Royals GM hints at franchise-altering opt-out motivating team's offseason strategy

While they haven't been the most jaw-dropping moves so far, no one can say the Kansas City Royals haven't been active to start the offseason.

Along with extending the contract of their captain Salvador Perez, they Royals have also pulled off a pair of minor trades, acquiring outfielder Kameron Misner from the Rays and then adding right-hander Mason Black from the Giants the following day.

And perhaps this just a sign of things to come. The Royals have been linked to numerous big names on both the free agent a trade markets already with the hopes of returning to the postseason in 2026.

As MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reported on Wednesday though, the Royals upgrading interests this year may have a larger scope than just 2026.

You see, the Royals are almost two years removed from extending their franchise cornerstone in Bobby Witt Jr. to an 11-year mega-extension. However, like many contracts these days, Bobby Witt Jr. has an opt-out in his deal in 2030 and then every year after that until 2034.

This means that the Royals have four more guaranteed years of Witt in Kansas City, and as Feninsand reports, GM J.J. Picollo seems determined to maximize their competitive window.

Bobby Witt Jr.'s 2030 opt-out could be a motivating factor in Royals' 2026 offseason

When asked if there was a sense of urgency caused by Witt's opt-outs for the Royals to contend, Picollo pushed back slightly, using the term "awareness" rather than "urgency".

"I don't know if I would use the word urgency, but there's an awareness that we feel like we are in a window right now," Picollo said to Feinsand. "Our goal is to extend that window beyond 2030, but we're in a window where we have one of the best players in the game."

"We have to build around him to help us achieve what we want to achieve, but we're in that window where the expectations are a little bit higher," Picollo said.

And this feeling of awareness makes a lot of sense, four years is a pretty significant timeframe in the grand scheme of things where a lot can happen. However the time to contend seems to be now for Kansas City, as Picollo would later mention that he felt the Royals were in a place to contend in the postseason this past year.

"We didn't assume we were going to be in the playoffs, but it felt like at times we played like we thought we were a playoff team – then we found out we weren't," Picollo said. "Hopefully we grow and learn from it."

So, where will that improvement and investment come this winter to capitalize on their competitive window?

Well the Royals have numerous needs, but one spot that the Royals GM mentioned was an area they were looking was the outfield, in both corners in particular, according to Feinsand.

"The Royals are focused on the outfield market, looking to add a left fielder – ideally one who can play every day – and a right-handed bat who can complement the left-handed hitting Jac Caglianone in right field," Feinsand wrote.

Now, all that's left for Royals fans to do is wait and see just how much being "aware" of Witt's looming opt-outs impacts this winter's decisions from their brain trust.