Six Takeaways From the Kansas City Royals’ 2025 Season

Whoever that target is, Royals GM JJ Picollo needs to upgrade the offense this offseason with another bat that can slot in the middle of the batting order.

2. The Hitting Approach Needs to Change

The Royals should’ve been better offensively in 2025 if one looks at the talent in their lineup. Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez both had 30+ home runs. Bobby Witt Jr. posted an 8.0 fWAR and 130 wRC+. Maikel Garcia had a breakout with 16 home runs and 23 stolen bases.

And yet, the Royals ranked 26th in home runs, 22nd in OBP and wRC+, and 20th in home runs, according to FanGraphs. Despite the talent, the hitting approach was flawed, and that is a big reason why the Royals underperformed by four wins from a season ago.

Kansas City didn’t sit on its hands at the conclusion of the season. While they kept hitting coach Alec Zumwalt, they let go of assistant hitting coaches Keoni DeRenne and Joe Dillon. They also parted ways with Royals Minor League Hitting Coordinator Drew Saylor, who was responsible for the development of many young Royals hitters like Witt, Pasquantino, Garcia, Melendez, and Michael Massey.

Picollo hasn’t named successors yet to DeRenne, Dillon, or Saylor. That said, expect Kansas City to do something drastic to help improve their hitting development at both the major and minor league levels in 2026 and beyond, much like they did with their pitching in 2023 when Picollo took over for Dayton Moore.

3. The Royals’ Rotation Pitching Depth Is Impressive

In 2024, the Royals’ rotation stayed healthy, and that led to their massive 30-win turnaround. It was a much different story, however, in 2025.

Nearly every pitcher in the Royals’ rotation from 2024 missed time or was affected by injury.

Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic missed significant parts of the season due to rotator cuff injuries. Alec Marsh didn’t pitch at all due to a shoulder injury (and may need offseason surgery). Michael Lorenzen had an extended IL stint around midseason. Seth Lugo struggled in 2025 after finishing second in the AL Cy Young race in 2024. This past season, he posted a 4.16 ERA in 26 starts and 145.1 IP, and he missed the remainder of the season due to a back injury.

Thus, Kansas City’s ranking seventh in starting pitcher ERA, despite all these key injuries, showcases the depth of their pitching staff.

The Royals will likely lose Lorenzen to free agency, but they bring back impressive depth for 2026. Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek looked great after coming over from San Diego in the Freddy Fermin trade. Noah Cameron posted a 2.99 ERA in 138.1 IP and should get AL Rookie of the Year consideration. Lastly, Michael Wacha was a stable veteran in the Royals’ rotation, posting a 3.86 ERA in 172.2 IP.

While Bubic and Bergert have question marks about their starts for 2026 (Bergert was shut down at the end of the year due to shoulder issues), there is enough talent in the Royals’ pitching staff to keep the club competitive next season. Any additions via free agency or trade will make a solid pitching staff, especially the rotation, even stronger.

4. Salvy Deserves More Time in Kansas City

Even though he’s 35 years old, Perez had another stellar campaign offensively. Yes, his batting average regressed to .236, and his wRC+ fell to 95 in 641 plate appearances (they were .271 and 117 in 652 plate appearances last year). That said, he hit 30 home runs and collected 100 RBI, the latter ranking second among all MLB catchers, behind only MVP candidate Cal Raleigh.

He also hit his 300th home run this year, putting him in elite company when it comes to catchers in MLB history with 300 or more home runs and playing with one team their entire career. The only other catcher to do so is Johnny Bench, who is in the Hall of Fame.

Thus, it doesn’t seem like a matter of “if” the Royals captain will be back next year. Instead, it will be for how long.

As of now, Perez holds a club option for 2026 worth $13.5 million. At the very least, it sounds like the Royals will be picking up that option to bring him back next season.

However, it wouldn’t be surprising for the Royals to decline the option and maybe agree to one final contract to allow him to finish his career in Kansas City. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Royals agree to a two-year, $30 million deal with perhaps a club option for a third year, which would allow them some wiggle room if Perez finally hits a wall offensively by 2027.

5. Garcia and Pasquantino Are Worthy of Contract Extensions

While the Royals struggled to find consistent offense in 2025, they did see the blossoming of two homegrown stars in Garcia and Pasquantino.

After posting an underwhelming 71 wRC+ and 1.2 fWAR in 626 plate appearances in 2024, the Venezuelan-born infielder posted a 121 wRC+ and 5.6 fWAR in 666 plate appearances in 2025. He was also a finalist for the Gold Glove award at third base and should be a favorite to win it, as he leads all AL third basemen in OAA and DRS, according to FanGraphs.

As for Pasquantino, he hit 32 home runs, collected 113 RBI, and posted a 116 wRC+ in 682 plate appearances. His HR and RBI totals led all Royals players. He didn’t produce in other categories (i.e., baserunning and defense), which explains why his fWAR was only 1.5 last season (the same as his 2024 mark). Nonetheless, Pasquantino became the slugger the Royals needed at the top of the batting order.

Both will be arbitration-eligible for the first time this offseason. It will be interesting to see if the Royals offer one or both of them extensions to keep them cost-controlled in the long term.

6. Witt Remains A Superstar

Last year, Witt finished second in the AL MVP race to Aaron Judge. However, in any other year, the Royals’ shortstop would’ve won it. In 709 plate appearances, he hit 32 home runs, scored 125 runs, collected 109 RBI, stole 31 bases, and posted a wRC+ of 169 and fWAR of 10.5.

This year was a “down” year for Witt, as he likely won’t finish in the top-three for AL MVP (though he certainly could be top-five). That said, he still was incredibly productive and put up “superstar” production despite his “regression.”

In 687 plate appearances, Witt hit 23 home runs, scored 99 runs, collected 88 RBI, stole 38 bases, and posted a wRC+ of 130 and fWAR of 8.0. Like Garcia, he was named a Gold Glove finalist at shortstop and should be a favorite to win the award after netting his first Gold Glove in 2024.

A lot of clubs would take this kind of “down” season from their star player, resulting not just in an 8.0 fWAR campaign, but also in leading the league in hits for a second-straight season.

There will be some things to watch for from Witt in 2026. Will his home run power bounce back? Will he continue to get more efficient on the basepaths? Can he cut down the strikeouts after seeing a 3.2% increase in K rate from 2024 to 2025?

Still, despite these questions, Witt should continue to be the building block of this franchise and an AL MVP candidate once again in 2026.