Kansas City Royals: Breaking News, Rumors & Highlights

Royals Don’t Have a Payroll Problem, it’s a Revenue Problem.

The Kansas City Royals do not fall short against teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets because of effort or heart. The Royals fall short because the revenue base that funds the roster is shrinking and unstable, and that structural problem limits payroll, player acquisition, and competitive momentum.

Features

The Morning Bark

The Quiz of the Day

Royals’ 2026 Spring Training Non-Roster Invites Include Cross, Mitchell

The Royals announced their list of non-roster invitees on January 27 for 2026 Spring Training in Arizona. That list included several former first-round picks, including catcher Blake Mitchell.

Kansas City Royals News / Royals Review / January 27

Blake Mitchell, Frank Mozzicato, Gavin Cross among 25 non-roster players invited to spring training

The Royals announced they have invited 25 non-roster players to spring training in Arizona, including former first-round picks Blake Mitchell, Frank Mozzicato and Gavin Cross.

Kansas City Royals News / Kansas City Royals on SI / January 27

Young Royals Slugger Drawing Elite Prospect Comparisons

The Kansas City Royals have several promising young players, some working on their path to the majors and others already looking to make an impact at the big-league level.

Cleveland Guardians News / Yardbarker Quizzes

The 'MLB active doubles leaders' quiz

How many of the active MLB players with 300 or more doubles in their career can you name in five minutes?

The '2025 MLB hits leaders' quiz

The 'Cleveland's 1997 World Series roster' quiz

The 'Most multi-HR games by MLB team' quiz

MLB News / Yardbarker

The 20 most significant MLB Rule 5 draftees

The Rule 5 draft, held annually at the winter meetings in December, never garners much fanfare, but it has been known to yield some noteworthy transactions.

Kansas City Royals News / Royals Review / January 27

Royals no longer interested in Aspiria campus Kansas site for ballpark

The search for a new ballpark has dragged out longer than the Royals expected, but one potential site may now be off the board. According to Fox 4 reporter Jonathan Lewis Ketz, the Royals are no longer interested in building a ballpark at 119th and Nall in Overland Park, on the site of the Aspiria campus.

Aaron Sanchez News / Kansas City Royals on SI / January 27

Royals Just Acquired Forgotten Former Blue Jays All-Star

It's the peak of "interesting minor-league signing" season, and the Kansas City Royals just picked up a name that will assuredly turn some heads. According to Robert Murray of FanSided, the Royals and right-handed pitcher Aaron Sanchez agreed to a minor-league deal on Tuesday.

Kansas City Royals News / Kansas City Royals on SI / January 27

Royals Linked to 3-Time All-Star as Potential Offensive Upgrade

The Kansas City Royals have been quiet since making their last move this offseason. They acquired Matt Strahm, Nick Mears and Isaac Collins in trades and also signed outfielder Lane Thomas to a one-year contract.

Kansas City Royals News / MLB on ClutchPoints / January 26

Royals make sneaky move on World Series champion pitcher

Like all small-market MLB executives, Kansas City Royals general manager J.J. Picollo is forced to get creative during the offseason. He has not made a huge free agency signing or blockbuster trade, but KC’s front-office leader has completed multiple under-the-radar moves that could push the team closer toward a playoffs return.

Kansas City Royals News / Larry Brown Sports / January 26

Royals land former World Series-winning pitcher

The Kansas City Royals are adding a former World Series winner to the team’s pitching staff. The Royals on Monday reportedly signed veteran relief pitcher Hector Neris.

MLB News / Yardbarker

The 25 greatest pitching seasons from the modern MLB era

America's favorite pastime has more memorable performances than any sport. As such, figuring out which pitchers had the best seasons ever is no easy task.

Vinnie Pasquantino News / Kansas City Royals on SI / January 26

Royals' Vinnie Pasquantino Has 3-Word Reaction to Seahawks' NFC Championship

The Kansas City Royals are hoping 2026 is their year to make it back to the World Series for the first time since 2015, and perhaps they can look to another 11-year drought for inspiration.

Harrison Bader News / Kansas City Royals on SI / January 26

One Outfielder Royals Could Target After Harrison Bader Signs Elsewhere

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that outfielder Harrison Bader has agreed to a two-year, $20.5 million contract with the San Francisco Giants. Bader had been linked to the Kansas City Royals as a potential free-agent target, but that option is now off the table.

