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  • Kansas City Royals Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits

    The latest Kansas City Royals free agent and trade rumors, along with notes and tidbits about the team.
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    Matthew Lenz
    The Kansas City Royals are shifting titles and responsibilities in their front office. Brooks Sherman, formerly the president of business operations, is now president of real estate and development. His primary responsibility will be looking for a new ballpark location.
    In his place, Anne Rogers of MLB.com is reporting that the Kansas City Royals have named Cullen Maxey the President of Business Operations. In a statement, Royals chairman/CEO John Sherman said, "...this is a day that helps change our organization and prepares us for the future." Maxey was previously the Executive Vice President, Business Operations and Chief Revenue Officer with the Arizona Diamondbacks for 16 seasons.
    In Arizona, Maxey was part of the leadership team responsible for the planning and construction of the $200 million Salt River Fields Complex. He also led the team that transitioned the Diamondbacks' broadcast from the regional sports network model to a team-managed multi-platform distribution. Most notably for fans, he was one of the key figures behind "value item pricing" at the concession stand. His efforts led the D-backs to have the lowest Fan Cost Index in MLB for many consecutive years.
    While the impact of front office roles can be hard to measure, how do you think Maxey and Sherman's new roles will impact the Royals organization? Let us know in the comments!
    Matthew Lenz
    The Kansas City Royals have revamped their hitting staff, hiring Connor Dawson and Marcus Thames in recent days. Now, they're setting their sights on the lineup itself, specifically on the outfield.
    Jon Morosi of MLB Network is reporting that sources have indicated that the Royals are seeking outfield reinforcements. Morosi (and many others) add that the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Angels are potential trade partners.
    The Red Sox have been rumored to be looking for an upgrade over outfielder Jarren Duran, while MLBTR also identifies Wilyer Abreu as a trade candidate. 
    Duran, who has an $8 million club option, carried an OPS of .774 with 16 home runs and 24 stolen bases across 696 plate appearances in 2025. Abreu, controllable through 2029, played in only 115 games, yet the 26-year-old still mashed 22 home runs to go along with six stolen bases. The Red Sox are looking to upgrade their pitching rotation, which makes a deal between the two even more sense.
    For the Angels, Taylor Ward and Jo Adell are two names that teams asked about at the trade deadline. Though there haven't been any rumors suggesting they're on the block, they could also be in the market for starting pitching help.
    Do you think the Royals should trade for Duran, Abreu, Ward, or Adell? Let us know in the comments!
    Bryan Jaeger
    The Kansas City Royals made a minor trade to add pitching depth, acquiring Mason Black from the San Francisco Giants for minor league prospect Logan Martin. Black, a third-round pick in 2021, was designated for assignment by the Giants. He has yet to live up to his draft hype, but in the minors from 2022 to 2024, he posted a 3.77 ERA with 378 strikeouts in 320 innings, quickly advancing to Triple-A.
    Black, once seen as a top prospect, made his MLB debut on May 6, 2024. He pitched 14 1/3 innings before being sent down, then was later recalled to throw a first-season total of 36 1/3 innings, posting a 31:15 strikeout-to-walk ratio but allowing a .309 opponent batting average. This season, he pitched just four innings with a 6.75 ERA.
    Added to the Royals' 40-man roster, Black still has one remaining option year. The Royals can keep him in Triple-A Omaha, giving him time to work out his kinks. A new location may help the 25-year-old return to the strong production he showed early in his minor league career. The Royals might also test how Black performs in a relief role. Regardless, they paid a minimal price for a pitcher with MLB experience.
    Kevin O'Brien
    On Monday, MLB.com Royals writer Anne Rogers reported via her sources that the Royals would be filling out their hitting coaching staff by hiring Marcus Thames, who recently was the hitting coach for the Chicago White Sox.
    As Rogers pointed out on Bluesky, Thames has coaching experience with multiple MLB teams and has held the title of hitting coach with the Yankees, Marlins, Angels, and White Sox. Thames is a former MLB player who played in 640 games with the Tigers, Yankees, Rangers, and Dodgers from 2002 to 2011. He has hit 115 career home runs and has a career batting average of .246.
    Last season, Chicago struggled offensively under Thames, ranking 27th in OBP and runs scored, and 28th in OPS. However, the White Sox saw the growth of some young hitters under Thames' tutelage, including top prospect Colson Montgomery, who hit 21 home runs and posted an .840 OPS, Kyle Teel, who hit eight home runs and posted a .786 OPS, and Miguel Vargas, who hit 16 home runs and posted a .717 OPS. 
    Thames will join Connor Dawson on the staff, who comes over from the Brewers organization. Dawson is a KC native who attended Olathe North High School and coached at St. Thomas Aquinas High School before matriculating to the Mariners organization and then the Brewers in 2021. Alec Zumwalt remains the Royals' lead hitting coach for 2026. 
    Photo Credit: © Matt Marton-Imagn Images
    Kevin O'Brien
    According to the Royals' official transaction sheet, left-handed reliever Sam Long was removed from the 40-man roster and outrighted to Triple-A Omaha on November 6th. It is unclear whether Long will remain in the Royals' organization with this latest move. However, to pitch for the Royals again in 2026, he would need to be added to the 40-man roster again at some point.
    Signed as a Minor League free agent in the spring of 2024, Long made the Royals roster and ended up being a key piece of the Royals bullpen during their 86-76 season. In his first season in Kansas City, he posted a 3.16 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 3.89 FIP, and 2.59 K/BB ratio in 43 appearances and 42.2 IP. The Sacramento State product was a key left-handed reliever for manager Matt Quatraro, especially in high-leverage situations.
    Unfortunately, Long battled injuries and ineffectiveness in 2025. 
    Over 39 appearances and 40.1 IP, the 30-year-old lefty posted a 5.36 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, 5.54 WHIP, and 1.50 K/BB ratio. Long struck out fewer batters (7.5% decrease in K rate), walked more (1.9% increase in BB rate), gave up more hard-hits (9.1% increase in hard-hit rate), and saw his called strikes plus whiff rate (CSW) go from 28% in 2024 to 23.5% in 2025. As a result, Long lost his setup position in the bullpen to other left-hander relievers like Angel Zerpa and Daniel Lynch IV last season.
    Long went on the IL on April 13th due to left elbow inflammation and didn't return to the Royals until June 20th. He struggled in the first half of the season with a 9.82 ERA and 1.98 WHIP in 14.2 IP before the All-Star Break. However, he was more effective in the second half, as he posted a 2.81 ERA and 1.60 WHIP in 25.2 IP. 
    The Royals were in a tough dilemma with Long this offseason. Not only was he arbitration-eligible (MLBTR predicted his salary amount to be around $950K), but he was also out of Minor League options. With Lynch, Zerpa, and Bailey Falter, who was acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates at the Trade Deadline, also on the 40-man roster, Long appeared to be the odd man out.
    Kyle Wright was also listed as an outright to Omaha after clearing waivers on the transactions sheet.  On Tuesday, Jon Heyman of the NY Post reported that Wright was being put on waivers.
    Update (9:55 a.m., November 7th): The Royals announced via social media that they have outrighted Long and Wright officially, and they both have elected free agency. 
     
