{"id":2218926,"date":"2026-01-01T15:11:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T15:11:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2218926"},"modified":"2026-01-01T15:11:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T15:11:18","slug":"a-position-by-position-comparison-of-the-royals-if-the-offseason-ended-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/a-position-by-position-comparison-of-the-royals-if-the-offseason-ended-today\/","title":{"rendered":"A position-by-position comparison of the Royals if the offseason ended today"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n
\n

The calendar has just now turned to 2026, and while the offseason is technically still ongoing, it sure seems like the Kansas City Royals\u2019 roster is pretty close to being set barring a gigantic trade that seems less likely by the day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Some positions will be similar. Some will be different. So let\u2019s take an early stab at what each position group will look like compared to last year, a phrase that I can finally say in earnest. Players listed have accrued roughly 50 or more innings at the position.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
    \n
  • 2025: Salvador Perez (starter), Freddy Fermin, Luke Maile, Carter Jensen<\/span><\/li>\n
  • 2026: Salvador Perez (starter), Carter Jensen, Luca Tresh<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
    \n

    The league, the Royals, and fans alike still see Salvy as a catcher. But Salvy is walking down the well-trodden path of older catchers: he\u2019s catching less and less. In 2023, Salvy started a game at first base or as the designated hitter in 35% of his games. But in both 2024 and 2025, that figure was about 41%.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \n

    So while Perez remains the undisputed starting catcher for the Royals, it\u2019s entirely possible that he spends half of his playing time doing things other than being behind the dish. Carter Jensen\u2019s success is really the key behind that happening. I also think there\u2019s a decent chance the Royals carry a third catcher for a good chunk of the season; that could be Tresh, but it could be a vet like Luke Maile, too.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \n
      \n
    • 2025: Vinnie Pasquantino (starter), Salvador Perez, Cavan Biggio<\/span><\/li>\n
    • 2026: Vinnie Pasquantino (starter), Salvador Perez, Jac Caglianone<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
      \n

      Caglianone actually didn\u2019t play much first base last year (only 25 innings), and I don\u2019t think that he\u2019ll get much time there this year, either. Vinnie has it covered from the left side of the plate, and as already mentioned Salvy could end up playing first even more than last year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

      \n
        \n
      • 2025: Michael Massey (starter), Jonathan India, Adam Frazier, Maikel Garcia<\/span><\/li>\n
      • 2026: Jonathan India (starter), Michael Massey, Isaac Collins<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
        \n

        Technically speaking, India had the most innings at second base among all Royals last year. But Massey was the one at second on Opening Day, and the Royals do really seem to like Massey there even if it is a factor in his recurrent back injuries.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

        \n

        India\u2019s defensive time at third base and the outfield could generously be called \u201cadventurous\u201d last year, and the Royals have already indicated that plopping him at second and calling it a day. I expect Massey to be the defensive replacement in close games, and his left-handed bat could make an appearance as a pinch-hitter for India.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

        \n
          \n
        • 2025: Maikel Garcia (starter), Jonathan India, Nick Loftin<\/span><\/li>\n
        • 2026: Maikel Garcia (starter), Michael Massey, Tyler Tolbert <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
          \n

          Garcia just won a Gold Glove at third base. Can he play effectively elsewhere? Yes. But there\u2019s no reason for him not to be there, especially considering that the Royals don\u2019t really have a backup third baseman on the roster, at least not really.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

          \n

          Why Massey as the backup, then? I think Massey\u2019s clearest path to sticking on this Royals roster is as a utility player. He looked comfortable in the outfield last year, and while his arm isn\u2019t great at third base, he\u2019d be rangy enough. Massey\u2019s outlook as a utility guy with some pop is a totally different one than as a starting player.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

          \n
            \n
          • 2025: Bobby Witt Jr. (starter), Maikel Garcia<\/span><\/li>\n
          • 2026: Bobby Witt Jr. (starter), Maikel Garcia<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
            \n

            Witt also won a Gold Glove. He\u2019s the best shortstop in baseball. His backup is Garcia, who probably could win a Gold Glove at short, too. No change.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

