Grading the Kansas City Royals’ 2025-26 Offseason – Royals

The Kansas City Royals had a goal this offseason of adding depth and improving their talent floor. While they won 82 games last year, the second time they’ve had a winning season since the 2015 World Series, they also missed out on the postseason after winning 86 games in 2024. Under owner John Sherman and President of Baseball Operations JJ Picollo, the Royals aim to be a frequent playoff contender, like other small-market franchises such as the Cleveland Guardians, Tampa Bay Rays, and Milwaukee Brewers. 

That said, Kansas City also faces financial limitations as a small-market franchise.

While this team has been more prone to spending money under Sherman than in years past, they are not going to acquire big-name free agents like Bo Bichette, Alex Bregman, or Kyle Tucker (which was the case again this year). Furthermore, Picollo also doesn’t want to “sell” the farm in trades either. There were plenty of rumors this offseason tying the Royals to players like Boston’s Jarren Duran and St. Louis’ Brendan Donovan. However, they were unwilling to part with key players (Cole Ragans) or key prospects (Blake Mitchell) to make such deals happen. We will see if Picollo was right to wait, or if they missed an opportunity for a big-name player this offseason.

Still, while this offseason wasn’t “eye-popping” by any means, the Royals did a lot to improve the roster, whether through trades or free agency. In this post, I will break down all the trades, extensions, MLB free-agent signings, and Minor League signings the Royals made this winter, give grades to each category, and then rate the Royals’ offseason as a whole.

Trades

OF Kameron Misner for a PTBNL/Cash Considerations

The Royals were active early this offseason, acquiring outfielder Misner, a Mizzou product, from the Tampa Bay Rays for a PTBNL/Cash Considerations. Misner has been so-so at the Major League level, as he hit .213 with a .618 OPS in 217 plate appearances with the Rays last season. He did have five home runs, but he also struck out 31.8% of the time and didn’t have great batted-ball percentiles either.

When it comes to his Statcast profile, he didn’t show great batted-ball metrics, and he chased a lot with the Rays. Those are two aspects the Royals already have plenty of in Triple-A, which makes the acquisition a little puzzling at the surface level. 

It’s likely that Misner provides some depth in Triple-A Omaha, and he carries a Minor League option, which is valuable to have for a player who likely is more of a “fill-in” at the Major League level (i.e., a guy who comes up when a regular outfielder goes on the IL). He did show some promise in Triple-A Durham last year, so perhaps he can tap into that in his new surroundings in Kansas City. 

Grade: C+

RHP Mason Black for RHP Logan Martin

The Royals acquired Black from the San Francisco Giants for Martin, who pitched in the Arizona Fall League this past autumn. Martin was a nice piece for High-A Quad Cities, as he posted a 3.45 ERA in 22 starts and 91.1 IP for the River Bandits. However, he was a college arm who had a low ceiling.

Black was a former Top-10 prospect in the Giants’ system who hasn’t quite put it all together at the Major League level. He mostly pitched in 2024, but the numbers weren’t good in a 36.1 IP sample. He posted a 6.44 ERA, 5.45 FIP, and 9.5% K-BB%. He produced solid extension that season, but his TJ Stuff and Statcast percentiles were pretty underwhelming, as illustrated below.

He only made one appearance with the Giants in 2025, as he mostly spent last season in Triple-A Sacramento. He posted a 5.81 ERA and 5.64 FIP in 119.1 IP with the Rivercats.

Acquiring a pitcher like Black is a nice gamble for the Royals, especially for a Minor League arm like Martin, who is good, but not great. It will be interesting to see if the Royals perhaps move Black to the bullpen, hoping that his stuff plays up better in shorter innings. At the very least, he provides some nice starting depth in Omaha, which is something they missed a season ago. 

Grade: B-

OF Isaac Collins and RHP Nick Mears for LHP Angel Zerpa

The Royals wanted to improve their bullpen and their outfield this offseason. They accomplished that somewhat in one trade, as they acquired Collins and Mears for Zerpa, the Royals’ primary left-handed reliever last season. Losing Zerpa is tough, but his ERA rose from 3.86 in 2024 to 4.18 in 2025, and his HR/FB% also rose from 14.3% in 2024 to 15.9% in 2025. The Venezuelan lefty was certainly expendable, though Milwaukee certainly is a nice landing spot for him.

