The Athletic questions Royals' entire offseason due to one painfully obvious hole

There's no denying that the Kansas City Royals have been active this offseason in their pursuit of shoring up some real needs that reared their ugly head in 2025.

The acquisitions of Isaac Collins and Lane Thomas as well as bringing in Matt Strahm and Nick Mears for the bullpen certainly accounted for two of their biggest needs this winter.

However, after being consistently linked to bigger names like Boston's Jarren Duran and St. Louis' Brendan Donovan, it was reasonable for many Royals fans to be optimistic about bigger things to come.

But last week, insider Ken Rosenthal put a damper on a move of that caliber occurring for the Royals this winter, stating it was unlikely either Duran or Donovan would come through the door.

Despite the flurry of activity they've achieved so far, this lack of a real splash is precisely why Rosenthal's co-worker at The Athletic, Chad Jennings, was critical of what exactly the Royals have done to really improve.

The Athletic questions Royals' offseason activity due to lack of a 'splash'

"The Royals traded for outfielder Isaac Collins, rolled the dice on outfielder Lane Thomas, and added some relievers (notably, left-hander Matt Strahm) but they haven’t made anything that qualifies as a splash," Jennings wrote.

And continuing on with his critical remarks, Jennings did mention that the the biggest decision Kansas City has made for the 2026 season didn't even occur via a player acquistion.

"Moving in the outfield fences might be their biggest move of the offseason," Jennings wrote.

Splash-worthy moves are traditionally easier said than done and are even more difficult for smaller market teams like the Royals to pull off.

From a free agent standpoint, they've never exactly broken the bank for a big name in franchise history, relying primarily on extensions to dole out the big bucks.

Then, from a trade standpoint, while they have managed to swing bigger trades in the past, this offseason they've been met with plenty of hurdles. The Red Sox have seemed fixated on Cole Ragans in negotiations for Duran, while the Cardinals asking price doesn't seemed to be aligned with what the Royals have to offer.

However, while it may justify a perceived underwhelming offseason, it doesn't eliminate the sting of it and the overall reality that this lineup in particular seems one big piece away from really running at it's smoothest.

There's still some time before pitchers and catchers meet next month to bring more names through the door, but the clock is ticking on GM J.J. Picollo and Co. to add to this offseason and make it something deemed more unilaterally successful.