Offseason roadmap Royals must avoid during November pre-lockout frenzy 

It has been over a decade since the Kansas City Royals won their last World Series title in 2015. Since reaching the pinnacle of the baseball world, the club has had a very trying time attempting to get back there. Despite having one of the game's greatest players on its current roster, the Royals have only clinched a playoff berth once in those 11 years. A large reason for that has been the team’s uninspired approach to the offseason in recent years. If the Royals want to succeed in 2027, they will have to toss out their old offseason roadmap and head in a new direction. 

The Royals have a very bright future ahead of them. The team already boasts an amazing core of young, talented players that should stick around for the foreseeable future. Besides becoming Silver Slugger finalists in 2026, Bobby Witt Jr., Carter Jensen, and Jac Caglianone all still have room to grow as ballplayers. And with a fresh crop of prospects developing in the Royals minor league system, the team will be able to inject new talent into the lineup very soon. 

The only problem is that the injection of new talent may still be another year or two away. That makes next season something of a gap year for the Royals. The stench of a failed 2026 season still lingers in the air while fans eagerly anticipate the arrival of young studs like pitcher Kendry Chourio and outfielder Angeibel Gomez down the road. If the Royals would like to find a way to bridge the gap between them and the Cleveland Guardians, they will have a few mistakes they must desperately avoid making this offseason.     

The Royals will continue to regress in 2027 if they follow this worn-out roadmap 

Refusing to take a chance on a big signing 

The Royals had the 18th-highest luxury tax bill in Major League Baseball in 2026. That roughly puts them in the middle of the pack when it comes to the team's payroll. Not great, not terrible. However, that means that Royals general manager J.J. Picollo has to be smart with the team's budget. Unlike other teams with deep pockets and money to burn, the Royals can't really afford to go out and splurge like there's no tomorrow. 

With that said, the Royals will have to aggressively pursue at least one of the bigger names in free agency at some point if they want to take the team to the next level. Obviously, Tarik Skubal will be well out of the team's price range, but taking a chance on a pitcher like Michael King could pay off in the long run. Adding King to the rotation would net the Royals a bona fide ace and provide the team with an exciting arm. If Picollo is unable to land another standout pitcher this offseason, the Royals could be facing another long season in 2027.  

Settling for another average outfielder 

Over the last few seasons, the Royals have settled for an outfield that fails to provide significant value to the team. With the emergence of Caglianone, the team does have a budding superstar who can change the outcome of a game with one swing of the bat. But Caglianone can't carry the outfield all by himself. The Royals won't be able to succeed if they continue getting subpar offensive production from two-thirds of the outfield. 

Picollo attempted to address the issue with the outfield last offseason with the acquisition of outfielder Isaac Collins from the Milwaukee Brewers. But after putting up an 82 OPS+ season in 442 at-bats for the Royals in 2026, Collins proved to be yet another misstep. The addition of Starling Marte also provided negative value in the limited time that he was actually able to play. The Royals will need to add a competent outfielder this offseason, or they will be doomed to repeat their disappointing 2026 season. 

Not properly addressing the bullpen

On a similar note, the Royals failed to add enough pitching depth last offseason to sustain the rash of injuries that tore through the team in 2026. Granted, the injury bug was particularly vicious, taking out pitchers like Cole Ragans, Carlos Estévez, Luinder Avila, and Stephen Kolek. However, there was an obvious gap in talent when several Royals pitchers were thrown into new roles. Once Estévez was placed in the IL in April, the bullpen quickly fell apart. 

After being the Royals' strongest reliever all season, Daniel Lynch IV was thrown back into the rotation in the second half of the season. With a 6.53 ERA in 10 starts in 2026, Lynch struggled mightily as a starter. The same could be said about Lucas Erceg and Alex Lange, who each failed to fill in for Estévez as the team's closer. With Estévez no longer on the team and the fates of Erceg and Lange in question, the Royals can't head into 2027 without signing at least two mid-tier relievers. If Picollo looks to save money on the bullpen, next season could be even more of a disaster. 

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