In return, the Royals got an on-base machine in Collins, who posted a .368 OBP and 0.61 BB/K ratio in 441 plate appearances. Collins did lose some playing time at the end of the season, but he’s the kind of multi-positional outfielder who gives the Royals the plate discipline and versatility that they’ve desperately needed. Collins doesn’t hit the ball all that hard or barrel balls that much, but he doesn’t chase, and he pulls the ball effectively, two qualities that the Royals were looking for this offseason. 

As for Mears, he had an interesting season, especially when compared to 2024.

That season, he sported a 5.93 ERA in 57,2 IP. However, his FIP was 3.39, and his K rate was 29.3%. Last year, his ERA was better at 3.49 (in 56.2 IP). Conversely, his FIP was higher at 3.86, and his K rate dropped to 20.8%. Mears had trouble finishing batters off last year in his first full season with the Brewers. That said, he still showed solid TJ Stuff+ metrics and an ability to make batters chase.

Mears is a two-pitch pitcher, which may explain why he struggled with K% after succeeding in 2024. Hitters may just have a better scouting report on him now. However, the Royals’ pitching coaches have had success helping pitchers add another pitch and maximize their repertoire. Mears could be another success story in 2026. 

Grade: A

LHP Matt Strahm for RHP Jonathan Bowlan

Picollo mentioned early in the offseason that they wanted to add a left-handed reliever who could pitch in high-leverage situations. After they traded Zerpa to Milwaukee, the need heightened even more. Thankfully, they found an excellent lefty in Strahm, who was originally drafted by the Royals in the 21st round in the 2012 MLB Draft. 

Strahm was excellent with the Phillies, posting ERA marks of 3.29, 1.87, and 2.74 from 2023 to 2025, respectively. His FIP marks also remained within the same range, at 3.24, 2.29, and 2.99, respectively. He’s also thrown 60+ innings in each of the past three seasons and posted K-BB% marks of 24.8%, 28.7%, and 19.5% over that span. 

The strikeouts went down a bit, and the walks went up a little in his last season in Philadelphia. He also generated fewer whiffs, and the fastball velocity ranked in the bottom percentiles. Still, his TJ Stats profile shows Strahm to be a reliever who can be relied upon in high-leverage situations. 

Strahm’s four-seamer and slider were above-average offerings last year on a TJ Stuff+ end. His cutter and sinker? Below average, unfortunately. It will be interesting to see whether Brian Sweeney and Mike McFerran encourage any tweaks to improve his pitch quality in Kansas City, though given his batted-ball metrics, that may not be needed.

What prevents this deal from being a home run is that the Royals gave up Bowlan, who was starting to become a reliable reliever for Kansas City last season. The former Memphis product posted a 3.86 ERA in 44.1 IP and also sported a 16.1% K-BB%. He also posted excellent Statcast metrics and three above-average pitches, according to TJ Stuff+. 

The issue with Bowlan? He struggled with finding the strike zone at times, walked more than he should’ve (12th percentile BB%), and gave up a lot of barrels as well as home runs (15.4%). Thus, with no Minor League options remaining, I can understand why the Royals were willing to part with Bowlan to acquire Strahm.

Still, I would’ve been curious to see what Bowlan could’ve done had the Royals left him up for a full MLB season instead of constantly shuffling him between Kansas City and Omaha. 

Grade: B+

RHP Mitch Spence for RHP A.J. Causey

The Royals acquired Spence last week in an effort to improve their pitching depth at both the Major and Minor League levels. Spence was a 2024 Rule 5 pick by the Athletics. He was a target of the Royals, who had the pick after the Athletics, but they ended up selecting fellow Yankees pitching prospect Matt Sauer instead (who was returned to New York early in the 2024 season). 

