Complete list of Royals free agents heading into the 2026-27 offseason

With the offseason upon us, the Kansas City Royals should be preparing for a busy winter. The 2026 season didn't go quite to plan, but they may not be as far away from the playoffs as their record suggests. As a young core emerges around Bobby Witt Jr., the Royals need to take action to supplement them with playoff-ready veterans.

Of course, to do that, Kansas City will need to clear roster space. The first place open roster spots will come from is players reaching free agency. When contracts end, it is very easy for a team to just let a player they no longer want head elsewhere and open up a roster spot free of charge.

Teams will opt to try to re-sign some of their free agents, but generally, a few spots will open in this process. Here is every impending free agent on Kansas City's current roster.

Complete list of Royals free agents heading into the 2026-27 offseason

Jonathan India

When the Royals acquired the 2021 NL Rookie of the Year, the hope was that he was going to add umph to the lineup. Jonathan India had a .764 OPS in his four years with Cincinnati and averaged about 25 doubles, 15 home runs, and 60 walks per season. Even though his seasons two through four weren't close to his rookie campaign, he still looked like a promising bat to add to the lineup.

Unfortunately, he underperformed heavily in his first season in Kansas City, and then injuries limited him to just 17 games in his second year. The primary second baseman has had his position at second base usurped by Michael Massey, and as he heads into free agency, he'll likely be finding a new home elsewhere in 2027. The trade just never worked out.

Matt Strahm

The 34-year-old reliever was another failed trade acquisition for the Royals. After being worth almost 7 WAR as a reliever during his three seasons in Philadelphia, Kansas City acquired him for back end of the bullpen help. He was then abysmal for the Royals this season.

The lefty posted a 7.32 ERA across 41 appearances for K.C. this season. Matt Strahm allowed almost 10 hits per nine, three home runs per nine innings, and over three walks per nine, while his strikeouts fell from over 10 to under eight per nine. He was worth -1.3 WAR for the Royals before being optioned to the minors in August. He will certainly not be returning.

Craig Kimbrel

The Royals were Craig Kimbrel's third team this season by the time he signed in August. He pitched 13 times for Kansas City, posting a 3.65 ERA with eight strikeouts in 12⅓ innings. The former All-Star closer has been bouncing around the league looking for major league opportunities, and if the Royals can't promise him a major league spot, he likely heads into free agency once again.

Luke Maile

Kansas City's third strong catcher played just 16 games this season after being called up in early July. Luke Maile had a .537 OPS and -0.2 WAR, but three of his seven hits were extra-base hits. Maile didn't sign back with the Royals until spring training, and that's the likely route if they want to bring him back again for next season.

Tony Gonsolin

The Royals signed Tony Gonsolin in August as he made his way back from internal brace surgery in 2025. He started in Triple-A and finally got his call-up on September 21. It was a rough first outing for the righty, as he allowed five earned runs in 2⅔ innings.

Gonsolin was dominant in the past, even getting an All-Star bid in 2022, though injuries have derailed his career. If the Royals think they can help the 32-year-old get back to form next season, they could look to resign him.

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