Preston Farr writes about what the Royals could still do before the season, such as add infield depth.
Brendan Rodgers and Ramon Urias are both interesting names. Rodgers, 29, is a former top prospect out
of the Rockies organization. He signed a minor league deal with Houston a year ago. He suffered through a few injuries, finishing the season with a horrendous 35% strikeout rate and 55 wRC+. He’s a career .261 hitter and was stellar defensively at second base for one season. There’s just no real track record, and it’s a lot of hope on potential alone. Urias was the 27th-ranked prospect for the Cardinals in 2019 before he went to Baltimore. He was a solid contributor for parts of five seasons with the Orioles before he was traded to Houston in 2025. He has a career 104 wRC+ but enters his age-32 season in 2026. Defensively, Urias is stellar. In 2025, he finished with seven defensive runs saved (DRS) and four outs above average (OAA) at second base. At third base, he was worth five DRS and one OAA.
David Lesky also looks at potential last-minute moves, with an eye towards the bullpen.
So who can they add? They still want another lefty reliever. I’d take a look at Justin Wilson. He had a 27.5 percent strikeout in 2025 with Boston and would like very nice in the middle of the bullpen. He made $1 million in 2023, $1.5 million in 2024 and $2.25 million in 2025. Maybe he’s in line for a raise after the season he had, but this late, I’d bet you can probably get him for $4 million or so. I wouldn’t mind them taking a chance on a hard-thrower from either side, but someone like Michael Kopech would be interesting to me.
I still think they could add Austin Hays or Harrison Bader if the price is right on either of them. I still think they could make some sort of trade, though I do agree with the people who know more than me that a big splash is probably out at this point. But the point here is that the Royals have a history of doing something for their big league club this late in the spring, so don’t discount any moves happening over the next two or three weeks.
MLB Pipeline looks at the top prospects from each team.
It’s a party behind the plate for Kansas City. Jensen has already ascended to the Majors by showing plus power, a balanced approach and improving defense, and he could be a Rookie of the Year candidate as he shares catching duties with Salvador Perez. Mitchell dealt with a broken hamate in 2025 that dulled much of his offensive projection, but as he showed in the Arizona Fall League, he can still produce top-end exit velocities and be a dexterous defender with a strong arm.
Kevin O’Brien at Royals Keep wonders if Royals fans are selling Blake Mitchell short.
One of the positive developments to see from Mitchell in the AFL was his 74 percent Z-Swing%, which ranked in the 86th percentile. He has long been known for his solid plate discipline, and he showed that in Arizona with a 15.8% O-Swing%, which ranked in the 89th percentile, according to Statcast data. However, one critique of his approach at the plate as a prospect has been his passivity.
Last year, in Quad Cities, he had a 49.5% F-Strike% and 29.4% CSW (called-strike plus whiff) rate. He also only had a 41.2% swing rate, which was 1.3% lower than his mark in Low-A Columbia.
Jacob Milham at Kings of Kauffman writes about how the Royals could use Lane Thomas this year.
Former Royals infielder Hanser Alberto announces his retirement.
The Padres sign former Royals infielder Samad Taylor to a minor league deal.
The Yankees sign former Royals reliever Dylan Coleman to a minor league deal.
The Mets sign reliever Craig Kimbrel to a minor league deal.
The Cleveland Guardians sign José Ramírez to a seven-year, $175 million contract.
Which teams have made the biggest upgrades this offseason?
Jose Altuve will play mostly second base for the Astros this season.
Andrew McCutchen wants to return to the Pirates, but is puzzled by the team’s response.
Yu Darvish denies reports he has retired.
What National League teams can dethrone the Dodgers?
Twins owner Tom Pohlad personally calls season ticket holders and finds some hostility. [$]
The Washington Post is reportedly shutting down its sports coverage.
Jay Vine wins a cycling race in Australia despite a kangaroo crash.
American rock climber Alex Honnold reaches the top of the Taipei 101 skyscraper without ropes.
The e-bike industry is hitting a slump.
A new documentary tells the wild stories in building Disneyland.
Your song of the day is The Replacements with Bastards Of Young.