Click here to get Yardbarker's Quiz of the Day emailed to you!

The 'Youngest Conference Champ QBs' quiz

The 'MLB active doubles leaders' quiz

The 'NFL undrafted receiving leaders' quiz

The 'NFL tight end receiving leaders' quiz

Kansas City Royals News / Kansas City Royals on SI / January 24

Royals Boast Multiple Top 100 Prospects At Key Position

MLB.com released its preseason Top 100 prospects list, highlighting the best young talent in baseball. Two Kansas City Royals players landed on the rankings, both at the catcher position.

Bobby Witt Jr. News / Athlon Sports / January 24

Bobby Witt Jr. MVP Push Fantasy 2026

My mother expected everyone to win. When CBS SportsLine went public, she said, “Did you know my friend’s son is a Vice President at IBM? When does that happen for you?” Bobby Witt Jr.

Bobby Witt Jr. News / Just Baseball / January 22

Kauffman’s New Dimensions Will Win Bobby Witt Jr. an MVP

After they achieved their first playoff berth in nearly a decade during the 2024 season, the future of the Kansas City Royals seemed very bright. They had the early makings of a good, young core that could carry them deep into October year after year, which had fans across the league very excited.

Kansas City Royals News / Last Word On Sports / January 21

Why the Kansas City Royals Moved the Outfield Fences at Kauffman Stadium

The Kansas City Royals outfield fence move at Kauffman Stadium represents a data-driven attempt to modernize run scoring, improve roster efficiency, and generate new revenue without abandoning the park’s identity.

Kansas City Royals News / Last Word On Sports / January 19

Why Revenue Sharing Standards Matter for the Kansas City Royals Right Now

Major League Baseball is once again circling a familiar argument. Payroll gaps are widening. Mega-contracts are stacking up at the top of the market. Owners, analysts, and fans are driving renewed calls for a salary cap.

MLB News / MLB Trade Rumors / January 18

Royals “Increasingly Unlikely” To Trade For Jarren Duran, Brendan Donovan

The Royals have been fairly active this offseason on the trade market and have already worked out deals that brought outfielder Isaac Collins (alongside righty Nick Mears) and lefty setup man Matt Strahm to Kansas City.

Kansas City Royals News / Last Word On Sports / January 18

Kansas City Royals: Expectations vs. Reality in Big-Money MLB

The Kansas City Royals’ expectations are colliding with reality in modern Major League Baseball. As payroll gaps widen and mega-deals dominate headlines, Kansas City continues to operate in a disciplined lane built on development, timing, and value-based roster construction rather than bidding wars.

Bobby Witt Jr. News / Yardbarker / January 16

Royals' reluctance in free agent market could hinder Bobby Witt Jr.'s prime

In 1989, Mark Davis threw 92.2 innings, had an ERA of 1.85, and saved 44 games. He won the Cy Young and entered free agency looking for a big contract.

Kansas City Royals News / MLB Trade Rumors / January 14

Royals Moving In Outfield Fences At Kauffman Stadium

The Royals announced they’re moving in the outfield fence in both corners (link via Anne Rogers of MLB.com). ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported the decision before the club announcement.

Kansas City Royals News / Field Level Media / January 13

Royals announce new outfield dimensions at Kauffman Stadium

The Kansas City Royals are bringing the outfield fences a little closer to home plate at Kauffman Stadium, the team announced on Tuesday. Per the team-provided diagram, the left- and right-field corners will be pulled in 9 feet to 347 and 344 feet, respectively.

Kansas City Royals News / Just Baseball / January 10

Three Free Agent Bats the Royals Should Target

After going 82-80 and missing the playoffs in 2025, the Kansas City Royals have certainly made an effort to get better this offseason, especially on the offensive end.

Kris Bubic News / Yardbarker / January 7

Potential Mets-Royals trade centered on breakout starter Kris Bubic would be win-win

Trade between the Mets and Royals involving Bubic would make sense. The two sides could help strengthen weak points on the other roster.

Phillies prove desire to move on from Nick Castellanos with latest free-agent target

The 20 worst MLB teams from the 1990s

The '2024 MLB home run leaders' quiz

Kansas City Royals News / MLB Trade Rumors / January 7

Royals Exploring Trade Market For Relievers

The Royals are still in the market for relief help and appear likelier to find another bullpen arm via the trade market than via free agency, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.