Eight Outfield Free Agents The Royals Should Target This Offseason

[Philip Ruo]

Left field and center field were two glaring weaknesses in the Royals' lineup. Left field was mostly patrolled by Isaac Collins, who was acquired last offseason for his on-base skills. However, he was not able to repeat his marks set during his rookie season in Milwaukee, posting a slash line of .213/.320/.321. Kyle Isbel is the team’s primary center fielder, though he missed an extended stretch in 2026 with plantar fasciitis. He has never been known for his bat, but he greatly underperformed at the plate in 2026, especially against left-handed pitching. Unfortunately, his excellent defense may no longer be enough to offset his liability at the plate.

In J.J. Picollo’s end-of-season press conference, he mentioned: “Upgrading left field and center field, along with adding right-handed offense, is a major priority for us this offseason.” It is very rare for a GM to explicitly state which positions are needed, but this statement indicates a clear intent to aggressively pursue upgrades in these positions. Which players could the Royals be calling this offseason to improve their outfield?

Reasonably-Priced Free Agent Outfielders

Daulton Varsho

Age: 30 | 2026 Stats: .221/.281/.355, 78 wRC+, 0.8 fWAR

Varsho is a Gold Glove-winning center fielder who has had up-and-down seasons at the plate. He ranks 45th on DiamondCentric's list of the top free agents. 2026 was more down than up, especially after joining Houston around the trade deadline. His wRC+ dropped from 91 to 48 after the trade. As a left-handed hitter, he would certainly displace Isbel from the roster since there would be little reason to carry two left-handed defensive center fielders. 

Signing Varsho would be hoping that his time in Houston was a fluke and that he can return to his form from Toronto. He could be a good bounce-back candidate for next season and could likely be signed to a one-year pillow contract to see if he can improve his value and get a larger contract next offseason. The Royals' signing of Lane Thomas to a one-year deal last offseason is proof that the Royals are willing to explore these types of deals. With a projected contract around $8 or $10 million, he will fall close to the Royals' budget.

Taylor Ward

Age: 33 | 2026 Stats: .225/.359/.311, 102 wRC+, 1.0 fWAR

Ward is another player who took a major step back in production after being traded and is the 67th-ranked free agent. Ward posted an 117 wRC+ in Baltimore, which fell to 23 with the Mariners after the trade. Even before his disastrous trade, Ward’s power had evaporated. After hitting 36 home runs in 663 plate appearances in 2025 with the Angels, Ward hit only seven homers in 506 PAs with Baltimore (and at a more homer-friendly ballpark) and zero homers in Seattle. 

Interestingly, despite his dip in home runs, his .336 wOBA in Baltimore was roughly the same as his .339 wOBA in 2025. This was largely due to his increase in walk rate from 11.3% to 16.3% and a decrease in strikeout rate from 26.4% to 20.4%. If Ward can combine his increased plate discipline with a revival of his power, he could be a valuable addition to the Royals, especially as a right-handed batter. He would likely also be willing to sign a one-year prove-it deal to increase his value, and the Royals could be beneficiaries of this opportunity. 

Tyrone Taylor

Age: 33 | 2026 Stats: .279/.325/.502, 127 wRC+, 1.5 fWAR

Taylor is another right-handed option, but his situation differs from the other candidates so far. Taylor, the 47th-ranked free agent, put together a career year at the plate, and he actually improved after being traded at the deadline in 2026. After his trade to the Cubs, Taylor had a 146 wRC+ in 82 plate appearances. Despite his success in 2026, he was often deployed in a platoon role. He played a full game in only 32 of his 97 appearances. The Royals want to boost their offense rather than look for a short-side platoon partner for Isbel or Collins.

Taylor is a strong outfielder who has positive run value in each of his MLB seasons. He is also capable of playing all three outfield positions to offer extra versatility depending on which other outfielder the Royals potentially acquire. However, his versatility could be due to his inability to lock down a starting role in previous seasons. He is also a good baserunner with a sprint speed in the 92nd percentile.

Taylor only made $3.8 million last season and could probably be signed to a modest deal for around $5 million per year. The Royals will have to determine if Taylor can realistically repeat his 2026 production for all 162 games. 

Trent Grisham

Age: 30 | 2026 Stats: .211/.308/.395, 98 wRC+, 0.7 fWAR

Grisham is the 55th-ranked outfielder available and is coming off a poor season at the plate. His 2025 season was excellent, and he decided to accept a qualifying offer from the Yankees instead of testing the free agent market, a decision that did not pan out. 

Grisham would likely be willing to also take a one-year deal to recover some of his value. However, his 128 wRC+ is his only season above average since 2021, and his 2025 season may prove to be the exception to the norm. His defense has also taken a hit in the past couple of seasons, with negative run value after being an above-average fielder to start his career. 

Grisham may be available for around $12 million, and that is a price the Royals could potentially entertain, especially if they get the 2025 version of him.