    Photo Credit: © Dennis Lee-Imagn Images
    Kevin O'Brien
    On Wednesday, rumors circulated that the Royals were adding a new hitting coach to their staff for the 2026 season. At the conclusion of the 2025 season, Kansas City parted ways with assistant hitting coaches Keoni DeRenne and Joe Dillon. Hitting coach Alec Zumwalt remains in his current role. 
    Royals insider David Lesky of Inside the Crown and the Kauffman Corner podcast first reported that Brewers assistant hitting coach Connor Dawson would be joining as part of the hitting coaching staff under manager Matt Quatraro. 
    Later this evening, Robert Murray of Fansided confirmed the rumor via his sources. 
    Dawson has been part of the Milwaukee coaching staff since 2021. Over the past two seasons, the Brewers rank ninth in wRC+ and fourth in runs scored, according to FanGraphs. Conversely, over the past two years, the Royals rank 21st in wRC+ and 19th in runs scored.
    Dawson is a local product who attended Olathe North High School in Kansas and played college baseball at Neosho Community College, which is 2 hours from Kansas City. He coached high school baseball at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Overland Park, Kansas, from 2015 to 2018 and at Marshalltown Community College in Iowa in 2019.
    He made the jump to professional ball with the Mariners in 2019, where he served as a Minor League Hitting Coach until the Brewers hired him. No official announcement has been made about Dawson by the Royals or about anyone else joining the coaching staff.
    In addition to parting ways with DeRenne and Dillon, the Royals let go of Minor League Hitting Coordinator Drew Saylor and lost assistant pitching coach Zach Bove to the White Sox, where he will be the pitching coach. 
    Kevin O'Brien
    On Tuesday, the Chicago White Sox announced that they hired Zach Bove as their pitching coach for the 2026 season. Bove, who came to Kansas City from the Twins, where he served as an assistant pitching coordinator, had been the Royals' assistant pitching coach for the past three seasons and worked closely with pitching coach Brian Sweeney.
    The White Sox have been adding new members to second-year manager Will Venables' staff. In addition to Bove, Chicago will also be hiring a former Marlins assistant hitting coach to be the White Sox's hitting coach next season. 
    The loss of Bove is a tough one for a Royals pitching staff that has seen a resurgence under Bove and Sweeney. In 2025, the Royals' pitching staff ranked 6th in baseball with a 3.73 ERA. In 2024, they ranked 7th with a 3.76 ERA. The bullpen saw the most significant gain over the past two seasons, going from 20th in ERA in 2024 to 7th in 2025. 
    Bove was known for his work in helping pitchers refine their pitch shapes and quality during his time with the Royals. Many pitchers saw positive changes in their repertoires during their time in Kansas City, with Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans being the biggest success stories. Lugo and Ragans finished second and fourth in the AL Cy Young race in 2024. 
    No replacement for Bove has been named yet. Sweeney remains as the Royals' pitching coach, and Mitch Stetter is still the Royals' bullpen coach, according to the Royals' official website. 
    Photo Credit: © Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
    Kevin O'Brien
    On the Royals' social media on Tuesday evening, the club announced that it had agreed to terms on a two-year contract with catcher Salvador Perez. 
      The Royals held a $13.5 million club option on Perez for 2026. However, it was expected that they would bring Salvy back next season, either on that option or by offering a new contract, so that he could perhaps retire with the Royals organization he had spent his entire career with. 
    It appears that Royals GM JJ Picollo went with the latter, committing to their captain for at least a couple of more seasons.
    Here's what Picollo said about the announcement on Salvy's new deal.
    No monetary amount has been reported just yet, and it's unclear whether any options will be involved in his new deal. More details about the agreement will likely be revealed in the coming days.*
    Edit as of 7:38 CST: Joel Sherman reports that it will be a two-year, $25 million deal (thus, an AAV of $12.5 million). 
     
