MLB insider deems two veteran Royals returning as “pretty unlikely”

The MLB offseason is about to go from cold to simmering as the conclusion of the World Series starts the offseason clock. The action really picks up before Thanksgiving, including the start of free agency and the deadline to tender contracts to players on the 40-man roster.

A smaller deadline that comes early on is for teams or players to decide whether to exercise their options, and the Kansas City Royals have a few choices to make on that front.

Catcher Salvador Perez is the most notable of the three Royals players with options to be exercised. His club option, worth $13.5 million, is still a palatable salary, and despite prospect Carter Jensen’s strong 2025 debut, there is no reason Kansas City shouldn’t retain their team captain for 2025 or explore a new contract entirely.

However, two other names in Michael Lorenzen and Randal Grichuk seem to have more unlikely futres with the Royals.

Michael Lorenzen and Randal Grichuk are likely looking for a new contract this offseason.

Both of these veterans have mutual options for 2026. According to MLB.com’s Anne Rogers, their fates in Kansas City seem sealed.

“It’s pretty unlikely that Lorenzen and Grichuk will be back with Kansas City. The interesting one here is Perez; he’ll be back either way next season, but the Royals could opt to renegotiate a new contract with their captain rather than simply pick up the option.”

Anne Rogers, MLB.com

It is an appropriate move and one that many Royals fans were already likely banking on this offseason. Kansas City has so many rotational options that are either better, cheaper, or more flexible than the veteran Lorenzen. Meanwhile, while Kansas City has outfield issues to address this offseason, Grichuk wasn’t a contributor in 2025 and has more to prove in 2026.

Lorenzen came to the Royals at the 2024 trade deadline, moving from the Texas Rangers to Kansas City in exchange for reliever Walter Pennington.

The longtime Cincinnati Reds pitcher had a stellar second half to close out the 2024 season, posting a 1.57 ERA across 28.2 innings for the Royals. His arsenal fit well with other veterans like Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha, so Kansas City bringing him back for 2025 felt like a no-brainer.

The 2025 season was hardly as kind to Lorenzen. He still made 27 appearances and pitched 141.2 innings, but his 4.64 ERA and 4.59 FIP looked more like those of a fifth or sixth starter in the Royals’ rotation.

Lorenzen had nine quality starts, such as his nine-strikeout performance in his season finale against the Los Angeles Angels, but he also had nine starts where he gave up four or more runs. Those four runs allowed might be palatable for a more high-octane lineup, but Kansas City could rarely overcome a poor start from Lorenzen.

Grichuk was part of Kansas City’s outfield-bolstering moves ahead of the trade deadline, but compared to outfielder Mike Yastrzemski and utilityman Adam Frazier, Grichuk’s Kansas City tenure was a flop.

The 34-year-old is primarily a platoon bat at this stage, and while he has been one of the league’s best hitters against left-handed pitching, he regressed significantly in that area this season. He slashed just .206/.267/.299 in 105 plate appearances.

Grichuk is one of several forgettable veteran outfielders who couldn’t boost the team’s run production, alongside players like Mark Canha and Hunter Renfroe.

Kansas City has plenty of internal options to replace Lorenzen, but that isn’t the case for Grichuk. The outfielder’s $5 million option comes with a $3 million buyout, so Kansas City will save $2 million by declining it.

Meanwhile, the savings are much larger for Lorenzen. His $12 million option comes with a $1.5 million buyout, equating to $10.5 million in payroll savings.