5 Royals players who definitely won’t be back in Kansas City in 2026

The 2025 season has come to an end for the Kansas City Royals and after a season of ups and downs they will now be forced to watch the rest of the season unfold from outside looking in.

While the Royals did manage to save face this weekend and end the year with a winning record thanks to a weekend series win over the A’s, there will undoubtedly be questions facing them this offseason.

Of those pressing offseason matters ahead of them will be determining who plays a role with them come 2026 but more importantly, who won’t be back with them.

5 Royals player who definitely won’t be back in Kansas City in 2026

RHP Michael Lorenzen

One of multiple current Royals with an option this winter, the veteran starter Lorenzen didn’t put up a season for the ages by any means.

In 141.2 innings of work across 27 outings (26 of which were starts) he threw to just a 4.64 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and .266 BAA.

What may have been the revealing factor to his potential departure was when the Royals were faced with a roster crunch at the end of the season when Cole Ragans and Michael Wacha returned to the rotation and it was Lorenzen who was demoted to the bullpen to make room.

And their crowded rotation situation will be no different this winter with a group that includes Ragans and Wacha along with Seth Lugo, Kris Bubic, Noah Cameron, Ryan Bergert, Stephen Kolek, Bailey Falter and Luinder Avila all under contract or team control at the moment.

A declining of the mutual option on the Royals end seems all but a shoo-in at this point in time, as their pitching plans have seemed to outgrow Lorenzen.

OF Randal Grichuk

The next name with an mutual option that the Royals seem all but likely to decline is Randal Grichuk, and unlike Lorenzen, this one seems a lot more straightforward.

After joining the Royals at the trade deadline, he was in the minority of acquisitions that didn’t work out, somewhat tainting what was perceived as a very successful trade deadline overall.

In 105 plate appearances across 43 games in Kansas City, the veteran outfielder was only able to muster a .206/.267/.299 slash line and 56 wRC+.

While the outfield seems to be a need the Royals will have address this winter, they seem better served swinging bigger for a more impactful solution.

LHP Bailey Falter

Moving to names that are under team control this upcoming year, we start with another trade deadline acquistion in Falter.

Before hitting the IL, Falter had struggled so much in his first two starts that he ended up suffering the same fate Lorenzen would end up suffering weeks later, with a demotion to the bullpen.

In 12.0 innings of work across four total appearances with the Royals, Falter threw to a 11.25 ERA, 2.25 WHIP and .370 BAA.

As mentioned earlier, the Royals have more starters than rotation spots in 2026, so when it comes to a name with no remaining minor league options like Falter, it seems like an exit is more than likely for the southpaw.

LHP Sam Long

Now for another struggling southpaw, Long seems to be on his way out of the Royals’ bullpen fold after a disappointing 2025 season.

While he may’ve improved in the second-half after returning from the IL, a 5.03 ERA, 1.70 WHIP and .288 BAA is nothing to write home about by any means.

And even with a second-half surge, his 2.19 ERA post All-Star break was undercut by a 1.54 WHIP and .276 BAA, so the likelihood that they can find other left-handed options seem extremely good.

OF Dairon Blanco

Lastly, there’s the speedster Blanco, who may be able to fill the Royals major need for speed, like manager Matt Quatraro hinted at last week.

However, with a limited offensive profile – highlighted by a measily 25 wRC+ in 2025 and a below average 96 wRC+ the year prior – speed can only take him so far.

Then, there’s the fact that after he was demoted to Triple-A back in early in June, Kansas City didn’t feel the need to bring him back, even as a speed threat. It didn’t help the fact that he only managed a 94 wRC+ in Omaha this season.

With Tyler Tolbert providing that speed threat off the bench this season while being more positionally versatile than Blanco, the bench seems to be evolving beyond the aging 32-year-old.

Whether he spends the year in the minors again, is traded or non-tendered now that he’s in his arbitration years, it seems less likely that Blanco will don Royal blue in 2026.