Royals Roster Crunch: What 40-Man Roster Moves Need to Happen Before Free Agency Begins?

After the Milwaukee Brewers won their first World Series in franchise history on October 28th, the MLB "quiet period" began the next day, October 29th. During these five days, eligible players become free agents, and teams can begin negotiating with their own players (especially with player, club, or mutual options). However, the free agency period doesn't begin until five days after the World Series ends. 

This year, the "quiet period" will end at 5 p.m. on Monday, November 2nd. 

After a 69-93 season, the Royals will likely be aggressive this offseason, most likely in free agency and through the trade market. Kansas City seemed to be making progress as an organization, going 86-76 in 2024 and 82-80 in 2025 after a 56-106 season in 2023, JJ Picollo and Matt Quatraro's first season together as President and Manager. While the Royals saw the emergence of young stars like Carter Jensen and Jac Caglianone, they will need to do some serious rebuilding on the pitching end, especially in the bullpen.

For a team making lots of moves, the 40-man roster matters.

Kansas City already did some purging over the past few days. They non-tendered five pitchers (Alex Lange, Connor Seabold, Alec Marsh, Easton McGee, and Mason Black), allowed four players to walk in free agency (Josh Rojas, Craig Kimbrel, Jonathan India, and Luke Maile), and declined the club option on Carlos Estevez. That leaves the roster currently at 38 players. 

However, by Monday, all players on the IL need to be added back to the 40-man roster. The Royals have six players currently on the IL (Luinder Avila, Ryan Bergert, Stephen Kolek, Cole Ragans, Ben Kudrna, and Nick Mears). If they all are returned, that will put the Royals' roster at 44. (Though Mears could be a non-tender candidate, as we talked about here on Royals Keep in our Arbitrary Thoughts series).

Thus, the Royals will need to make some cuts to get to or under that 40-man roster limit by Monday. 

Let's look at three stories about players who could be on the chopping block, and why Kansas City may part ways with them, regardless of their performance this past season.

The Expendable Relievers

In cases like this, relievers are typically the first to be removed from the 40-man roster. While relievers are important, they are volatile assets, and teams typically purge relievers who lack upside, even if they had a productive season last year. 

Anthony Gose, Jose Cuas, Connor Thomas, and Mitch Spence all fit that "expendable" profile.

Gose and Cuas, both former position players, are easy cuts, even though they are coming off solid 2026 campaigns in Kansas City after not pitching for MLB teams in 2025. 

In 14 games and 13.2 IP, Gose posted a 0.66 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. His FIP was a little higher at 3.47, mostly due to a paltry K% (13.7%), but he limited walks (3.9% BB%) and limited contact, as evidenced by his Statcast profile via TJ Stats. 

Gose's stuff profile was also impressive, with an 110 overall TJ Stuff+ that ranked in the 94th percentile. He had two solid pitches, with his four-seamer at 114 TJ Stuff+ and his slider at 105 TJ Stuff+. The stuff on those pitches generates hard hits (99th percentile hard-hit rate) and generates swinging strikes (70th percentile SwStr%). However, the K% didn't necessarily correlate with those other impressive metrics, and his small sample size makes one wonder if Gose would've gotten more exposure with more innings.

Another issue with Gose right now is that he lacks Minor League options, and it's unlikely that he would be guaranteed an MLB roster spot. He feels like an easy cut and someone who could command a Minor League deal with an invite to Spring Training, whether it is with the Royals or not. 

Cuas is in a similar boat as Gose.

After not playing in the Majors in 2025, the 32-year-old returned to the Royals organization in Spring Training and rose to the MLB bullpen due to injuries and lackluster performance by the Kansas City relievers. In 24 games and 23.1 IP, Cuas posted a 2.31 ERA, 1.76 WHIP, and 2.89 FIP. He was a better strikeout pitcher than Gose (23.1% K%), but he struggled more with control and didn't have Gose's stuff profile either. 

Even if Cuas gets released from the 40-man roster, he's seen most of his success as a Major Leaguer with the Royals. So he could return to Kansas City on a Minor-League deal with a Spring Training invite.

After a disastrous stint with the Braves early in the 2026 season (21.32 ERA in 6.1 IP), Thomas turned himself around in Kansas City.