            \n
              \n
            • 2025: Drew Waters, John Rave, Nick Loftin, Jonathan India, Adam Frazier, Mark Canha, MJ Melendez, Michael Massey, Randal Grichuk<\/span><\/li>\n
            • 2026: Isaac Collins (starter), Michael Massey, Lane Thomas<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
              \n

              That\u2019s right: Kansas City had 13 players play at least 10 innings in left field last year, with nine of them playing at least 83 innings. Rave started the most games out of anyone at\u202626. What a bloodbath.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

              \n

              Collins has played all around the diamond, and he could make appearances in the infield and outfield this season. But he played the vast majority of time at left field for the Brewers last year, and as a switch-hitter, he is poised to take the starting job with minimal platoon tomfoolery.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

              \n

              I just don\u2019t think many of the Royals\u2019 2025 left fielders will play much, or at all, this season. The vets are gone, and if Waters, Rave, or Loftin would have become difference makers, it would have happened already.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

              \n
                \n
              • 2025: Kyle Isbel (starter), Drew Waters, Tyler Tolbert<\/span><\/li>\n
              • 2026: Kyle Isbel (starter), Lane Thomas, Tyler Tolbert<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
                \n

                Isbel is an excellent defensive center fielder who has been a bit overexposed due to Kansas City\u2019s lack of outfield depth around him. Thomas is the perfect complement to Isbel as a competent center fielder who hits lefties. Matt Quatraro ought to play this as a by-the-books platoon situation, and it should result in better overall production.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

                \n
                  \n
                • 2025: Jac Caglianone (starter), Mike Yastrzemski, Hunter Renfroe, John Rave, Drew Waters, Randal Grichuk, Mark Canha<\/span><\/li>\n
                • 2026: Jac Caglianone (starter), Lane Thomas, Isaac Collins, Tyler Tolbert<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
                  \n

                  Right field was also a mess last year, in no small part because the Royals also didn\u2019t have anyone who could field the position adequately. Cags, Renfroe, Grichuk, and Canha were all quite bad.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

                  \n

                  Will Cags be a bad fielder this season? Almost assuredly, yeah, let\u2019s be honest. But if he was simply less bad and if his bat was good, you\u2019d take it. When Cags isn\u2019t playing in the outfield, it seems like it\u2019ll be a smorgasbord of players, just like it was last year. I suspect the Royals would also be interested in platooning Thomas with Cags, but that makes way less sense than platooning him with Isbel and Thomas can only play one position at a time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

                  \n

                  Potential Opening Day roster<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
                  \n

                  If the offseason ended today and the Royals carried 13 position players, I think this is what the Opening Day roster would look like:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

                  \n
                    \n
                  • Catchers<\/strong>: Perez (R), Jensen (L), Tresh (R)<\/span><\/li>\n
                  • Infielders<\/strong>: Pasquantino (L), India (R), Garcia (R), Witt (R)<\/span><\/li>\n
                  • Outfielders<\/strong>: Collins (S), Thomas (R), Isbel (L), Caglianone (L)<\/span><\/li>\n
                  • Utility<\/strong>: Massey (L), Tolbert (R)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
                    \n

                    If the Royals don\u2019t carry Tresh or another third catcher, they\u2019ll probably carry another outfielder, and should the Royals acquire somebody before Spring Training that\u2019s where the roster spot would come from. If they stick with what they\u2019ve got, it could be Kameron Misner, or it could be John Rave or Nick Loftin\u2013it just depends on the health of everyone else and what the Royals think they\u2019d need.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

                    \n

                    Should<\/em> the Royals stick with what they\u2019ve got, at least on the position player side? I think they probably can. Acquiring another outfielder would be the only other move that would help, because they\u2019re set throughout the infield and at catcher. We\u2019ll see what happens in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

                    \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

                    \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.royalsreview.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                    The calendar has just now turned to 2026, and while the offseason is technically still ongoing, it sure seems like the Kansas City Royals\u2019 roster is pretty close to being set barring a gigantic trade that seems less likely by the day. Some positions will be similar. Some will be different. So let\u2019s take an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2218927,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[342647],"class_list":["post-2218926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-royalty","tag-royals-analysis"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/A-position-by-position-comparison-of-the-Royals-if-the-offseason-ended.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2218926","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2218926"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2218926\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2218928,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2218926\/revisions\/2218928"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2218927"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2218926"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2218926"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2218926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}