One year after reaching the playoffs for the first time since winning the World Series in 2015, the Kansas City Royals fell short of October baseball in 2025 after finishing with an 82-80 record. Despite several solid individual offensive seasons from certain players, the overall lineup struggled.
According to FanGraphs, the Royals’ team wRC+ settled in at 93, which ranked 22nd in MLB. And if we zero in on offensive performance from outfielders, it gets much worse. Kansas City’s outfielders produced a 73 wRC+ in 2025, the lowest mark in baseball.
There are several possible solutions for general manager J.J. Picollo to explore. Some include bringing back Mike Yastrzemski or pursuing free agents such as Harrison Bader and Trent Grisham.
Doing some due diligence on the trade market is another possibility, depending on who is available.
One of the biggest issues with Buxton is his inability to stay healthy for a full season. Between 2015 and 2024, he appeared in more than 130 games in a season just once (140 games in 2017).
While he still didn’t hit that benchmark in 2025, he suited up for 126 games and put up strong numbers. Buxton earned his second career All-Star Game selection and finished his campaign with a .264/.327/.551 line with 35 home runs, 21 doubles, 83 RBI, 97 runs scored, and 24 stolen bases.
After that huge season, could the Twins turn around and send him packing via trade this winter? Brian Henry of SB Nation’s Royals Review would like to see it happen.
“The corner outfield spots were so atrocious this season that they will remain the focal point of most Royals fans, but I think having a solid center fielder would help immensely,” Henry wrote. “Buxton is a quality defender and batter who played about two-thirds of the Twins’ center field innings in 2025. Kyle Isbel has proven to be a good defender who is not good enough at the plate to warrant a starting spot.”
Buxton would be a multi-year solution for any club that acquires him. He has three seasons left on a seven-year, $100 million deal. Without counting performance incentives and potential bonuses, there’s about $45 million left on his contract, according to Spotrac.
The biggest hurdle to any specific deal coming to fruition is Buxton himself. His contract gives him a full no-trade clause through 2026, along with a five-team no-trade list from 2027-28. Henry noted this, and the fact that Buxton had no plans on waiving it at the trade deadline over the summer despite several players getting shipped out by the front office.
But it doesn’t hurt to at least check in again, right? It’s possible that Buxton isn’t a fan of midseason trades. Maybe his perspective has changed after finishing the season in Minnesota. Either way, this would be an interesting acquisition that could significantly make the Royals’ lineup on both offense and defense.
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