The Kansas City Royals had a pretty productive offseason for the most part. They tackled their offensive needs by trading for Isaac Collins and signing Lane Thomas. The bullpen looks better too.
Nick Mears came over from the Milwaukee Brewers in the Collins deal, and they also traded for Matt Strahm. The Detroit Tigers may be the overwhelming favorites to win the American League Central, but Kansas City should have a decent shot too.
Some players may not be back for the Royals though. They traded for Randal Grichuk at last year’s deadline in July. He is still a free agent, and Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer predicts that he will end up leaving for the Philadelphia Phillies.
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Do Royals need Grichuk back?
Rymer recalled that both Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic had linked Philadelphia to Grichuk earlier in the offseason. The Phillies did just release Nick Castellanos and also lost Harrison Bader to the San Francisco Giants, so another outfielder makes sense for them.
As for the Royals, there really isn’t any need to bring Grichuk back for 2026. He hit just .228/.273/.299 with nine home runs and a .674 OPS during the regular season with Kansas City and the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The 34-year-old outfielder did not give the Royals the offensive boost they sought at the trade deadline. While he could be a solid depth piece, the Royals have Jac Caglianone ready for the 2026 season, who is now more seasoned.
In that case, they really don’t need to bring back Grichuk, especially after he struggled at the plate following the trade to Kansas City. The Royals would be best served going with what they already have.
Caglianone should be better this year, and the players they did add should give them a nice offensive boost for the 2026 season. Thomas is a solid bounce-back candidate, and Collins was a National League Rookie of the Year candidate for the Brewers, helping lead them to an NL Central title.
It will be interesting to see if the Royals have anything else on their agenda before Opening Day, but even if they do, bringing back Grichuk is probably not on the list of things they feel they need to do. They have enough as of now.
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