4 Royals offseason decisions that look awful as 2026 contending window fades

When the Royals’ 2025 season concluded, it was obvious what they needed to do to improve their 26-man roster. The outfield was a black hole for them all season, and they could not go any further with below-average replacement-level production. They also wanted to upgrade a bullpen that was 29th in K/9 (7.76) in 2025. Royals general manager J.J. Piccolo went to work on the phones, trying to bring in fresh talent to an organization on the doorstep of the postseason.

While there was not much free-agent money flowing from the Royals, you could tell they had a strategy of low-cost, low-risk moves that could pay dividends if the stars aligned. And Picollo felt confident in the winter months in the offseason business he and the front office had conducted.

"We do like the moves that we’ve made thus far," Picollo said to media in January. "We think we’ve raised the floor of our team, and we know that we’re going to continue to mature as a team."

Unfortunately the receipts have been kept and Picollo might have buyer's remorse over certain offseason moves that just haven’t moved the needle after all.

Lane Thomas hasn't been the bounce-back candidate many hoped he'd be

You could see the writing on the wall with this move. Lane Thomas was plagued by injuries in 2025 and never got into a rhythm. His play has been on the decline for a few years, and finally hit its precipice when he was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis at the end of last year. This opened the door for the Royals to take a chance on him as a right-handed bat with power and speed potential.

The eight-year vet is still capable of changing the game with his speed and his glove, even at the ripe age of 30.Sure, the cost made sense. At one year and $5.25 million, Thomas came on the low end of the OF market. The Royals desperately needed right-handed power, and Thomas is not that far removed from a 28-homer season in 2023.

He just hasn’t worked out at the plate to warrant regular starts if there isn’t a left-handed pitcher on the mound. His lefty splits look great (.268/.436/.390), but his numbers against right-handers (the majority of the league) just won’t cut it in the majors. If not for his walk-off win against the Angels on April 26, there would be no redeeming qualities surrounding his Royals tenure.

The team needed an impact bat that could fit in the middle of the order, and in return, they got replacement-level production in a limited window to address their outfield concern.

Nick Mears' strong start has completely withered in away for Royals in May

There’s not much to say about Nick Mears other than it hasn’t worked out for him in Kansas City. The Brewers were willing to part ways with Mears and outfielder Isaac Collins in exchange for Angel Zerpa last winter.

Mears showed good elite chase capability in 2025 for Milwaukee with a 93rd percentile chase rate. His fastball velocity averaged 95.4 mph, and he rarely walked people with 6.3 BB%. He hasn’t been able to repeat those numbers so far for Kansas City, and is shaping up to be another disappointing attempt to bolster the bullpen.

Mears looked good for the first 5 innings of his Royals career, but a passed ball against the Tigers on April 14 was foreshadowing the type of season he would endure. He took the loss that day but was able to bounce back, finishing April with a 2.70 ERA and 8 strikeouts in 10 innings pitched (his 6 walks were still a major concern).

Once the calendar hit May, Mears couldn’t find his footing. He’s allowed runs in four of his last five outings and hits in all but two of his nine appearances. His 50.9% hard-hit rate is in the bottom 2% of the league. He was moved to the 15-day IL on Friday with right shoulder impingement, making his season in Royal blue even more frustrating.

Mitch Spence hasn't been reassuring after questionable decision to trade for him

The Royals got Spence from the Athletics, and it was a head-scratcher at the time. It still doesn’t make a ton of sense now. I understand wanting to have pitching depth, but they didn’t have to move a player like A.J. Causey to do so. Causey flew under the radar at the beginning of 2025 as a fifth-round pick in 2024, but flexed his potential moving from High-A to Double-A in one year.

He posted a 1.56 ERA in 40.1 innings at Quad Cities and a 1.91 ERA in 33 innings at Northwest Arkansas. He worked exclusively out of the bullpen, but was nails in his appearances. And this season, he’s continuing his dominance in Double-A for the Midland Rockhounds and making the Royals look foolish for trading him. His 1.42 ERA in 18 innings would rank inside the top 15 of the Texas League if he qualified.

If you haven’t noticed, this section is all about A.J. Causey because Mitch Spence hasn’t given us much to discuss. He was erratic as a starter in 2024, with a 4.58 ERA and 1.38 WHIP, and wasn’t any better in 2025, when he split time between starter and reliever (5.10 ERA and 1.44 WHIP in 84.2 innings).

So, it’s no surprise that he hasn’t been able to put it together in Omaha or Kansas City. In his one appearance with the Royals this year, he relieved Noah Cameron in a matchup with the Yankees on April 18 and gave up 6 earned runs in 4 innings, walking 5. And his last start in Triple-A, where allowed 13 earned runs in three innings, didn't leave the best impression either.

Just a brutal trade that the A’s clearly won.

The homecoming of Alex Lange has backfired on the Royals in 2026

Another example of the Royals signing an injured player, hoping and wishing for production. Lange started 2025 on the 60-day IL with a right lat strain and made just one appearance for the Tigers last season. Lange has the tools to be a feared high-leverage arm in the back end of the bullpen.

Over five seasons with the Tigers, he recorded 29 saves in 196 appearances while striking out 222 batters in 184.2 innings pitched. His best year was 2023, when he recorded 26 saves and had a 3.63 ERA in 66 innings pitched.

Lange has not looked anything like that player with the Royals. As a small-market team, I get the urge to take chances on players who suffered injuries and could be buy-low candidates, especially ones who are hometown natives.

It’s rarely worked out for the Royals though in this case, and Lange is just another name added to the list of failed reclamation projects. He’s been a frustrating watch, especially given his fastball sits in the mid- to upper-90s, and he has decent strikeout numbers (8.51 K/9).

It’s the walk rate that kills him—every time.

Even in his best season, he had a walk rate over 15%. He’s typically been a pitcher that misses bats and forces chase, but that hasn’t been the case this year. His barrel rate puts him in the bottom 2% of baseball, and his 12.6 walk rate isn’t getting it done either.

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