Spence had a good 2024 with the Athletics, posting a 4.58 ERA, 4.21 FIP, and 1.3 fWAR in 151.1 IP. He wasn’t perfect by any means, but he proved to be a durable pitcher who could pitch as a starter or out of the bullpen. Unfortunately, things got tougher for Spence in 2025 in the move to Sacramento, as he posted a 5.10 ERA and FIP in 84.2 IP.

It seemed like the new park dimensions of Sutter Park in Sacramento had an effect, as his ERA was much higher at home than on the road. Those splits probably explain why the Royals were willing to take a chance on Spence. 

 

Losing Causey was a tough blow, especially since the 2024 5th-round pick posted a 1.72 ERA and 2.28 FIP in 73.1 IP between High-A Quad Cities and Double-A Northwest Arkansas. However, Causey was solely a reliever, and he had an uneven AFL campaign, which probably explains why the Royals were willing to part ways with him in exchange for Spence. 

Spence will likely start the year as a starter in Omaha, which is needed with Alec Marsh again starting the year on the 60-Day IL after missing all of 2025 due to injury. 

Grade: B

Extensions

C Salvador Perez: Two years, $25 million

The Royals were never going to part ways with their captain and future Royals Hall of Famer (and maybe Cooperstown Hall of Famer). The extension saves the Royals about $2 million per year, as his option on his last contract was for roughly about $14 million. Perez also defers about $12 million from his current deal, giving the Royals some payroll flexibility.

This is a good, though not earth-shattering, deal given the high likelihood of Perez returning. That said, it was nice to see Picollo be proactive to keep the franchise legend happy. 

Grade: B+

3B Maikel Garcia: Five years, $57.5 million

One had to wonder whether Picollo would ink any of their young core to extensions after solid 2025 campaigns. Garcia was the first domino to fall this offseason, and it was well worth it, especially after Garcia posted a 5.6 fWAR and 121 wRC+ in 666 plate appearances. 

After a down season, the Royals put their faith in Garcia to be their regular third baseman in 2025, and he ended up making good on that confidence. Not only did Garcia make his first All-Star game, but he also earned his first Gold Glove and was a Silver Slugger finalist. By extending Garcia, Kansas City has guaranteed the left side of its infield until at least 2030.

Grade: A

1B Vinnie Pasquantino: Two years, $11.1 million

The Royals and Pasquantino didn’t reach a deal before the initial arbitration deadline. They were roughly $500,000 apart, so it seemed an agreement was imminent and a hearing wouldn’t be necessary. The Royals avoided the hearing not only by reaching an agreement with Pasquantino but also by securing a two-year extension.

Honestly, I get why the Royals did it. He’s a leader in the clubhouse and holds so much weight with the Royals community, including the fanbase. That said, he’s a hitter-only first baseman who doesn’t offer any value on defense or the basepaths, and he’s already 28. It feels like Kansas City did this deal because they had to, not because they wanted to. 

Grade: C+

Major League Free Agents

OF Lane Thomas: One year, $5.25 million

Thomas’ stats were bad last year, as he posted a -0.5 fWAR and 48 wRC+ in 142 plate appearances. That said, he wasn’t healthy, as he played only 39 games due to various injuries.

The 30-year-old outfielder showed that when healthy, he can be a solid presence in the lineup and in the field, defensively. He posted a 99 wRC+ and 1.4 fWAR in 2024 with the Nationals and Guardians, and he had a 109 wRC+ and 2.9 fWAR with the Nationals in 2023. He also hit 28 home runs and stole 20 bases in 2023 and hit 15 home runs and stole 32 bases in 2024. Thus, there’s some power and speed potential here if he can get back to full health in Kansas City.

When looking at his Statcast percentiles from 2024, Thomas showed a strong ability to avoid chasing out of the zone, which is what the Royals were looking for in targets this offseason (like Collins). 

For a one-year, $5.25 million deal, the Royals got a nice bounce-back candidate who can play all three outfield positions and give them the pop and speed that they need at the bottom of the batting order. That’s a nice weapon to have (if healthy), especially for a manager like Quatraro who likes to play matchups. 

Grade: B

RHP Alex Lange: One year, $900,000

The Royals acquired Lange after he was designated for assignment by the Tigers. They swooped him up on a cheap $900K deal, and they have control of him until 2029 (he isn’t arbitration-eligible until 2027). Lange is a local product, as he went to Lee’s Summit North High School. 