    Earlier today, Jon Heyman reported that pitcher Kyle Wright would be placed on outright waivers. That clears a roster spot on the 40-man roster and money on the payroll, as Wright was arbitration-eligible. 
    Salvy's extension is likely the first of a series of moves by the Royals this offseason as they look to return to the postseason after an 82-80 campaign in 2025. Kansas City has the financial flexibility to make some roster moves, and the releases of players like Michael Lorenzen, Randal Grichuk, and Wright only give them more flexibility, even with the announcement of Salvy's new deal. 
    Thankfully for Royals fans, the future Royals Hall of Famer (and possibly Cooperstown-bound catcher) situation isn't in doubt next season or in 2027. 
     
    Photo Credit: © Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
    Matthew Lenz
    So far this offseason, which is three days old, the Kansas City Royals have lost two pitchers for the 2026 season. Now, there's a third.
    Jon Heyman of the NY Post is reporting that former 5th overall pick and Cy Young vote getter, Kyle Wright, has been placed on outright waivers by the club. If he clears waivers, he will have the option to reject the assignment and become a free agent.
    It's been a tough road for Wright ever since his Cy Young worthy campaign in 2022. He's dealt with a variety of injuries over the three seasons, resulting in just seven big league starts and 19 starts across four different levels. Wright was acquired from the Atlanta Braves ahead of the 2024 season, but missed the entire season due to surgery repairing the anterior capsule in his right shoulder. He made eight stats in 2025 across Double-A and Triple-A sporting a 5.48 ERA and 21:14 K:BB ratio over 23 innings.
    Given his upside, he's likely to find a home in 2026, though it may come in the form of a Minor League deal. Do you think the Royals should pull the trigger? Let us know in the comments!
    Kevin O'Brien
    On Monday afternoon, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reported that right-handed pitcher Alec Marsh had a labral repair on his right shoulder last month. According to Rogers, the 27-year-old, who missed all of 2025 due to a shoulder injury, may be looking at up to a year of recovery. 
     
