There are a lot of ways the Kansas City Royals could go about upgrading the offense this winter, but any moves they make will have to fit within a reasonably tight budget.
We don’t know exactly what the Royals will spend on payroll this year, but without many free agents departing and arbitration raises for the likes of Maikel Garcia and Vinnie Pasquantino, resources could be scarce. That said, there are gaping holes in this lineup, including second base, where Jonathan India failed to lock down the starting gig heading into 2026.
Could Kansas City get involved in the sweepstakes for one of, if not the top second basemen on the open market this winter?
Royals predicted to nab Jorge Polanco
Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors believes so. In the site’s annual free agency predictions article, Adams guessed that Kansas City would wind up signing Polanco this winter.
Anthony Franco and Darragh McDonald had Polanco returning to Seattle, while Tim Dierkes had him signing with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Perhaps most importantly, the writers projected the 32-year-old for a three-year, $42 million deal.
“Polanco should find at least two years, if not three, in free agency,” the four contributors wrote. “The Mariners, (San Francisco) Giants, (Detroit) Tigers, Royals, (New York) Yankees, (Texas) Rangers, (Toronto Blue) Jays, (Miami) Marlins, (New York) Mets and (Philadelphia) Phillies all make some degree of sense here.
“Polanco’s market will be bolstered by the Mariners’ decision not to issue a qualifying offer.”
Polanco clubbed 26 home runs this season while mostly serving as the designated hitter while recovering from a knee injury. His 134 OPS+ was the best of his career, and he should be healthy enough to play second base (or third, or first) for his entire age-33 season.
It feels like $14 million is at the low end for what Polanco could expect in terms of average annual value, though. Do the Royals even have that amount of wiggle room to play with? If so, he’d be a fantastic fit in the middle of the order.
More MLB: Phillies 9-Year Veteran Predicted To Sign With Royals In Free Agency
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