The Kansas City Royals entered the offseason looking to improve offensively. After a quiet Winter Meetings, the Royals generated headlines by acquiring outfielders Isaac Collins and Lane Thomas in respective moves.
Meanwhile, the Royals enhanced their bullpen by adding relievers Alex Lange, Nick Mears and Matt Strahm to an accomplished unit. Additionally, the Royals signed Maikel Garcia to a new five-year contract extension.
All were strategic decisions by Royals general manager J.J. Picollo to improve in the margins.
The Royals insist they aren’t done. There is still time to make a significant move — whether it’s an impact bat or bench depth — but the Royals will look different in 2026.
But will it be enough to make a postseason return?
“We’ve been saying all along that we needed to address our outfield, try to raise the floor of our outfield and get more production out of our outfield,” Picollo said. “But also on our list was our bullpen. And I would say (we) probably (got it done) in a timetable a little bit quicker than we thought we would.”
Here’s a look at the Royals’ offseason so far: Incoming players Alex Lange The Royals began the offseason by signing Alex Lange to a one-year deal. He is no stranger to the Kansas City area as he played at Lee Summit West High School. Lange spent five seasons with the Detroit Tigers and should be in line for a bullpen role.
Nick Mears Mears arrived in an offseason trade with the Milwaukee Brewers. He posted a 3.49 ERA in 56 ⅔ innings. The Royals were interested for a while — dating back to his time with the Colorado Rockies — and expect him to fill a bullpen role in high leverage.
Isaac Collins Collins is perhaps the biggest addition this offseason. He was the central piece that was acquired in exchange for left-handed reliever Angel Zerpa. The Royals will use Collins in left field, but he also has positional versatility. Collins is an on-base machine and brings a unique look as a switch-hitter who can potentially hit atop the lineup.
Lane Thomas The Royals looked to add a right-handed option to the outfield mix. Thomas was deemed the best fit given his strong metrics across the board. The Royals were intrigued with his defense, speed and power potential. Thomas dealt with injuries last season, but he has been productive in the past with 28 homers in 2023.
Matt Strahm The Royals reunited with Strahm in early December. He was acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for right-hander Jonathan Bowlan. There was a need for a left-handed relief specialist and Strahm was one of the best in the National League. Last season, Strahm posted a 2.74 ERA in 66 games.
Mason Black Black is a young pitcher who was acquired from the San Francisco Giants. He has appeared in 10 games (eight starts) and could provide quality depth in the Royals’ system.
Kameron Misner Misner hit .213 with five homers and 22 RBIs in 71 games with the Tampa Bay Rays. He is another outfielder who can provide depth for the club.
Key departures The Royals made several quality additions without losing much from their organization. The lone departures are Zerpa and Bowlan from the bullpen.
Both were developed by the Royals and utilized in separate trades. There is a chance Zerpa continues to blossom in Milwaukee. Meanwhile, Bowlan heads to the Phillies and could have a chance to thrive with a fresh start.
“The development of those players and any to come is really important — to not only our team but what we can add to our team — because they add value in trade,” Picollo said. “You never have enough talent, and how you use it may be different from one guy to the next.”
The Royals were interested in reuniting with Mike Yastrzemski in free agency. However, Yastrzemski decided to sign with the Atlanta Braves. He received a two-year, $23 million contract.
Other key departures include MLB vets Adam Frazier, Michael Lorenzen and Randal Grichuk. However, they each remain unsigned as free agency continues.
What’s next for the Royals? The Royals were able to improve the roster without having to subtract from their ample starting pitching depth. The club still has Cole Ragans, Kris Bubic, Noah Cameron — all involved in trade rumors — on the active roster.
While the Royals are still linked to potential trade targets Jarren Duran and Brendan Donovan, among others, the club filled significant needs in a strategic way. Still, there’s reason to expect the Royals will continue searching both offseason markets in the upcoming weeks.
As a reminder, the Royals signed closer Carlos Estévez just ahead of spring training last season. He went on to lead the majors in saves and made the All-Star team.
So moves could still be made. How the market shapes up might affect what the Royals do in the final weeks of the offseason.
“We’re happy with the offseason so far,” Picollo said. “I’ll even include moving up in the draft is something that we’re excited about.”