    Marsh was a key pitcher for the Royals during their 86-76 season in 2024. In his first full season with the Royals, he posted a 4.53 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 129 IP. While his ERA was high, it was an improvement from his 5.69 ERA in 74.1 IP in 2023, and his 4.34 FIP and 3.15 K/BB ratio illustrated that he may have been better than his ERA in 2024. 
    Before his injury, the Royals were unsure whether Marsh would return to the rotation or remain in the bullpen, where he pitched at the end of the 2024 season. However, he suffered his injury early in Spring Training and didn't throw a single pitch at the Minor or Major League level in 2025. 
    The injury to Marsh hurts the possible depth of a Royals staff that was heavily affected by injuries last year. Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic missed significant time due to shoulder injuries, though Ragans returned in September. Kyle Wright pitched in the Minor Leagues, but was shut down during his rehab and didn't throw a pitch at the MLB level. Seth Lugo was also shut down at the end of the season due to a back issue. 
    With Michael Lorenzen a free agent, the Royals may look for pitching on the free agent or trade market to replace Marsh's spot on the 40-man roster for 2026. 
     
    Photo Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images
    Matthew Lenz
    The 2025-2026 offseason officially got underway Sunday following game 7 of the World Series on Saturday. Yesterday, it was announced that the Kansas City Royals declined the mutual option for veteran Starting Pitcher Michael Lorenzen. Today, we have more news impacting the 2026 roster.
    Per the Kansas City Royals' official Twitter account, Randal Grichuk has declined his mutual option for 2026.
    Grichuk played 113 games during the 2025 season, split between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Kansas City Royals after being acquired by the Royals in July. The outfielder primarily saw action at designated hitter (45 games) and right field (40 games). At the plate, Grichuk recorded nine home runs and produced an overall .674 OPS. Advanced metrics for the year showed a .289 wOBA and a wRC+ of 82. 
    Though he wasn't great, he provided a solid veteran depth option for a team that dealt with a variety of injuries. Looking ahead to 2026, they will likely want to target a more productive depth piece as their bench options are light. Do you think they should look to re-sign Grichuk? Let us know in the comments!
    Kevin O'Brien
    According to MLB.com Royals writer Anne Rogers, on Sunday evening, the Royals declined the mutual option on starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen. 
    Lorenzen was due $12 million in 2026 if the Royals exercised his option. Since they didn't, they will pay him a $1.5 million buyout to allow him to be a free agent.  
    The 33-year-old right-hander came back to Kansas City this season after joining the Royals in 2024 at the Trade Deadline. After posting a 1.57 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 28.2 IP with the Royals in 2024, Lorenzen regressed in his first full season with the Royals. In 27 appearances (26 starts), Lorenzen went 7-11 and posted a 4.64 ERA and 1.33 WHIP. His 4.70 xERA was also higher than his 4.59 mark a season ago with the Rangers and Royals.
    In addition to Lorenzen becoming a free agent, Hunter Harvey, Mike Yastrzemski, Adam Frazier, and Luke Maile officially became free agents today, per Rogers and MLBPA's official free agent announcements. 
    Brock Beauchamp
    MLB Trade Rumors recently posted a piece on why the Royals might trade starting pitching to shore up an offense that held them back in 2025.
    Kansas City has assembled a rotation with depth, starting with Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, and Michael Lorenzen. Entering 2025, Wacha re-upped on a three-year deal, Lorenzen returned on a one-year pact, and Lugo and Ragans were again set to headline the staff. Behind them, several internal candidates were positioned to compete for the final spot or provide reinforcement, including Kris Bubic, Daniel Lynch IV, Alec Marsh, Kyle Wright, and left-handed prospect Noah Cameron. 
    The club has demonstrated a willingness to reallocate pitching via trade. During the 2024–25 offseason, Kansas City moved Brady Singer to Cincinnati, creating a 179 2/3-inning gap that the organization identified as coverable with the aforementioned internal options.
    Kansas City’s run production trailed league norms in 2025. The Royals hit .247/.309/.397 with a .307 wOBA and 159 home runs, while MLB as a whole posted .245/.315/.404 and a .313 wOBA. Expected metrics showed roughly league-average contact quality, with a .326 team xwOBA, compared to the MLB mark of .324.
    The lineup’s top end produced, led by Bobby Witt Jr. at .295/.351/.501 with a .360 wOBA and .377 xwOBA, and Vinnie Pasquantino at .264/.323/.475 with a .345 xwOBA. Maikel Garcia added .286/.351/.449 with a .345 xwOBA. Several regulars and role players were below the club’s on-base and slugging averages, including Salvador Perez at .236/.284/.446, Kyle Isbel at .255/.301/.353, and John Rave at .196/.283/.307. In limited time, MJ Melendez posted .083/.154/.167. The distribution of production concentrated a larger share of extra-base impact among the core, with complementary spots providing lower OBP and SLG.  
     
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