The Kansas City Royals missed the postseason in 2025 after finishing the year 82-80. They at least recorded their second straight winning season, but they were a Wild Card team in 2024 and made it to the American League Division Series. The pitching staff could only do so much to help support the Royals and keep them afloat this year. The offense let them down in a big way.
There will likely be some work done this coming offseason to improve the offense if they hope to return to the postseason in 2026. Their outfield needs a little bit of help.
The trades they made at the deadline were mostly effective, save for the move to acquire Randal Grichuk from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Caleb Moody of Kings of Kauffman predicts that the Royals will not bring him back this winter.
“After joining the Royals at the trade deadline, he was in the minority of acquisitions that didn’t work out, somewhat tainting what was perceived as a very successful trade deadline overall,” Moody wrote.
“In 105 plate appearances across 43 games in Kansas City, the veteran outfielder was only able to muster a .206/.267/.299 slash line and 56 wRC+.
While the outfield seems to be a need the Royals will have address this winter, they seem better served swinging bigger for a more impactful solution.”
Grichuk struggled in 2025, hitting .228/.273/.401 with nine home runs, 27 RBI and a .674 OPS during the regular season. He began the year with the Diamondbacks and was considered a solid pickup for the Royals as they sought to improve their outfield with a few key bats.
However, this move clearly did not pan out for the Royals. He has a mutual option for 2026, but it would be hard to imagine the Royals picking it up after the way he performed at the plate.
He could still pick up his end of the option, but the Royals need a better solution for their outfield struggles. More specifically, they need a bat with more power that can boost the lineup for next season.
It will certainly be interesting to see how the Royals go about improving their team, but it’s safe to say that they likely won’t want to bring Grichuk back this offseason.
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