The Royals Do Not Need to Blow Things Up at the Deadline

It's been a tough week for the Kansas City Royals, a common theme of the 2026 season, unfortunately.

After taking two of three in Detroit over the past weekend, the Royals lost two of three to the Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis, both in walk-off style. Thursday was particularly brutal, as the Royals blew a three-run lead with two outs in the ninth inning as Lucas Erceg and Matt Strahm were unable to close out a brilliant start by Noah Cameron (eight innings of one-hit, shutout ball).

Safe to say, Kody Clemens had been one of the Royals' main adversaries over the past couple of seasons. 

If that wasn't enough, the Royals dropped their first game of their three-game set in Colorado against the Rockies on Friday. Colorado is 43-67, worse than the 46-65 Royals. However, the Rockies, led by Tomoyuki Sagano, absolutely shut down the Royals, with a home run by Carter Jensen being the lone Kansas City run in a 3-1 loss.

Right now, frustration is at an all-time high with Royals fans. After Thursday's brutal loss, it seems like many fans are calling for a complete overhaul, not just of the roster, but of the organization in general. That frustration has been amplified by reports that the Royals are going to hold onto pitcher Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo, Daniel Lynch IV, and Alex Lange by Monday's Trade Deadline.

After such a brutal season, it's easy to think that the Royals should throw in the towel, clear the organization, and do a complete overhaul from top to bottom. 

Granted, the Royals need to make moves. They need to improve, and they cannot have another season like this one, especially with a new stadium on the horizon and franchise star Bobby Witt Jr having the option to opt out by the 2030 season. 

That said, Kansas City doesn't need to blow things up by Monday, or even by the end of the 2026 season.

The Royals' Lineup Can Bounce Back Quickly Once Healthy

There's no question that injuries have absolutely decimated this team. Of the 26 players that made the Royals' Opening Day roster, eight are currently on the IL. That includes key hitters like Maikel Garcia, Vinnie Pasquantino, and Kyle Isbel

Since 2024, Garcia, Isbel, and Vinnie have been the Royals' second, third, and fourth-most valuable players, based on fWAR. They have combined for a 14.4 fWAR from 2024 to 2026. This year, they have combined for a 2.0 fWAR, with Garcia accounting for 1.5 of that total. 

That said, these three could easily be fully healthy again in 2027 after a ton of nagging injuries that need a full offseason to recover from. These injuries haven't been major ones, but nagging ones that have not just kept them on the shelf, but have impacted performance, especially on the offensive end. 

With those three hitters back, the Royals could be in good shape for a quick turnaround in 2027. The Royals have seen Michael Massey bounce back and take hold of the second base job in 2026. After a slow start, Isaac Collins has been one of the Royals' best left fielders since Alex Gordon, with a 102 wRC+, .712 OPS, and 0.7 fWAR (and this was despite a disastrous first month defensively). Nick Loftin has emerged as a productive player, with a 105 wRC+ and 0.7 fWAR while filling in for Garcia at third. 

Lastly, the Royals have seen the development of two key recent draft picks: Carter Jensen (2021 Draft) and Jac Caglianone (2024 Draft). They have fWAR marks of 2.0 and 1.1, respectively, and have combined for 32 home runs this year. 

Here's a look at a potential 2027 Royals lineup, before JJ Picollo adds anyone this offseason.

1. Jensen
2. Witt Jr.
3. Cags
4. Garcia
5. Pasquantino
6. Massey/Loftin
7. Perez
8. Collins
9. Isbel/Tolbert/FA Outfielder

That's a pretty good lineup at first glance. And if the Royals add someone like Taylor Ward or Seiya Suzuki this offseason? Well, the lineup gets a whole lot better and more competitive. 

The Royals' Pitching Staff Needs Stability

While the Royals' lineup is in a good place for 2027, the pitching staff is a little shakier.

Kansas City was decimated by injuries to Cole Ragans, Kris Bubic, and Carlos Estevez this season. Those were three pitchers who were key in 2024 and 2025 and would have had a positive impact on this pitching staff if they had been healthy. 

Ragans, Bubic, and Estevez have combined for a 12.5 fWAR over the past three years. This is despite only one year from Estevez and a ton of missed time over those three years due to injury from Ragans and Bubic. This healthy trio would have had a major impact on the Royals' pitching staff, especially Estevez, who would have helped a bullpen that's been absolutely disastrous. 