It wasn’t too long ago that Lange was the closer in Detroit. In 2023, he saved 26 games and posted a 3.68 ERA. However, the combination of injuries and inconsistency has derailed him a bit since then. He has only pitched 19.2 innings since his 26-save season. He mostly spent time in Triple-A last year, and while he generated strikeouts (30.2% K%), he still had a 4.62 ERA (though his 3.88 ERA was much better). 

In his TJ Stats profile, his zone and walk rates weren’t great (second- and fifth-percentile ranks, respectively). However, everything else was solid, both on the batted-ball and swing-and-miss end. 

Lange is a sleeper who could solidify the middle of the Royals’ bullpen and give them a high-velocity arm that can generate strikeouts in that spot. They missed that last year, as it seemed like they didn’t have a ton of arms in the bullpen who could get strikeouts when needed. He also has an option, so they don’t need to rush him to the Majors this year if he’s not fully recovered. 

Grade: B+

Minor League Free Agents

Pitchers

The only deals that stick out are Morgan and Neris, who both have legitimate shots to make the MLB roster. Neris isn’t what he was in years past, as he posted a 6.75 ERA in 26.2 IP with the Braves, Angels, and Astros. However, he still can generate whiffs, chase, and strikeouts, as illustrated below in his TJ Stats profile.

Morgan is another intriguing non-roster invitee, as Royals fans may be familiar with him from the Guardians. His best season came in 2024 when he posted a 1.93 ERA in 42 IP. He was traded to the Cubs in 2025 and only made seven appearances due to an elbow injury. While the overall numbers with the Cubs weren’t good in his small sample, Morgan generated chase (100th percentile O-Swing%), limited hard hits (94th percentile), and didn’t give up a lot of walks (77th percentile). 

If he can get back to form, he may be the kind of middle-innings reliever who could handle medium-to-high leverage situations in a pinch, especially if one of their other relievers is unavailable. Of course, he needs to make the active roster first. 

Grade: B

Position Players

Maile is dealing with a personal issue, so who knows when (or if) he’ll make his way to camp in Surprise. Alfaro is also having visa issues and has not been in camp either. That said, both were longshots anyways to make the MLB Opening Day squad. 

Kaiser is a local guy, but he seems more like an everyday Triple-A infielder than one who could legitimately contribute to the MLB squad. Thus, that leaves Newman, Toro, and Rojas as the main candidates to make the Opening Day roster, though their odds seem long with the Royals already having so much depth in the infield. 

If the Royals want that veteran right-handed infielder, Newman may fit the bill, especially if Nick Loftin struggles (again). Newman can play all over the infield, and while he doesn’t hit the ball hard, he doesn’t whiff either. 

If the Royals want one from the left-hand side of the plate, then Rojas may be their answer. That said, his profile is more similar to that of former Royal Nicky Lopez, which is serviceable, but not exactly endearing for a team with postseason aspirations. There isn’t a ton of difference in Newman and Rojas’ TJ Stats profiles from a year ago, though Rojas chases much less than Newman.

To be frank, it’s hard to envision either Newman or Rojas or any of the non-roster position player invitees making the Opening Day roster, barring an injury in Spring Training. 

Grade: C+

Final Grade

The Royals made a number of smart moves this offseason to improve. The Collins and Mears move was the best of the bunch this offseason. The Garcia extension was the best internal move they made. Strahm and Lange were solid moves that aren’t perfect, but still considerably improve the bullpen without breaking the bank. Thomas has the same value, but on the position player end.

Still, it was a bit disappointing that the Royals couldn’t swing that “big” deal that could’ve made them the favorites in the AL Central. The Royals look good across many metrics and projections, with PECOTA actually projecting them to have the best record in the AL Central (which is NOT common for this franchise). Thus, it would’ve been nice to see the Royals make one big move to help them get over the top (or, at least, theoretically). 

That said, Picollo is not the kind of GM to sit on his hands during the season. It’s entirely plausible that a big move is on the horizon, but it will come at the Trade Deadline instead. 

Grade: B