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Kansas City Royals general manager J.J. Picollo referred to the holiday season \u2014 which encompasses the short stint of Christmas to New Year\u2019s Day \u2014 as a quiet time within MLB circles.<\/p>\n
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There isn\u2019t significant news most years. Many teams use the period to further evaluate rosters<\/a> as the calendar flips to January.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The same can be said for this offseason. Top free agents Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, Cody Bellinger and Bo Bichette are still available. Teams are still interested in prime trade targets such as Jarren Duran and Brendan Donovan.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It\u2019s a calm period for the Royals. Picollo did his work early by acquiring Isaac Collins, Lane Thomas, Nick Mears and Matt Strahm this offseason. The Royals also signed Salvador Perez<\/a> and Maikel Garcia to contract extensions<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n That said … it doesn\u2019t mean the Royals are done. They are content with their roster \u2014 which has a raised floor \u2014 but are still open to making a last-minute move.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In layman\u2019s terms: The Royals are window shopping.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s still been ongoing conversations about acquisitions of players,\u201d Picollo told reporters via Zoom on Monday. \u201cBut as we said, I think after our last trade, you know, we are in a position where we will continue to make our team better. I don\u2019t know what shape or size or form that will come in or what position that\u2019ll be. But you know, there\u2019s going to be activity through the months of January and February. So we are just going to stay on top of it.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Royals can afford to take a wait-and-see approach late in the offseason. The club already addressed its outfield needs and added veteran depth in the bullpen. The Royals, notably, didn\u2019t trade from their surplus of starting pitching.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It\u2019s likely the top free agents will sign in the upcoming weeks. However, the Royals could be interested in adding a veteran utility player at the right price.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n On the trade front, the Royals are linked to both Duran and Donovan<\/a>. Both have a high asking price, which could make a deal unlikely.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Still, Picollo remains content with the current roster.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe are in a better spot than when we ended the season,\u201d Picollo said. \u201cWe managed to keep all of our pitching so far. That\u2019s a great thing, as always, you want pitching. We will see what January and February brings. A long time until opening day. We\u2019ve got three full months until opening day, so we will see what can happen. But I can tell you that we will continue to look to make the team better.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n