Unlike the lineup, the Royals have to absorb these injuries and potential losses to the pitching staff in 2026. 

Bubic and Estevez will likely be gone this offseason, as they will both be free agents. Ragans won't be back until mid-season in 2027 due to surgery, and he may need to move to the bullpen initially to preserve his arm, much like Bubic in 2025. The rotation has seen the emergence of Luinder Avila this year, and Noah Cameron has bounced back in his past two starts after taking over pitch-calling duties and making some adjustments with his pitch mix.

However, with Bubic and Ragans out of the rotation, the Royals need stability. When looking at options on the 40-man roster, the returns of Alec Marsh, Ryan Bergert, and Stephen Kolek for 2027 are hazy. Ben Kudrna is hurt and unproven, and Steven Zobac hasn't advanced beyond Double-A. 

Thus, it's understandable why the Royals wouldn't want to trade Lugo and Wacha, especially with a free-agent starting pitching class that isn't great.

Tarik Skubal is a prize that's out of their price range (and is probably going to the Dodgers, anyway). Sonny Gray is 36, the same age as Lugo and one year older than Wacha. Robbie Ray, Shota Imanaga, Zac Gallen, Kevin Gausman, and Chris Bassitt are proven, but all have qualifying offers, meaning the Royals would have to forfeit draft picks to sign them. The Royals need to add draft capital, not lose it.

The Royals see the free-agent market and may feel that if they trade Lugo and/or Wacha, they will need to replace them with a pitcher of equal or lesser production value who would cost just as much, if not more. Hence, Kansas City may be more comfortable pitching assets they know and are comfortable with here than taking a flier on free agents who may not even sign with the Royals in the first place (thus putting their rotation even more in a bind).

The bullpen is a much different story. Not only do the Royals need an overhaul, but they also need to change their approach to acquiring and using relievers. Not only have they struck out on so many veteran pieces during the Picollo era (Will Smith, Chris Stratton, Matt Strahm, etc.), but they have also let guys go who have been productive in other organizations and would've been a lot cheaper (Jonathan Bowlan, Collin Snider, Will Klein, etc.). 

Picollo needs to address the bullpen's lack of chase and make an adjustment, whether through acquisition or development. That said, fixing a bullpen can be done in the offseason and much more quickly if they do it right. The White Sox did this by making slight adjustments to the bullpen, making it at least tolerable. Now, they are at the top of the AL Central division.

The Royals could learn from what the White Sox did this offseason, fixing the bullpen with a mix of outside acquisitions and promoting the right kind of arms. 

The Royals Still Need to Be Active at the Deadline

Kansas City doesn't need to "give away" players. 

They may not be trading Wacha, Lugo, Lynch and Lange because the offers they are receiving right now are inadequate. That seemed to be the case with Lugo last year, who wasn't getting the kind of trade package that was deemed acceptable by Picollo and the Royals. While trading is fun, the Deadline doesn't always have a great track record of return "success" for those "rebuilding" teams, especially for starting pitchers.

That said, the Royals shouldn't avoid any Deadline deals. They still need to make this team better.

One way is to improve the bullpen. They can do that with their current trade assets, such as Lane Thomas and John Schreiber. They also need to be open to deals on guys who may be tough to let go of at first glance (which is why I think they should push to trade Lynch, especially given the return for A.J. Minter ). Picollo did that last year with Freddy Fermin. While both are currently on the IL, Bergert and Kolek have been a great return.

Kansas City is in the midst of a tough year. However, it's easy to forget that the projections on this 2026 team were solid (around the 82-83 win mark, which was better than their 2024 projections). They are more solid in the outfield than they were in 2024 and 2025, when they had winning seasons. For as critical as people have been of Matt Quatraro, he's had two winning seasons in four years. For context, Ned Yost, a Royals Hall of Famer, didn't have his first winning season until his fourth year.

It's easy to think that this franchise is hopeless, and it has felt that way at times. However, the Royals need to be judicious at this Deadline. Their farm system is improving, with prospects at the lower levels receiving more acclaim (they have four in the Top-100, according to Pipeline). They have a chance to add to that system with the right moves, as well as some controllable talent who could thrive in a change of scenery. 

The Royals don't need a blow-up. However, they don't need to sit on their hands either. 

We have roughly 48 hours to find out. 

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