Ken Rosenthal reveals worrying outfield reality Royals fans were dreading to hear

The plight of every Royals fan seems to reveal itself every offseason. Even when things are at their best and this team is competing, like they are now, at the end of the day this a smaller market team who's budget doesn't always have the means to support the fanbase's big dreams.

Unfortunately, almost as if it's clockwork, the Royals limited budget seems like it could be interfering with offseason plans already.

On Sunday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic shared his insights before the Winter Meetings really got underway and that included the Royals' outfield search.

While it was no surprise that he revealed they weren't in on the two giants of the outfield free agent market in Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger, he also mentioned that a name that might've once been considered an attainable free agent option could be off the table as well.

"They might also be priced out of the top player on the next tier of free agents, Harrison Bader, who is said to be expecting a three-year deal," Rosenthal wrote.

Could the Royals be settling in their offseason outfield search already?

The fact that Bader is coveted on market this winter should come as a surprise to nobody considering how shallow the outfield free agent field is and how strong a 2025 season he had.

Between the Twins and the Phillies last season, Bader slashed .277/..347/.449 with 17 HR, 54 RBI and a 122 wRC+. Along with that he played excellent defense between center field and in the corners, posting 13 DRS, 6 OAA and a 5 FRV.

However, Bader doesn't come without his risks. He'll be entering his age-32 season having just had his first above-average year at the plate since 2021 in St. Louis. This is why a smaller market team like the Royals may've thought they had a shot to not necessarily buy low on Bader, but land a guy who just showed his strong potential despite having his flaws and shortcomings in recent years too.

A three-year deal may seem a bit steep for a player like this, but given his 2025 season, it doesn't seem like an egregious length in today's market.

Bader isn't the be-all-end-all for the Royals by any means. There are plenty of avenues Kansas City could take whether that be through free agency or the trade market.

However, if Rosenthal is right and the Royals want to "add two outfielders, one through free agency and the other through trade," then beyond Bader, the free agent options look far less game-changing, with the other names he listed as potential target being Mike Yastrzemski, Adolis García, Max Kepler and Mike Tauchman.

While all of those names would be leaps and bounds better than a majority of the outfielders the Royals deployed in 2025, they too have cause for concern and the feeling of settling suddenly feels to be rearing its ugly head.

The offseason is still young and perhaps the Royals do make a run at Bader like other insiders such as Jon Heyman suggest they're interested in doing.

But the fact some of the industry's biggest insiders are saying the Royals could already out on what seemed to be a gettable free agent is not what Royals fans want to hear - especially so early in the offseason.