The Kansas City Royals missed the postseason last year but have made some solid additions to the roster that have given them a chance to win the American League Central. They have added Lane Thomas, Isaac Collins, Nick Mears and Matt Strahm via trade and free agency.
However, not everybody from 2025 is going to be back in 2026. They made some moves at the trade deadline, one of which was to acquire outfielder Randal Grichuk from the Arizona Diamondbacks.
He is still a free agent. However, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Grichuk could be a possible fit for his former team, the St. Louis Cardinals.
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Former Royal linked to first team in free agency
Grichuk made his Major League debut with the Cardinals in 2014 and was there through the 2017 season. He has since played with the Toronto Blue Jays, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Angels, Diamondbacks and Royals.
The Cardinals need a right-handed outfield bat, and Grichuk checks a lot of boxes. After joining the Royals, Grichuk hit just .206/.267/.299 with two home runs and a .566 OPS.
He likely won’t be back with the Royals after they acquired Thomas and Collins, so losing him wouldn’t hurt too badly for the Royals, if at all. The Cardinals need his presence more than Kansas City does.
He still brings power from the right side of the plate and can play all three outfield positions. The 34-year-old could potentially still be of some use to the Royals, but the likelihood is that he will leave Kansas City for another ballclub.
The Royals look a lot better on paper than they did at the end of the 2025 season, and with their new additions, they should be right back in the mix for an AL Central title in 2026. And while Grichuk is a valuable piece to have around, a return doesn’t make much sense.
It will be interesting to see where Grichuk ends up, but there is a much better chance he could choose to return to his old team rather than play in Kansas City one more year.
The Royals don’t really have much of a need for him anymore anyways, so he’ll be better off going somewhere he can play more frequently.
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