Royals fans will hope latest free agency rumor isn't a sign of dangerous complacency

The Winter Meetings are upon us and that means the rumors and reports will be coming in quickly and in abundance.

Kansas City has already been well represented in this year's rumor mill, having some glaring offensive needs to fill while having a surplus of valuable starting pitching to offer other teams.

While it's the trade market that's been at the center of conversations in the Royals sphere over the past week or so, Kansas City cannot afford to simply forget about the free agent market.

And entering the Winter Meetings, it doesn't appear the the Royals are. According to Jaylon Thompson of the Kansas City Star, the team seems to be intrigued by a reunion with two of their trade deadline acquisitions in 2025; outfielder Mike Yastrzemski and utility man Adam Frazier.

"The Royals could decide to re-sign both Mike Yastrzemski and Adam Frazier at some point during the offseason," Thompson wrote. "Both players were vocal leaders in the clubhouse and thrived as midseason acquisitions."

Thompson is completely accurate in his assessment of Yastrzemski and Frazier and what they meant to the Royals last season.

However, the fact that of the recent Royals rumors coming out, this seems like it's one of the more concrete ones - rather than a mock trade or an insider pitching a fit, and if that's the case it's a bit worrying that this is level of move they're already considering with a largely full market still at their disposal.

Royals' early interest in depth level hitters like Mike Yastrzemski and Adam Frazier could spell another offseason of complacency

As Thompson pointed out, these two thrived after getting their move to the Royals. Yastrzemski posted an .839 OPS and 127 wRC+ with a nine homers, a 13.4% walk rate and just an 11.8% strikeout rate. And Frazier looked far more average and like a strong bench bat with a .283 AVG, .722 OPS and 98 wRC+.

However, with all due respect to both of these names, they're more depth options than they are needle-moving bats.

Yastrzemski is solely a left-handed platoon option in the corner outfield while Frazier is an aging utility bench bat that hasn't produced an above-average offensive output since the first half of the 2021 season.

Depth is something they need to address this winter, that's not up for debate here. However, as Jack Johnson of the Locked on Royals Podcast put it, it's not their No. 1 priority.

"Very confident resigning those two would not prevent the Royals from getting their everyday outfield bat," Johnson wrote on X on Sunday. "That is the No. 1 priority. Depth, however, is very important too."

After the offseason of complacency they had last winter when it came to their outfield - where a Mark Canha trade late in Spring Training marked their biggest addition in that area - the likelihood the Royals opt to exercise this route of complacency seems slim.

As Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported they already seem to have their sights set on what they want.

"The Royals’ preference, according to people briefed on their discussions, is to add two outfielders, one through free agency and the other through trade," Rosenthal wrote.

However, with all their offensive woes, the worry here is that perhaps pursuing these platoon/depth moves this early could encroach on the front office's focus for larger profile starting-caliber targets.

Names like Yastrzemski and Frazier are largely more available than names like Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu or Harrison Bader, who once their gone, the quality of available names really diminishes.

If their number one priority is outfield help, make that the place you start and take advantage of that the Winter Meetings while in close proximity with other team's executives. Then, let the cards play out as they will and build out the bench after you're more confident in your starting nine.

Because as much as Yastrzemski and Frazier would be valued pieces in this lineup again in 2026, it would be far easier to sleep at night if you were miss out on them as result of pursuing higher-caliber names, rather than the other way around.