Kansas City Royals news: Is 2026 a comeback year for Jonathan India?

Royals: 2B Jonathan India
India had a tough first season with the Royals after they acquired him to be their leadoff man in a trade with the Reds following the 2024 season. His stats across the board were down, slashing .233/.323/.346 with an 89 wRC+. However, his strikeout rate decreased a bit, from 19.6% to 18.7%, and his chase, whiff and overall swing decisions were consistent with his performance in Cincinnati. That gives the Royals optimism that India might perform more like the player they were hoping to acquire, now that he’s settled in Kansas City and understands the bigger ballpark that is Kauffman Stadium.

Mark Polishuk at MLB Trade Rumors writes about how each American League team has addressed its biggest weakness.

Royals (Right field, -1.9 bWAR): The Royals fielded one of baseball’s worst outfields in 2024, and they were almost literally the worst in 2025 — only the Rockies had a lower outfield bWAR than Kansas City’s cumulative -0.7 mark. The left field spot generated -0.7 bWAR, while Kyle Isbel’s excellent defense at least brought the center field position up to semi-respectability. K.C. has already been more active in addressing their outfield, landing Isaac Collins in a trade with the Brewers and signing Lane Thomas as a bounce-back candidate for further depth. The club is still on the hunt for more outfield help, and acquiring a better option for right field in particular would be ideal, given Thomas’ struggles in 2025 and Jac Caglianone’s unproductive rookie season.

Joey Mistretta at Roundtable Sports writes why trading Cole Ragans would be a bad idea.

Moving on from Ragans now would mean receiving less value than the Royals could get if he was fresh off a strong year. He is under contract through 2027 and team control through 2028, so there is no reason to trade him at the moment.

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Of course, if the Royals do not agree to a contract extension with Ragans and he pitches well in 2026, then moving on from him next offseason could make sense. His trade value would increase and there would be more urgency to get something in return for him — as opposed to losing him in free agency in the future.
This offseason is not the time to move on from Ragans. Additionally, Kansas City is seemingly hoping to compete. Ragans features the ceiling of an ace-caliber pitcher. His presence in the starting rotation will only help the Royals reach their goals in 2026 — as long as injuries do not prove to be too much of an obstacle.

On social media, Union Station calls for a downtown ballpark for the Royals.

Chris Stritzel at The KC Pulse makes the case for a ballpark at 18th and Paseo.

The Royals signed former LSU infielder Michael Braswell III as a pitcher.

Royals minor leaguer Harold Castro will play in Korea next year.

The Orioles re-sign pitcher Zach Eflin to a one-year, $10 million contract.

The Reds acquire outfielder Dane Myers from the Marlins and sign outfielder JJ Bleday to a one-year deal.

The Cubs sign former Royals reliever Hunter Harvey to a one-year, $6 million deal.

The Blue Jays, Red Sox, Cubs, and Diamondbacks are the teams pursuing Alex Bregman.

The Red Sox are looking for infield help.

The Angels and Pirates are pursuing Japanese free agent infielder Kazuma Okamoto.

Half of the top free agents are still unsigned.

Jayson Stark at The Athletic writes about the weird but true things that happened in 2025. [$]