The Royals president of baseball operations named the bullpen as a top focus this winter, and he admitted the answer may not be in-house.
The Kansas City Royals have plenty to fix this winter, and the front office already knows where to start.
At the end-of-season press conference at Kauffman Stadium on Wednesday, J.J. Picollo, the Royals president of baseball operations and general manager, said the bullpen will be a focus for the club this offseason.
Kansas City relievers finished with a 5.07 ERA, which ranked 29th in the majors, and the Royals converted just 38 of their 64 save chances while blowing 26, one year after the bullpen posted a 3.63 ERA that ranked seventh in baseball.
Picollo Has No Easy Answer at Closer
The trouble started almost right away.
Pitcher Carlos Estévez led the majors with 42 saves in 2025, but he made just one appearance this season before an injury cost him the rest of the year, and he had shoulder surgery on Sept. 8.
Without him, Royals relievers finished with a 6.65 ERA in the ninth inning, the worst mark in baseball, according to Royals Review's recap of the press conference.
"I don't know if we'll be able to sit here today and tell you we'll have a closer," Picollo said when he discussed the closer spot for next season. "Internally, we don't think we necessarily have it."
Most general managers would have talked up the guys already in the building, so credit Picollo for not pretending.
Pitcher Lucas Erceg picked up 13 saves but finished with a 5.59 ERA and spent part of the late summer with Omaha after being optioned in August, though he did return to the club in September.
Pitcher Steven Cruz saved eight games with a 4.30 ERA, and pitcher Nate Pearson posted a 4.50 ERA in 26 games after the Royals got him from Houston in a July trade.
Picollo pointed to Cruz and Pearson as two arms who pitched well down the stretch, and Pearson has looked like a top reliever at times, but none of them has held the job for a full season.
What Aggressive Means for Kansas City
Picollo said the Royals plan to be aggressive, but he does not want that to be mistaken for big payroll spending.
He pointed out that Kansas City was in the top five in bullpen spending over the last three years, so throwing more money at the bullpen is clearly not the whole answer.
He also said the club will likely go after a mix of relievers who give hitters different looks.
Picollo also expects the market to be busy in November, and the current labor deal expires Dec. 1, which could stop free agent signings until a new one is in place, so waiting around is not an option.
Kansas City finished 69-93 and last in the American League Central, and a lot of the lessons from this season come back to pitching.
Estévez is expected back in 2027, and his contract includes a club option for that season, but the Royals cannot count on a pitcher coming off shoulder surgery to fix everything.
Now that Picollo has admitted that they don't know if the closer is on the roster, the clock is on the front office to go get one before December.
