3 way-too-early but realistic outfield targets for KC Royals in 2026 MLB free agency

The Kansas City Royals may only be 23 games into the 2025 season, but one thing is for sure, their outfield has been their foremost glaring weakness to this point. Their outfield unit sits dead-last in MLB in wRC+ (45), AVG (.184) and OPS (.504), tied for last in home runs (3) and second-to-last in RBI (13).

Hunter Renfroe and the now demoted MJ Melendez's struggles have been well documented, Kyle Isbel has erased his solid start and reverted back into the defense-first outfielder, and the likes of Drew Waters and Tyler Tolbert are more "Quadruple-A" type talents right now if anything. The only name that the Royals have really been able to hang their hat on this year has been Mark Canha, who's unfortunately yet to play more games than days he's spent on the injured list.

It's been an outfield that can only be described as a "patch-job", with a series of middling to underwhelming major league talent being forced to try and produce something worthwhile.

Despite the Royals reportedly making an offer to one of the big name outfield free agents this past winter in Anthony Santander, they've never really been the type of team to really make big splashes on the open market. This essentially eliminates the Kyle Tucker's of the world coming to Kansas City.

With this in mind, while they likely won't break the bank for an outfielder, they also can't afford to have an outfield this unproductive when they have postseason aspirations, meaning affordable reinforcements could be the way to go for this team.

3 way-too-early realistic outfield targets for KC Royals in 2025-26 MLB free agency

Mike Yastrzemski

Yastrzemski might not be a spring chicken, as he'll be 35 by the time free agency roles around, but that could come into the Royals favor when it comes to affordability in a contract.

His age would make him cheaper than the higher-caliber targets, but Yastrzemski can still make a more than positive impact in the lineup. So far through 19 games in 2025, he's off to quite the start, hitting .279 with a .930 OPS and 161 wRC+.

While these numbers may not be sustainable, Yastrzemski is a career 113 wRC+ hitter with an equally respectable .240 AVG and .783 OPS. His worst season at the plate has been a 99 wRC+ in 2022, which even that slightly below average clip would be a refreshing breath of fresh air compared to the majority of underwhelming names they role out on a regular basis now.

At his age profile and string of above average seasons at the plate, it draws a lot of similarities to the Canha acquisition the Royals pulled off before the season. And that's worked out well so far to begin the year.

Cedric Mullins

With the amount of outfield depth, especially young talent, that are currently battling for playing time in Baltimore has made Cedric Mullins feel like an odd man out for awhile now.

Despite that though, Mullins has been a consitent above average contributor at the plate, as a career 110 wRC+ bat, with a .253 AVG, .754 OPS and a strikeout rate under 20% (19.7%). And from a short-term point of view, you can't get much better than the torrid pace he's started 2025 off with. Through 19 games, the 30-year-old center fielder has a 217 wRC+ with six HR, 19 RBI and a .290/.443/.661 slash line.

Like Yastrzemski, the odds of Mullins keeping up this pace of the course of the entire 2025 campaign is slim, but with three of his last four seasons entering 2025 being above average seasons at the plate, he has the recent track record to be quite the addition for a contending team in need of a center field upgrade.

While he may not be the cheaper one-year candidate that other names on this list might be due to his age profile, the odds of him demanding the same type of contract the Royals offered to his former teammate in Santander this past winter are slim, making this deal realistic, even if it does end up a bit pricier than Royals fans have been used to in the past.

Mark Canha

The age old saying goes "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" and that's the best way to describe the Royals and Mark Canha at the moment.

The 36-year-old has been a god-send for this team since arriving at the 11th hour of the offseason. Through his first seven games, he was hitting to the tune of a 184 wRC+, and after a clutch 2-for-4 night in his return from the IL on Sunday afternoon, his stats saw an even further boost, with a slash line now at .376/.489/.500. He's also offered a bit of positional versatility by being able to play both the corner outfield and first base.

Now, like both Yastrzemski and Mullins, a red-hot start like this is likely temporary. However, Canha's a career 115 wRC+ hitter with a .250 AVG, .763 OPS and a double-digit walk rate of 10.1%. For the past seven seasons entering 2025, the veteran journeyman has always finished above an above average 100 wRC+ mark.

While the journeyman aspect can be considered a downside in some cases, it can also be of value to some organizations, as a track record like Canha's shows he's been able to be a solid contributor regardless of his surroundings. The fact he's also a Royal now though, and by the end of the season would already be well acquainted with the confines of Kauffman Stadium, is another plus.

If Canha plays at a strong rate this year, even with his age-profile, he'll certainly be worth well more than the $1.4 million he's getting paid this season, but he also won't break the bank over a long-term contract, again given his age.