Now that the Kansas City Royals’ season is officially over, it’s officially time to think about who will be back in 2026, who won’t return, and what kind of roles those who are back will have as the club tries to get back to the playoffs.
While the offense has been a big focus for obvious reasons, and the coaching staff has been the talk of the town both because of guys fans want to see gone and some fans want to see back, no club is contending for the playoffs without a bullpen it can rely on. That’s especially the case in this day and age, where complete games (and even quality starts) are going the way of the Dodo.
When looking at how to shape the Royals’ bullpen for next summer, some relievers stand out as needing a bigger role in 2026. Likewise, some relievers need to get the ball far less often if the team wants to see real success.
Taylor Clarke is in the Kansas City Royals’ circle of trust
Taylor Clarke is one of those guys who was never really considered a go-to reliever, but he showed that he can be in 2025. In 51 appearances, he posted a career best earned run average (3.25) and a career best WHIP (0.85).
He did start getting more late-game chances as the season wound down, and after struggling a bit in June, turned things around and pitched very well in the campaign’s final three months.
Now he might enter 2026 as a real option for setup man or seventh-inning choice.
Steven Cruz proved he could handle the load
No one proved they could handle being a “go-to” reliever like Steven Cruz did this year. Not only did he post a career high in appearances with 47, but that was three times the number of appearances he’d made in his MLB career entering 2025.
It was about more than simply pitching in a lot of games, though. Cruz posted a very respectable 3.74 ERA on the season and a solid, though unspectacular 1.18 WHIP.
Late-season injury aside, he did stumble a bit later in the year, but that’s to be expected considering how much more he pitched in 2025 than in any other Major League season. He still deserves a look as someone the Royals can turn to in 2026.
Sam Long needs to have his Royals innings reduced
One year after Sam Long posted a career-best season, he returned to being less than dependable in 2025. Long appeared in 39 games, posted a near-career-worst 5.36 earned run average, and an easily career-worst 1.74 WHIP.
Perhaps most concerning is that his strikeout rate went way down after K’ing 44 batters in 42.2 innings in 2024.
He’s now had more seasons where he posted an ERA over 5.00 than seasons under that number.
The 2026 campaign will be a prove-it year, and until he does prove it, he needs to see a reduced role. Or it’s time for a fresh start altogether.
The Royals might need to move on from Angel Zerpa
There isn’t a whole lot that Angel Zerpa did all that well in 2025. He wasn’t bad in the season as a whole. In a career high 69 appearances, he posted a 4.18 ERA and a not-terrible but also not-so-great 1.38 ERA.
He didn’t strike out enough for someone who allowed so many baserunners, and with four blown saves, he showed that he couldn’t really close the door when the Kansas City Royals needed him to.
There’s also the argument that Zerpa pitched so much this year that he should be someone else’s problem when his arm gives out. That might sound crass, but Major League Baseball is a business and it’s better he underperform somewhere else.
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