Royals have chance to land perfect last-minute free agent with Italian WBC standout

In just a week’s time, the Kansas City Royals and Atlanta Braves will take the field at Truist Park to open the 2026 season.

General manager J.J. Picollo and the front office have already been diligent in narrowing down their spring training roster ahead of having to to determine which 26 names will crack their Opening Day crew.

However, as many options as the Royals currently have in camp at the moment, there’s always opportunities to pull off last-minute deals that could improve the roster. Kansas City can attest to that first-hand already this winter after signing veteran Starling Marte after spring training got underway.

But in similar fashion to how the Royals acquired Mark Canha mere days before Opening Day last year, there could be an opportunity available to them to make a truly 11th hour signing to shake things up a bit.

According to MLB Network insider Jon Morosi, veteran utility man Jon Berti “is generating MLB interest” after his sensational showing with the Cinderella sweethearts of the World Baseball Classic in Team Italy.

And for a team that values versatility in the lineup like Kansas City does, someone with Berti’s skill set and big league experience could be the perfect candidate if the Royals wish to pull of some last-second offseason magic.

Royals’ bench could greatly benefit from a last-minute signing of WBC sensation Jon Berti

While Berti hasn’t suited up with a major league squad since the middle of August last season, before being released by the Chicago Cubs, it’s not as if he’d be coming into the 2026 season cold.

Under the bright lights of Daikin Park in Houston and loanDepot Park in Miami, Berti looked excellent at the plate with Italy in the WBC, even better than he looked in his most recent season of true big league success when he hit .294 with a .748 OPS and 102 wRC+ back in 2023 with the Marlins.

In 16 plate appearances across four WBC games, Berti hit .375 with a 1.132 OPS, which included an all-important home run in their Pool B clinching victory over Mexico.

According to Morosi, Berti is looking “to sign with a contender that needs him to play multiple positions.”

Given the Royals are AL Central contenders looking to bounce-back to their winning ways in 2026 and given Matt Quatraro’s liking to utility names like Nick Loftin and Tyler Tolbert – who act as super utility options that can patrol all around the infield and at the very least the corner outfield, KC seems to fit Berti’s skill set and desires to a T.

Berti has played second base, third base, shortstop and all three outfield spots at some point in his career.

And as touched upon already, he’s proven that on his best day he can be an above-average offensive contributor, with three major league seasons above a 100 wRC+, two more at an 88 wRC+ or above and even a 91 wRC+ in his first cup of coffee in the big leagues with the Toronto Blue Jays back in 2018.

Berti also appeared on Foul Territory during the World Baseball Classic and described the experience as “the most fun [he’s] had playing this game in a long time”.

As Royals fans will be well aware of by now, two of their highly-regarded mashers in Vinnie Pasquantino and Jac Caglianone helped lead Team Italy’s charge, both in the batter’s box and when it came to bringing the vibes in the dugout. So, he’d already have some familiar faces in an already tight-knit clubhouse.

His Team Italy captain in Pasquantino seems to hold him in high regard too:

Now, unlike the Royals acquisition of Canha last season, where they desperately needed outfield help of any sort, they aren’t in that same dire situation when it comes to their bench this time around.

Nick Loftin and his 147 wRC+ and non-roster invitee Josh Rojas with his 143 wRC+ are both versatile themselves and showing out right now in Royals camp. Plus, there’s still the uber-versatile speedster Tyler Tolbert, who’s stolen base abilities could be of extreme value.

That being said, riding the high that this Italian team provided the baseball world with over the past few weeks, and especially the Royals sphere in particular, might be worth considering.