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Until they announced Salvador Perez’s new contract earlier this week, the Kansas City Royals had been relatively quiet on the trade and free agent fronts. <\/p>\n
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Declining Michael Lorenzen’s mutual option<\/a> for next season and placing both Kyle Wright<\/a> and Sam Long on outright waivers<\/a> have been all the moves so far, although Randal Grichuk rejected his mutual option to join Lorenzen, Mike Yastrzemski, Adam Frazier, Hunter Harvey, and Luke Maile as the club’s six (as of this writing) free agents. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The quiet is understandable \u2014 big deals are rare this early in the Hot Stove season. At this point, KC fans can only wonder what moves the club will make, including whether it will pursue any of its own free agents. Here’s how those players should rank if the team is interested in reunions.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Kansas City’s need for an offensively productive corner outfielder is painfully obvious. Whether Yastrzemski, who hit nine homers and slashed .237\/.339\/.500 in 50 games after joining KC via a 2025 trade deadline deal, can fit the bill is a big question. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n But the 35-year-old could provide valuable insurance if the club can’t land a younger star with more punch and power.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n That could happen \u2014 despite general manager J.J. Picollo’s long offseason search, the Royals opened 2025 without a new big bat, and rookie Jac Caglianone’s failure to hit helped force Picollo to trade for Yastrzemski.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The offense, though, needs a bit more than Yastrzemski. He averages less than 20 homers and 52 RBIs per season \u2014 Picollo should seek more power and production than Yastrzemski typically provides. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n But signing him soon to a financially palatable short-term deal could be a reasonable hedge against today’s soft outfield free agent market<\/a>. That makes Yastrzemski the best bet of the Royals’ six free agents.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Defensive versatility is a top Kansas City priority. Frazier has that versatility \u2014 he played five defensive positions for the Royals in 2024 before hitting free agency after the season, and four in 2025 after rejoining the club via a surprising trade deadline swap with the Pirates<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Unlike his first year with Kansas City, when he batted .202 and hit only four homers, Frazier added some spark to the Royals by hitting .283 in 56 post-trade games. He also matched those four homers, and drove in one more run (23), in 48 fewer appearances.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Unless Picollo can sign someone like the supremely versatile Kik\u00e9 Hern\u00e1ndez<\/a>, and considering how well he moves around the field, Picollo could do much worse on the versatility front than Frazier.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Harvey made a name for himself with some fine seasons in Washington’s bullpen before the Royals picked him up at the 2024 trade deadline<\/a>, but injuries ruined his time with the club that season, and robbed him of what was looking like a great 2025 campaign when, after 12 scoreless appearances, he went on the Injured List in April and never returned. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n But as good as KC’s bullpen was this year, there’s room for improvement. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Harvey has demonstrated he can relieve effectively, and there isn’t much risk in bringing him back, especially given his $3.7 million 2025 salary<\/a>, which hints at a pretty affordable 2026 contract.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n That Kansas City brought Lorenzen back for 2025 made sense. Acquired from Texas at the 2024 trade deadline, and despite missing almost a month with a hamstring injury, Lorenzen went 2-0 with a 1.57 ERA in seven stretch-run appearances to help KC to the playoffs. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n But this season wasn’t all KC hoped for. Lorenzen again lost a month to injury and finished 7-11 with a 4.64 ERA. His nine quality starts ranked last among regular Royals starters, and his 12 wild pitches tied for the major league lead<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And rotation depth doesn’t bode well for Lorenzen. Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Cole Ragans, and rookie sensation Noah Cameron will all be back, as will Kris Bubic if he isn’t traded for a big bat. Impressive trade deadline acquisitions Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek should also be in the mix.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Key, too, is that the Royals declined Lorenzen’s 2026 mutual option. That means he’s expendable.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\nMike Yastrzemski tops the Royals’ potential returnee list<\/h2>\n
Put two-time Royals utility man Adam Frazier second on the list<\/h2>\n
Hunter Harvey is Kansas City’s third-best choice<\/h2>\n
Starter Michael Lorenzen comes in fourth on this Royals list<\/h2>\n
Catcher Luke Maile deserves the fifth spot<\/h2>\n