Royals may have an easier road back to contention in 2027 than fans think

The 2026 season has been a disappointing one for the Kansas City Royals. With less than ten games to go in the season, Kansas City will likely finish as the third-worst team in the American League this season. They will barely get to 70 wins and will have missed the playoffs for the 10th time in 11 seasons.

That all sounds very depressing, and it's a hard pill to swallow after making the playoffs in 2024 and still winning 82 games in 2025, only four worse than the season before. That doesn't mean this team needs to hit the reset, though.

Not only does Kansas City have one of baseball's best players in Bobby Witt Jr., but a core of young players has emerged around him on the offensive side of the ball. Jac Caglianone started to put the pieces together, showed off his draft pedigree, and Carter Jensen is having one of the best seasons ever for a Royals rookie. They still have Maikel Garcia and Vinny Pasquantino, who both dealt with injuries this season, too.

Taking a forecast of 2027 AL Central should brighten the spirits of Royals fans

What's also going to be a major help to the Royals' 2027 chances is just how weak the AL Central has become. Despite being almost 20 games under .500, the Royals were only mathematically eliminated from playoff contention on September 16. While obviously the hopes of the playoffs had died well before that, it just goes to show how poor the teams in the AL Central have been this season.

Some may say this season is a fluke, that one team will take hold of the division next season, but when taking a dive into the other teams, it's hard to say that. The Cleveland Guardians don't spend a lot of money to fix their flaws, and the Detroit Tigers lost one of the best pitchers in baseball. The Minnesota Twins bought at the deadline and still fell away because of their flaws, and the Chicago White Sox need to actually supplement their young core, which they haven't shown they will.

It won't take much for the Royals to get themselves to a spot where they can be competitive next season. A few reinforcements here and there can be all they need to bounce back and take control of the division.

The Royals have young players already taking steps forward; they dealt with injuries to key offensive players, and having one of the best players in the game never hurts. This team can get to the top of the division in 2027.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow