The 2025 Kansas City Royals were not bad. However, they also share a division with the Detroit Tigers (excellent in the first-half of the season) and the Cleveland Guardians (excellent in the second-half), so their 82 wins just weren’t enough to push them into the postseason.
Consider some of the details.
The good? Bobby Witt Jr. (8 fWAR), Maikel Garcia (5.6 fWAR), the pitching staff (3.80 ERA).
The bad? The outfielders couldn’t hit (like, at all, to the tune of a collective 73 wRC+), and the Royals
(with the exceptions of Witt Jr. and Garcia) could not steal bases. They were ranked 26th in runs scored, so not good. Having an elite pitching staff and a terrible offense is not a combination known for postseason success. Our colleagues at Royals Review provide a nice recap here. But that’s all in the past, and now it’s time to see what the Royals could manage in 2026.
2025 record: 82-20 (3rd, AL Central)
2026 FanGraphs projection: 81-81 (2nd, AL Central)
The Royals shuffled things around with some modest moves to shore up an already solid team and address some problem spots, trading for Isaac Collins from Milwaukee and signing Lane Thomas away from a division rival in Cleveland on a one-year deal alongside more recently picking up Starling Marte on a $1 million deal to give their aforementioned struggling outfield some options. They traded away their main left-handed reliever Angel Zerpa in the deal for Collins, and to shore back up their bullpen the Royals flipped Jonathan Bowlan for Matt Strahm, a former Royal himself who has blossomed the last few seasons in Philadelphia.
On top of the roster changes, they also remodeled their stadium a bit, moving in the walls of Kauffman Stadium. The K has been a slighty-above average stadium offensively over the last three years, but it’s been one of the worst parks to hit one out of — now the corners will be nine-to-ten feet closer before tapering off to an unchanged center field, perhaps aiding their offense enough to kickstart them out of mediocrity.
Looking at the Royals’ infield, any team with Bobby Witt Jr. at short is already at an advantage. This year, he’ll be working with an increasingly elite Maikel Garcia as well as a servicable Vinnie Pasquantino. What happens at second remains a question: Will the Royals start Jonathan India there or use Michael Massey? Perhaps Brandon Drury has a bounce back? Stay tuned! Then there’s Salvador Perez, who is not longer young but still effective. Although he will probably give more catching days to Carter Jensen, Perez fits in at first base or DH as well. Extended for two more seasons this winter, the veteran of the clubhouse might have the deal in place to ride out the end of his career.
With Collins in the fold now, Kansas City could plug him into left field while rolling Kyle Isbel out in center and Jac Caglianone in right. Granted, Cags was not especially good in 2025, but he got important experience in his first shot at the majors after excelling in the minors, and his spring training numbers suggest he may be figuring things out.
Marte, as mentioned, was a last-minute addition, signed just a couple of weeks ago. Though often injured, Marte will bring some much-needed power and contact to the Royals (assuming he can stay on the field) and should toggle between the outfield and DH. Add into that Lane Thomas and Kameron Misner, and this looks like a better — if not awesome — outfield lineup.
The rotation remains the strongest part of this Royals core. Although ace Cole Ragans missed much of 2025 to injury, when he was in the rotation, he was good (as in 14.3 K/9 and a 2.42 FIP in 13 starts). Now he needs to replicate that for an entire season. Kris Bubic picked up his first All-Star nod last year as he moved back into the rotation, and the combination of Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, and Noah Cameron form a fearsome top to bottom rotation that offers no easy days for opposing lineups.
In addition to pure pitching skill, the Royals rotation started working as, essentially, a “pitching workshop” when Wacha joined the team. The rotation works closely together, observing each other’s bullpens and debriefing when they leave games. Lugo and Wacha are seasoned veterans helping mentor a group of youngsters. Plus, there’s more depth in the wings. Assuming everyone stays healthy, if the Royals struggle in 2026, it won’t be because of the rotation.
The bullpen remains reliable to round out the pitching staff. Carlos Estévez will return as the closer after an All-Star campaign, tying his career-best with a 2.45 ERA and working the second-most innings of his career. Add to that Lucas Erceg, John Schneider, Bailey Falter, and Alex Lange, and it’s a solid group. Strahm returns to the team that drafted him as a revamped pitcher, now relying on a mix of fastballs having incorporated a cutter and sinker to great effect, and Nick Mears and Alex Lange can provide further depth.
Will that be enough for them to jump back into contention for their division? It’s the AL Central, so who knows — the division could go any number of ways, as what appeared to be a runaway title for the Tigers slipped away on the final day of the season last year. Kansas City was in the running in 2024, taking a shot at the Yankees in the ALDS, but 2025 just didn’t break their way. The 2026 Kansas City Royals are trying to improve on the margins with hopes it’s enough to get them back to the postseason. If Bobby Witt Jr and Cole Ragans play to their potential, their odds are good.
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