Weak outfield free agent market will force Royals to get creative this winter

The Kansas City Royals and creativity didn’t mesh well last offseason. The team’s headline move, trading for infielder Jonathan India from the Cincinnati Reds, wasn’t without merit, but the Royals tried playing the veteran at third base and left field, positions far removed from the second base spot where India had previously been a productive mainstay.

They made a similar experiment with Michael Massey, a player known for his defense at the keystone and his chemistry with shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.. Neither position switch worked particularly well and that’s not even accounting for the possible impact on Jac Caglianone’s bat when the club shifted him from first base to right field during the season.

In short, creativity didn’t favor Kansas City in 2025, especially when it came to solving their outfield problem. Unfortunately, heading into 2026, straightforward solutions aren’t exactly abundant either. And the free agent market? It’s not doing the Royals many favors.

The Royals have their work cut out for them in addressing the outfield this offseason.

This year’s class is top-heavy, headlined by the potential mega-deal for Kyle Tucker, while former MVP Cody Bellinger has reestablished his value at precisely the right time.

After those two, the options drop off steeply. Trent Grisham’s lone above-average season in 2025 may earn him a solid payday, but can he replicate that performance outside Yankee Stadium? Cedric Mullins is no longer the player he was in 2021, and Mike Yastrzemski may be the best available bridge option for Kansas City but a bridge to what?

Outside of Tucker and Bellinger, there are no clear long-term solutions for Kansas City in free agency. But that doesn’t mean they’re out of options entirely.

A handful of outfielders are already rumored to be available via trade, with Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran among the most compelling. The 29-year-old is arbitration-eligible through 2028, giving him multiple years of team control that will boost his trade value.

While Duran may not reach his 2024 peak again, he’s now established himself as an above-average outfielder. With Boston sitting on a wealth of younger, more versatile, or more valuable outfield options, dealing Duran for starting pitching could align with their offseason priorities.

Other names worth watching include Lars Nootbaar and Brendan Donovan of the St. Louis Cardinals, though striking a deal with a middling team like St. Louis would likely require some out-of-the-box thinking.

That same creativity would be necessary to negotiate with the Los Angeles Angels if the Royals wanted to target Taylor Ward or Jo Adell from an organization struggling to find direction.

And then there are the boom-or-bust targets like Adolis García of the Texas Rangers or Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Each comes with their own challenges and levels of feasibility, but what matters most is that the Royals have the prospect capital and pitching depth to engage meaningfully with any of these teams. The key is in how they allocate those resources and whether they’re willing to take the right kinds of risks.

More names will undoubtedly surface as the hot stove heats up, and the Royals’ front office will always have a better sense of who’s truly available than the public ever will.

But one thing is certain: Kansas City must get creative in how they approach the outfield this offseason. What they cannot afford to do is get cute again with positional experiments and shoehorned roster fits.

As my mother always said, “Live. Learn. Do better.” The Royals need to do better on the outfield front heading into 2026 and that will take more than just discipline. It will take vision.

There are no easy answers within reach. But plenty of teams have done more with less. All it takes is the right perspectiveand knowing which buttons to push and which levers to pull.