The Kansas City Royals haven’t had an attention-grabbing offseason thus far, although they did lose outfielder Mike Yastrzemski to the Atlanta Braves in free agency on Wednesday, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan. After missing the playoffs this past season, how can they recapture their 2024 form?
The Royals’ 2025 campaign shows that they need offensive upgrades, as they finished sixth in MLB with a 3.73 team ERA and just 19th with a .706 OPS. They specifically need more power, as they were also 26th with 159 home runs.
Advertisement
Here are some moves Kansas City can make to build a dangerous lineup around superstar shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.:
Former San Diego Padres first baseman Luis Arraez. Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
Second base is one of several positions that the Royals could upgrade. They avoided arbitration with Jonathan India by signing him to a one-year deal on Nov. 21 (per MLB.com), but that shouldn’t stop them from taking a bigger swing.
First baseman/second baseman Luis Arraez, who owns a career slash line of .317/.363/.392 with 36 homers and 308 RBIs over 841 games, is on the open market. Conversely, India has a career line of .249/.323/.346 over 659 games, though he has 72 homers and 274 RBIs.
Advertisement
Arraez’s market value is five years, $70.5 million, per Spotrac. Kansas City could offer him an even more generous deal to sweeten the pot, and then play him at second base full-time if he does sign. They could then move India to left field, as he has experience there.
Here’s where the power comes in. Garcia hit 25-plus home runs each year from 2021-2024, topping out at 39 in 2023. The former All-MLB honoree was a key piece of the Texas Rangers’ championship run that season.
Advertisement
However, Garcia’s OPS dipped below .700 in each of the last two seasons, and the Rangers non-tendered him this offseason after unsuccessfully shopping him in the trade market, via MLB.com. The Royals could sign the 32-year-old to a contract in the neighborhood of two years, $20 million, with an option for a third. That would give him a chance to recapture his 2023 form while avoiding a long-term commitment in case it doesn’t work out.
Kansas City could then slot Garcia in right field.
Advertisement
Pasquantino and Garcia are both entering their first season of arbitration eligibility, so the Royals aren’t under pressure to give them long-term deals right now. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t.
Pasquantino is scheduled to hit free agency after the 2027 season, and Garcia after 2028. Instead of risking two of their core players walking after those campaigns, the Royals could buy out their arbitration years as part of larger agreements that keep them in town at least through the rest of the decade.
Advertisement
This would guarantee that Kansas City would maintain a core of Witt Jr., Pasquantino, and Garcia for years to come, as well as starting pitchers Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Cole Ragans, and catcher Salvador Perez for the next two-to-three.