Royals Rumors: KC viewed as surprising dark horse for star free agent after opt-out

Thriving MLB stars signing deals with options in the middle or at the tail-end of them has become a common occurrence in recent years. So to has those stars exercising those options to test the free agent waters at more frequent pace.

So, when news broke on Tuesday night that Alex Bregman would be exercising his opt-out in the contract he inked with the Boston Red Sox this past winter, it shouldn't have come as a shock to many.

After all, apart from a midseason injury, the veteran third baseman looked every bit the superstar the Red Sox hoped he'd be when they signed him. He was instrumental in their return to the postseason, slashing .273/.360/.462 with 18 HR, 62 RBI and a 125 wRC+, which saw him get his first All-Star nod since 2019.

What was a surprise though was the suitors that were named a potential landing spots. The heavy hitters like the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs and Detroit Tigers were named, as per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, but the big shocker were that the Kansas City Royals were also mentioned.

Royals shockingly named as potential suitor for star third baseman Alex Bregman

The four aforementioned suitors aside from the Royals make a lot of sense. All of them were playoff contenders in 2025 and most have a need for a third baseman to a varying degree.

The Royals however, may've mustered an over .500 record but ended up ultimately falling short of the postseason mark and have one of game's most promising third baseman already in Maikel Garcia.

Kansas City certainly has a need for bats and a high-profile name like Bregman would certainly scratch that itch. This past season, the team finished tied for 22nd in wRC+, tied for 19th in OPS and 26th in runs scored, RBI and home runs.

Where he'd play though if the Royals were to pull a deal off for Bregman remains somewhat a mystery. Garcia has proved to be one of MLB's best third baseman on both sides of the ball with a 5.6 fWAR campaign. He was a 121 wRC+ hitter and was just named a finalist for his first career Gold Glove on Wednesday.

It will likely be hard for Garcia to consider moving off the third base role in KC and he'd certainly have the right to believe he's deserving of keeping his current role. And perhaps his recent recent response to potentially being favored less than other candidates for the starting third base job for Team Venezuela in the upcoming 2026 World Baseball Classic could foreshadow what his feeling would be if the Royals were to consider repositioning him next year for Bregman

That being said, having appeared at shortstop, second base, the corner outfield and center field in 2025, Garcia does have the experience to warrant such a position change.

However, so to does Bregman. If you can remember back to last winter, the Red Sox third base role was quite the league-wide story with Rafael Devers looking less than enthused to be losing his third base role to Bregman. The former Astros third baseman however, seemed ready to shift over to second base if needed and perhaps that could be the case again in Kansas City.

After the season Jonathan India had, there's no doubting that they could use an upgrade over him at second. Perhaps Bregman's lack of overall experience would be a small price to pay to get his bat through the door.

Time will tell whether or not Bregman does end up donning a Royals uniform next season, but the fact that the offseason hasn't officially begun and Kansas City is already mentioned a suitor for one of the biggest names on the free agent market should make Royals fans very optimistic for the coming winter months.