The Kansas City Royals went 82-80 in 2025, finishing third in the AL Central. It was their second consecutive winning season for the first time since 2014-15, and it came despite a rotation that was largely unavailable for half the year. If the pitching stays on the field this time, the baseline for what this team can do looks different.

Projected Opening Day Lineup

1. Maikel Garcia, 3B

2. Bobby Witt Jr., SS

3. Vinnie Pasquantino, 1B

4. Salvador Perez, C

5. Isaac Collins, LF

6. Jonathan India, 2B

7. Carter Jensen, DH

8. Lane Thomas, RF

9. Kyle Isbel, CF

Jac Caglianone sits against lefty Chris Sale on Opening Day but profiles as the everyday right fielder against right-handers. The bench includes Starling Marte, Michael Massey and Tyler Tolbert. The rotation opens with Cole Ragans making his third consecutive Opening Day start, followed by Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Kris Bubic and Noah Cameron. Carlos Estevez is the closer after a 2025 All-Star season in which he led MLB with 42 saves.

Witt signed an 11-year, $288.7 million extension in February 2024 — the largest contract in franchise history by more than $200 million. He is 25 years old and entering his athletic prime. In 2025 he hit .295 with 23 home runs, 88 RBI, 38 stolen bases and an MLB-leading 184 hits for the second straight year. He also led baseball with 47 doubles. His 8.0 fWAR ranked third in the American League. He won his second consecutive Gold Glove and Platinum Glove and finished fourth in AL MVP voting for the second straight year.

The context: in 2024, he hit .332 with 32 home runs, 109 RBI and 31 stolen bases, won the AL batting title and finished second in MVP voting behind Aaron Judge. He is the first shortstop in baseball history with multiple 30-30 seasons. The fences at Kauffman Stadium moved in this offseason, which is expected to help his home run numbers get back to that 2024 range. He holds the second-best MVP odds entering the season at +500, behind only Judge.

Key Offseason Moves

The Royals locked up their core before looking outside. Maikel Garcia signed a five-year, $57.5 million extension through 2030 with incentives that could push the total to $85 million. Salvador Perez got two years and $25 million. Vinnie Pasquantino signed a two-year, $11 million deal. Seth Lugo, who had been one of the better starters in the AL when healthy, extended through at least 2027.

On the free agent market, Lane Thomas came over from Cleveland on a one-year, $5.25 million deal. Starling Marte adds a veteran option in the outfield. Matt Strahm, acquired from Philadelphia, gives the bullpen a high-leverage left-handed option. The total external free agent spending was roughly $7.15 million — this was an offseason built around retaining internal talent, not acquiring it.

When Ragans, Lugo and Wacha were all available in 2024, the Royals had one of the better top-three combinations in the AL. In 2025, Ragans missed three months with a rotator cuff strain, Bubic's season ended in July with a similar issue and Lugo dealt with back and finger problems throughout. Ragans returned in September and was excellent — 2.77 ERA, 38.1 percent strikeout rate over three starts. If he can stay healthy for six months, this rotation is a different animal.

Bubic is also returning from a rotator cuff strain. His health is a legitimate question mark. Cameron and Bergert provide depth, and the bullpen upgrade with Strahm and others means the team has more margin for error behind a shortened start than they did a year ago.

Baseball America rates the system 19th ahead of the 2026 season. ESPN's Kiley McDaniel has it in the mid-20s. MLB Pipeline placed it 26th. The system is top-heavy with limited depth behind its best names, but the top names are legitimate.

Carter Jensen is the headliner — MLB Pipeline's No. 18 overall prospect and Keith Law's No. 10. He hit .300/.391/.550 in a 20-game September callup in 2025 and is 22 years old. Keith Law called him a legitimate Rookie of the Year candidate. Blake Mitchell is a second catching prospect with a future. Kendry Chourio has been called one of the better arms in the lower levels, and Sean Gamble was the 2025 first-round pick. The system is not in the same class as Detroit or Cleveland, but it is improving.

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