Ramon Laureano

Age: 32 | 2026 Stats: .203/.286/.374, 86 wRC+, 0.2 fWAR

Laureano is the 64th-ranked free agent in this class and missed a lot of the 2026 season, playing only 53 games. His 2023 season was a career high with a 138 wRC+ and 3.0 fWAR. He hasn’t played since the end of May, but his track record of being able to hit above average and for power could make him an intriguing option as a reclamation project, similar to Lane Thomas. His salary, however, will likely be a little higher than the $5.25 million that Thomas received last offseason.

Likely Out Of The Royals' Price Range

Randy Arozarena

Age: 32 | 2026 Stats: .281/.381/.484, 151 wRC+, 5.5 fWAR

Arozarena had a career year in 2026 and is the fifth-ranked free agent. He will likely command one of the highest contracts for batters, and the Royals will almost certainly be outbid when other teams make their offers. He is likely not going to sustain his 2026 levels of production, but even his worst year as a starter generated 2.0 fWAR with a 114 wRC+. He would be an elite bat to add with above-average baserunning skills. The clearest downside to Arozarena's skill set is that he is a defensive liability in left field, but that can be forgiven to an extent if he is able to continue to do damage at the plate.

Arozarena’s predicted salary is expected to be around $25 million. Given the history of Royals free agent signings, there is little expectation that he will be a realistic option.

Seiya Suzuki

Age: 32 | 2026 Stats: .270/.368/.473, 134 wRC+, 4.5 fWAR

Suzuki posted career-high stats in 2026 and is the fourth-ranked free agent. His fWAR ranked 20th among all major league batters. In addition to his career-best offensive production, he greatly improved his defensive output in 2026, worth +7 fielding runs. Every other year of his career, Suzuki’s fielding run value had been below zero. Much like Arozarena, Suzuki has been consistent at the plate in his career, with his lowest fWAR of 2.0 being back in 2022. That consistency will come at a high price with a similar expected contract of around $25 million per year.

Both players would also satisfy the desire to add a right-handed bat to the lineup. If the Royals were able to sign either, that would certainly be a statement of intent to compete with the current core. The Royals will still need to prove that they are willing and able to spend the money necessary to do so.

Ian Happ

Age: 32 | 2026 Stats: .218/.326/.412, 107 wRC+, 2.6 fWAR

Happ is the 27th-ranked free agent and is coming off his worst season in wRC+ since 2021, and his .218 batting average is his lowest career mark. Despite the drop in average, his power numbers have remained close to his career averages with 28 doubles and 24 home runs. His strikeouts have noticeably increased to 29.7%. 

While his offensive production took a hit in 2026, Happ’s fielding remained elite. He has won four consecutive Gold Glove awards and is a finalist for the award again this season. At a slightly lower expected contract of $20 or $22 million per year, Happ will be a little more affordable for the Royals but not by much. The Royals will need to use caution and determine if Happ’s offensive regression is just a blip or age beginning to get to him.

Image courtesy of Kyle Ross-Imagn Images / John Jones-Imagn Images

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[RCT]

A few thoughts:

• If Varsho is really getting $8-$10M they are better off just keeping Isbel for $3.5M, or better yet, letting Rave play CF and using the saved money for another BP arm.
• Ward scares me, but if it's a one-year deal for $12M and that money won't limit them from making the other moves they need to make, it does make a lot of sense.
• I really like the idea of Laureano or Taylor, (or both!). They’re such good fits as right-handed bats, with Laureano’s power and Taylor’s ability to play CF, especially in the $6M range. Moving on from Isbel and signing both would only be about a $9M difference in payroll. They seem like absolute bargains at that price, and I’d bet at least one of them outperforms the contract. You could probably offer both full-time roles, with plenty of DH at-bats available for Laureano, if that's what they are really seeking.  At the minimum they help us against LHP and provide depth.  Even that cost $6M+ these days. 

[Philip Ruo]

59 minutes ago, RCT said:

A few thoughts:

• If Varsho is really getting $8-$10M they are better off just keeping Isbel for $3.5M, or better yet, letting Rave play CF and using the saved money for another BP arm.
• Ward scares me, but if it's a one-year deal for $12M and that money won't limit them from making the other moves they need to make, it does make a lot of sense.
• I really like the idea of Laureano or Taylor, (or both!). They’re such good fits as right-handed bats, with Laureano’s power and Taylor’s ability to play CF, especially in the $6M range. Moving on from Isbel and signing both would only be about a $9M difference in payroll. They seem like absolute bargains at that price, and I’d bet at least one of them outperforms the contract. You could probably offer both full-time roles, with plenty of DH at-bats available for Laureano, if that's what they are really seeking.  At the minimum they help us against LHP and provide depth.  Even that cost $6M+ these days. 

I think this is fair. I'll add that these players were in not particular order, so I was not saying that Varsho is my top target, just one of the people to consider. It's important to consider how bad Isbel was by the end of the season. He had a 1 wRC+ and a .176 wOBA against lefties. At the very least, there needs to be a right handed bat to platoon with him. That's where Tyrone Taylor would fit perfectly.

I think a combination of of Taylor and Grisham could be interesting with both being able to play centerfield. But Laureano would be a good option too depending on where he is with his injury rehab.

In a perfect world, Happ or Suzuki would be great fits in left, but I just don't know if the Royals would be able to compete with other teams being interested at a higher price point.