The Kansas City Royals were unable to reach the postseason in 2025, going 82-80 and finishing in third place in the American League Central. A lot went wrong for Kansas City and led to them falling short.
The main problem for Kansas City was their offense, particularly from their outfield group. There were no moves made to address that area of weakness last offseason, and the Royals were left vulnerable.
At the trade deadline, they acquired Mike Yastrzemski from the San Francisco Giants, and for a time, he helped give them a bit of a boost offensively. He is now a free agent, but Jim Bowden of The Athletic predicts that Kansas City will bring him back.
“Yastrzemski hit .231 with eight homers in 96 games for the Giants before being dealt to the Royals at the trade deadline. He hit .237 with for Kansas City, but showed significantly more power, raising his slugging percentage from .355 pre-trade to .403 by the end of the season. He’s always controlled the strike zone well, and he walked more than he struck out in his 50 games with Kansas City,” Bowden writes.
For the season, Yastrzemski hit .233/.333/.403 with 17 home runs, 46 RBI and a .735 OPS. He hit nine home runs in Kansas City and posted an .839 OPS after being traded over.
While not an everyday player, Yastrzemski gives the Royals what they need, power from the left side and the ability to play all three outfield positions. He also won’t cost a fortune, as it should only take a one-year deal to bring him back if that is what the Royals decide to do.
He is right within their price range and provides a lot of what they are looking for. They likely won’t be in the sweepstakes for any of the big-ticket free agents such as Kyle Schwarber and Kyle Tucker, so bringing back the eight-year veteran makes sense.
The Royals could then add a right-handed bat to platoon with Yastrzemski, who would play mainly against right-handed pitching.
It will certainly be interesting to see where the Royals land in their search for offense, but bringing back Yastrzemski might be a good first step to boost their lineup for the 2026 season, even with several other options available.
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