Why the Royals shouldn't pursue this veteran outfielder for 2026

Sunday's 8-5 loss to Toronto left the Kansas City Royals with only six games to play before their season ends, and a baseball winter sure to be focused once again on improving their problematic offense begins. Especially in the outfield, where not a single Royal wielded a suitably productive bat, does the club need help.

Fortunately, Kansas City's well-stocked pitching inventory gives general manager J.J. Picollo the luxury, should he so choose, of setting his sights almost exclusively on bolstering an offense that had so much to do with the club missing the postseason.

One bat Picollo might consider belongs to a current Royal free-agent-to-be. But Mike Yastrzemski, obtained less than two months ago in a trade deadline deal with San Francisco, is a player to whom Picollo shouldn't turn again for help.

Here's why.

The Royals shouldn't chase Mike Yastrzemski this winter

Yastrzemski stoked hope for Kansas City's maddeningly inconsistent offense when the club shipped promising young pitching prospect Yunior Marte to the Giants to get him. Yes, his basic pre-trade numbers — a .231/.330/.355 line and eight homers — weren't overwhelming, but they were generally better than any internal options the Royals had to flank center fielder Kyle Isbel, whose batting average picked up this season to complement his excellent defense.

That hope Yastrzemski represented seemed to become reality during August when, after blasting a home run in his first Royal at-bat, he pounded six more and slashed .268/.354/.622 with a .976 OPS for the month.

September, though, has been much different. Despite his 2-for-4 performance against the Blue Jays Sunday, Yastrzemski will take a distressing .161/.234/.250 September line into the club's final road trip of the season, which begins with the opener of a three-game road series with the Angels Tuesday night. Those numbers alone should give the Royals pause, and that they've lowered his average to .229 and his SLG to .446 ought to constitute another red flag. Kansas City needs more than that.

Then there's Yastrzemski's age — 2026 will be his age-36 season. The Royals need to invest their resources in a younger outfielder.

Finding a place for him to play regularly presents another obstacle to pursuing Yastrzemski for next season. Two things are close to certain about KC's 2026 outfield — Isbel's high-caliber defense means he'll probably man center field again, and Jac Caglianone will be back in right. That leaves only left field for Yastrzemski, but the club needs a better bat than his to play there every day. And KC could have younger and speedier options, like Tyler Tolbert and Daron Blanco, for extra outfielders.

Finally, don't be surprised if Yastrzemski finds his way back to the Giants. He hadn't played for any other team before they traded him to the Royals, and there has been talk that a return to San Francisco is a possibility. If that's where he wants to be, Kansas City may be out of the running before the race even begins.

Perhaps the Royals will try to land Yastrzemski for at least another season. Time will tell the ultimate tale, but bringing him back is not a move the club should prioritize.