We all know the phrase “too much of a good thing.” It’s a warning about excess, about abundance turning sour. But what about too much of a mediocre thing? That might be the perfect way to describe the Kansas City Royals’ second base situation heading into 2026.
The Royals’ infield, at least on paper, looks like a sturdy table with three solid legs. Bobby Witt Jr. and Maikel Garcia form an All-Star duo on the left side, both earning MVP votes this offseason. Vinnie Pasquantino, while not a superstar, is a reliable bat at first base, steady enough to keep the lineup balanced. With those three under team control for years to come, optimism is justified.
It’s the kind of foundation that makes fans dream about what the team could be if the outfield simply reached average.
But then there’s second base, the old wobbly leg.
The ifs are piling up for the Royals at second base
In 2025, the Royals got below-average contributions both at the plate and in the field. And earlier this month, they doubled down by tendering a contract to Jonathan India, the man who logged the most innings at the position last season.
India’s return was surprising. His first year in Kansas City was marred by injuries, positional shuffling, and the stress of adjusting after a trade. There are reasons for his struggles, sure. But betting on a bounceback from a player who just disappointed in your uniform is rarely a popular move.
And so, the Royals find themselves with what you might call an “If Corps” at second base. If India bounces back. If Michael Massey stays healthy. If Adam Frazier returns. If Nick Loftin can be steady enough to hold down the job. If Tyler Tolbert can hit big-league pitching.
It’s a chorus of ifs, each one plausible, none of them certain. Depth without quality is like a toolbox full of dull hammers; technically you have options, but none are built to fix the problem.
That’s why Kansas City should be firmly in the market for a second baseman this offseason. One move could transform the infield from “very good” to “one of the best in baseball.” Ketel Marte is the dream, the ceiling, though the cost in prospects and contract years makes him a complicated fit. Still, the Royals have shown before they’re willing to make second base their big swing. Maybe they need to do it again.
Marte is just one name, but the larger point is clear: Kansas City needs something closer to a sure thing. Royals fans have seen this movie before, years of rosters littered with below-average players who played simply because there was no better alternative. That’s how mediocrity becomes habit.
This free-agent class offers stopgaps, but the market is crowded. Ten or more teams are chasing the same solutions, and second base across baseball is a bleak landscape. Some teams will gamble on bats, others on gloves. The Royals can’t afford to get cute here. Running it back with India, Massey, or Frazier is not a plan; it’s a rerun of the problem.
None of the current options can erase their “if” before Opening Day. Only the grind of 162 games can do that. Fans have seen the flaws, year after year, and trust is not easily rebuilt. If Kansas City doesn’t find a suitable answer this winter, the risk isn’t just another shaky season at second base; it’s eroding the goodwill of a fanbase that has already waited long enough.
The Royals are close. The infield is almost complete. But “almost” is a dangerous word in baseball. Without a solution at second base, Kansas City risks turning a promising core into another cautionary tale of too much mediocrity.