It was confirmed that veteran outfielder Alex Gordon will be among the 12 debut additions up for
BBWAA voting consideration this year.
JUST IN: the new ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2026!
12 first-time candidates join 15 holdovers. A player must receive 75% of votes from the BBWAA for election.
Results will be announced Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. pic.twitter.com/yjFDRQsaA5
— MLB (@MLB) November 17, 2025
In 1753 games across his 14-year career, all played with the Royals, Gordon slashed .257/.338/.410 with 190 HR, 749 RBI, 113 SB, a 102 wRC+, a 31.5 fWAR and 34.9 bWAR.
While he was certainly no schlub at the plate, he was better known for his defensive prowess after moving from third base to left field, where he posted a career 116 DRS at the position.
In terms of hardware, Gordon enters Hall of Fame consideration as a 3-time All-Star, 8-time Gold Glove Award winner, 2-time Platinum Glove Award winner and of course was a crucial member of Kansas City’s 2015 World Series Champion roster.
Gordon will need to receive at least 5.0% of the vote this time around to remain on the ballot for another year.
Royals News: KC announces trio of team awards for the 2025 season
Sticking with accolades announced on Monday, the Royals announced their team awards for the 2025 season, as voted on by the Kansas City chapter of the BBWAA.
Shouting out some stellar seasons.
Congratulations to our 2025 team award winners! pic.twitter.com/zk4bCF7bE4
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) November 17, 2025
Unsurprising to many, Bobby Witt Jr. was won his fourth consecutive Les Milgram Player of the Year Award, after a season where he arguably should have been an MVP finalist once again.
In 157 games in 2025, Witt crafted an All-MLB First Team season. He slashed .295/.351/.501 with 23 HR, 88 RBI, 38 SB and a 130 wRC+, earning him his second consecutive Silver Slugger Award. Then on defemse, he was the American League Platinum Glove Award winner after a 24 OAA and 3 DRS season.
Taking home the Bruce Rice Pitcher of the Year Award was rookie Noah Cameron, fresh off a fourth place finish in AL Rookie of the Year voting.
In 24 starts in his debut season, the 25-year-old southpaw threw to a 2.99 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and .214 BAA across 138.1 innings. He was as consistent a force as the Royals had in their staff this year, never missing a beat in the majors as he opened his career with a near no-hitter.
Then, there was the Joe Burke Special Achievement Award, which is handed out to someone who displayed an overall outstanding season worthy of recognition. This season, this honor went to Maikel Garcia
Garcia had an spectacular offensive breakthrough in 2025, slashing .286/.351/.449 with 16 HR, 74 RBI, 23 SB and a 121 wRC+. On top of that, he captured his first career Gold Glove award after posting 13 DRS and 18 OAA at third base this season. All of this culminated in his first career All-Star nod and an exceptional 5.6 fWAR – marking a 4.4 win difference year-over-year.
Royals News: Former KC southpaw Ryan Yarbrough returns to Yankees in free agency
Rounding things off, and old friend of the Royals has seemed to have found a real home in the Bronx, as Ryan Yarbrough has reportedly re-signed with the New York Yankees.
According to FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray, the left-hander is set to ink a one-year deal with New York.
Sources: Free-agent pitcher Ryan Yarbrough and the New York Yankees are closing in on a one-year major-league contract.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) November 17, 2025
In his seventh season in the majors this past year, Yarbrough operated out of the Yankees’ rotation and bullpen, appearing in 64.0 innings across 18 outings (8 starts) and pitching to a serviceable 4.36 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and .239 BAA.
The Yankees are Yarbrough’s fifth MLB team of his career, as the 33-year-old has also appeared with the Royals, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays.
His tenure in Kauffman Stadium was short, playing in just part of the 2023 season a Royals uniform. In 51.0 innings across 14 outings (7 starts), the lefty tossed to a 4.24 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and .264 BAA.