have been vehemently shut down<\/a>, via Buster Olney of ESPN.<\/p>\n\u201cOther teams that have asked about Cole Ragans in any deal say the Royals fully intend to keep the lefty,\u201d Olney wrote.<\/p>\n
Ragans is under team control through the 2029 season, which would only increase the haul Kansas City would get in a trade. But at the same time, the right-hander is earning a modest $4.5 million in 2026. For a franchise like the Royals, having a player of Ragans’ caliber lead their rotation for the foreseeable future may be more beneficial.<\/p>\n
Injuries limited the righty to just 13 starts in 2025 and affected his output. However, Ragans put himself on the map with an All-Star campaign in 2024. Over a career-high 32 games, Ragans pitched to a 3.14 ERA and a 223\/67 K\/BB ratio. Every rotation in the league would get better if you added that kind of production into it.<\/p>\n
That goes for the Royals as well. Things can always change over the course of an offseason. If Kansas City is offered a king’s ransom deal they simply can’t turn down, then perhaps Ragans will be on the move. But as it stands, that isn’t a apart of the Royals’ plans. They plan to march into Opening Day with Ragans firmly in their rotation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n