The Kansas City Royals missed the postseason in 2025 after going 82-80 and finishing in third place in the American League Central, six games behind the division champion Cleveland Guardians. They were let down this year by their offense, and their pitching staff couldn’t do much else to try and support the Royals’ chances of contending for a spot in the playoffs.
The Royals have some decisions to make in the offseason. A few tweaks might be in order to get them back to where they were in 2024 when they earned a Wild Card berth after winning 86 games during the regular season.
Caleb Moody of FanSided made a list of players who should not be brought back in 2026, and among them was left-hander Sam Long.
“Now for another struggling southpaw, Long seems to be on his way out of the Royals’ bullpen fold after a disappointing 2025 season.
While he may have improved in the second half after returning from the IL, a 5.03 ERA, 1.70 WHIP and .288 BAA is nothing to write home about by any means,” Moody wrote.
“And even with a second-half surge, his 2.19 ERA post All-Star break was undercut by a 1.54 WHIP and .276 BAA, so the likelihood that they can find other left-handed options seem extremely good.”
As a whole in 2025, Long went 2-3 and posted a 5.36 ERA over 39 appearances. He struck out 33 batters over 40 1/3 innings of work. The 30-year-old left-hander pitched well in 2024, going 3-3 with a 3.16 ERA over 43 appearances.
But he was unable to replicate his 2024 success this year, and now the Royals will have to make a decision regarding his status. He is under contract through 2028, but the Royals may want to get rid of him before then. After a rough 2025 season, teams likely won’t be showing any interest in him in potential trades.
Perhaps the Royals could designate him for assignment and hope another team claims him off waivers, or potentially release him and look to replace him with a better option in free agency.
It will be interesting to see what the Royals decide to do this coming offseason, but they do have a decision to make on Long and his roster status for 2026.
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