The Kansas City Royals put together their second consecutive winning season, going 82-80 in 2025. However, it didn’t get them back to the postseason for a second straight year, and work needs to be done in order to make this team a postseason contender again.
The glaring weakness that exposed itself time after time this season was their offense, or lack thereof. The trade to acquire Jonathan India didn’t help, and they just didn’t have enough offense to compete for the playoffs.
Beyond Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez, Maikel Garcia and Vinnie Pasquantino, the offense was mostly dormant this year, and even some key additions at the trade deadline didn’t help them much.
Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report listed the outfield as Kansas City’s biggest weakness, and he had an idea for how to improve it, at least temporarily.
The Royals had acquired outfielder Mike Yastzemski at the trade deadline. He will soon be a free agent, but Reuter believes the Royals can get a good start to the offseason if they sign him back..
“The Royals outfield has been a revolving door in recent years, and looking ahead to the 2026 season, glove-first Kyle Isbel and former top prospect Jac Caglianone are the top returning options,” Reuter wrote.
“The front office acquired Mike Yastrzemski and Randal Grichuk at the deadline, and targeting similar veteran talent this offseason would bring some much-needed production to the outfield contingent.”
Yastrzemski shouldn’t be too expensive for the Royals, a small-market team that in conscious of its spending. He slashed .237/.339/.500 with nine home runs, 18 RBI and an .839 OPS after being acquired from the San Francisco Giants.
This would certainly help the Royals out offensively for 2026. But even with him in the fold and producing well, the offense still fell apart at the end of the season. The Royals are likely going to need more than just Yastrzemski to give themselves a better chance at competing next year.
The Royals could bring him back on a one-year deal, but should also be looking at other options. They are going to need a bigger bat to fully transform this offense and return the team to the postseason
Options like Kyle Tucker and Kyle Schwarber are unlikely for the small-market Royals, but cheaper options such as Trent Grisham could be had.
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