In 17 appearances and 19.1 IP, he posted a 2.33 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 2.43 FIP. He also sported a 14.1% K-BB%, highlighted by a 3.8% BB%. Thomas doesn't have the most electric stuff profile, but he threw strikes, induced a high number of groundballs, and was efficient on the mound, even if he typically was in low-leverage situations.

Thomas is a tougher dilemma because he has two Minor League options remaining. Thus, he may be worth keeping around for depth. However, Thomas also feels like the kind of pitcher the Royals could easily replace via a trade or a cheap minor-league free agent. He may simply be the victim of a crowded roster.

The last expendable reliever to talk about is Spence, who barely pitched with Kansas City this year and spent most of the season in Omaha.

The 28-year-old righty was lit up in his three appearances with the Royals this year. In 9.1 IP, he posted a 21.21 ERA, 3.00 WHIP, 8.89 FIP, and -5.4% K-BB%. He not only struggled to throw strikes, but he got hit hard in his extremely small sample.

Spence provided some nice pitching depth in Omaha. He posted a 5.35 ERA in 16 starts and 74 IP with the Storm Chasers. That said, being Triple-A depth isn't worth a spot on the 40-man roster. 

The "Other" Lugo Likely Gone

The Royals claimed outfielder Matthew Lugo off waivers after the Angels designated him for assignment in June. Lugo was a former top prospect who gave the Royals a right-handed bench bat who could play multiple outfield positions. That said, he failed to realize his potential in Anaheim, hitting .232 with a .707 OPS in 70 plate appearances in his MLB debut with the Angels in 2025.

With the Storm Chasers, Lugo put up gaudy numbers. In 245 plate appearances, he hit .263 with an .838 OPS. That also included 12 home runs, 39 runs scored, and 39 RBI. Unfortunately, that performance didn't carry over to Kansas City in limited action.

In 15 plate appearances, the 2019 second-round pick hit .143 with a .343 OPS. He didn't make much hard contact with the Royals, and he also struggled to make consistent contact, as evidenced by his Statcast percentiles. 

Again, it was such a small sample size, so it's hard to take too much away. Nonetheless, the Royals had ample opportunities to play Lugo more down the stretch, and they opted not to. That suggests they don't have much long-term confidence in Lugo.

Therefore, based on his struggles and limited playing time, the Royals will likely part ways with Lugo, which should open an outfield spot they can fill through free agency or a trade. 

Is Zobac on the Chopping Block?

The Royals had high hopes for Steven Zobac going into last year, adding him to the 40-man roster last offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. However, it's been tough sledding for Zobac since being added to the 40-man.

After posting a 7.68 ERA in 36.1 IP with the Naturals in 2025, the former Cal product posted a 4.85 ERA in 42.2 IP with the Naturals in 2026. On the one hand, Zobac improved after his disastrous 2025 Texas League campaign. On the other hand, he was a 26-year-old repeating Double-A, and he should've dominated that competition. 

On a positive note, his Statcast percentiles were more impressive than his surface-level metrics, which suggests Zobac may be better as a reliever than a starter going forward. 

Zobac ranked in the 79th percentile in O-Swing%, 74th percentile in SwStr%, and 62nd percentile in BB%. Those are all impressive percentiles, and he could be better with more concentrated work in relief. 

While Arizona Fall League numbers should be taken with a grain of salt, Zobac's fall campaign wasn't exactly memorable.

In 4.1 IP, he posted a 12.46 ERA, 1.85 WHIP, and 6.15 FIP. He struggled with walks, as shown by a 17.4% BB% and a meager 8.7% K-BB%. That said, like his Double-A campaign in 2026, his AFL Statcast metrics were a little more encouraging.

With a three-pitch mix, starting just may not be in Zobac's future, whether it's in Kansas City or elsewhere. It also doesn't help that his stuff profile isn't great overall either (98 TJ Stuff+ in AFL, though it did rank in the 68th percentile). That is why I think there's a possible chance the Royals part ways, even though he still has some upside ahead of him.

If I had to choose, Zobac is more likely to stay in Kansas City than leave. After all, he hasn't started his Major League clock yet, and he has shown that he can stay healthy this year, which was a goal after dealing with so much injury in 2025. The Royals need a young controllable pitcher who can provide future value, and Zobac still can fit that mold, even if it seems riskier than before. 

Still, if the Royals cut Zobac by Monday, fans shouldn't be surprised, given how the past year has gone and the club's need to solidify the bullpen with proven pitching talent. 

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